Page 5

YURI

Now that I’m showered, dressed, and ready, I head to the kitchen and grab an energy bar and start brewing another cup of coffee. The news was enlightening, and now I have a new plan forming to undermine the Italians. Ever since talking with my Pap on my sixteenth birthday, I’ve been all in on helping keep the Italian’s and their ambitions at bay.

The Italians are pond scum and will do everything in their power to make our lives a living hell. So I need to keep a low profile for a while until my plan is more fleshed out. They’re going to be pissed once they find out their latest drug deal went south because of us, but I don’t care. They deserve all the shit they’ve got coming their way.

I’m pouring my coffee in a to-go cup when my phone starts buzzing in my pocket.

Grabbing it out, I see Andrey’s name flash across the screen and sigh, “What is it, Andrey?” I say already annoyed.

“Yuri. We have a problem!” Andrey says, speaking quickly.

“Already?” I ask, confused.

“Yeah, Daniil got attacked during his drop last night. He’s in the hospital.”

“Fuck!” I growl, “How?” Daniil is one of our best runners, so for anyone to track him, let alone catch him off guard long enough to take him down is unthinkable. “Was anyone with him?” I bark out.

“I don’t know. The boss wants to meet at the gym in twenty minutes to figure out what went wrong.”

“Do they know where he was ambushed?” I demand.

“He was right across the street from the Jewel Osco on thirty-fifth street. He must have known someone was tailing him because he was headed away from the drop point,” He rushed out clearly hearing the anger in my voice.

“I’m on my way!” I say, hanging up the phone, grabbing my coffee and protein bar and jetting out the door.

After meeting with Pap and a small group of our men, I have a pounding headache. We still aren’t sure how the jackasses tracked Daniil, but we have a plan of action. It took just over two hours, but I’m finally heading back towards campus to check up on my girl.

Heading toward her dorm, I allow myself to look at the buildings around me. Some parts of the city are very industrial, while others are full of beauty and history. I enjoy looking at it all. Walking at a steady pace, I think about when we first moved to the suburbs.

I claimed Charlie from the moment she stood up for me. Thinking of that memory always makes me smile. She was my best friend from that moment. But my feelings started to become something more; she didn't want her to know that and ruin our friendship. It broke my heart to leave all those years ago.

I didn’t want to leave her. I wanted to always be near Charlie to protect her. She was never able to see danger right in front of her and that trait hasn’t changed. Her friendship with Dominic proves that. I swear this woman is trying to kill me with some of the choices she makes.

Rounding the corner, I see her just a few feet in front of me; she’s just about to reach the quad. Damn! Every time I see her, I have to catch my breath. I keep my footsteps light and pull my cap down over my eyes a little. Just seeing her reminds me of when I turned eighteen.

Most milestones were shrouded by her absence. Pap was finally letting me take on some responsibilities for the family business, so I had access to a mustard seed’s worth of my father’s resources. I yearned for Charlie. At first I didn’t understand why. I didn’t just miss our friendship. She was the first person to accept me for who I was. She didn’t judge me by how I looked or my accent. She just saw me and accepted me.

From that moment, I was doomed. She had my heart. She always will. I miss her beautiful green eyes and fiery red curls. I miss the way she would make a cute squeak whenever she would sneeze and how she would whine my name when I was better at something than her.

I wish I could look into her face right now. It’s hard not to just show up at her apartment and say, Hi, I’m sorry I disappeared, but I’m here now. I don’t have the luxury to be selfish. If I want to protect her, I need to stay away. It’s hard being in the shadows rather than walking by her side. If I were with her now, everyone would know she was mine and no one, not even that scumbag, Dominic, would touch what’s mine.

Looking at her back as we walk, I notice the sway of her hips and sigh deeply, nearly letting out a growl when she takes her hair out of that bun and shakes it. It’s torture. As the crimson curls fall like curtains down her shoulders and back, I wish I could run my fingers through those curls. I wish I could place my hand around her waist, pull her to me and, “No.” I say and shake my head. I can’t start thinking about all the things I want to do to her, with her. I need to focus.

Continuing to follow her, I wish I could have celebrated her high school graduation with her. But, since I couldn’t be there, I made sure someone from my family was present. It was shortly after her graduation that I learned where Charlie would attend college and loud alarm bells went off.

The Italian’s have their territory, and we, the Russians, have ours. Charlie managed to choose the one University the Italians have their claws in: North Eastern University.

I tried not to panic because I knew who also attended NEU. Dominic Romano. We’re the same age, but he’s an ass who only cares about making money and gaining power. It’s odd to think how similar our lives are, and yet he chose to go to college, which I thought was weird. I know he wants to take over for his father one day, so I’m not sure why he was spending his days in mind-numbing classes.

I chose not to go to college. I knew I could learn more from my father. I never enjoyed school like some of my classmates. I got decent grades, but after we moved back to the city, my father didn’t let me or my brothers go to school. We were homeschooled because Pap was intent on keeping eyes off of his sons.

From the moment we moved, Pap always made sure we understood how dangerous our lives had become. No matter how many security measures my father put into place, he was always worried. So when I turned fourteen, he paired me with one of the guys from our gym. We own an MMA fighting club and training center; Baba started it up when my father and Uncle Boris were younger. It’s changed and grown a lot since then. When I wasn’t doing schoolwork, I was at the club. My father also brought me to the firing range several times a week.

Pap always says, “Fists are good, but guns are better.”

I prefer using my fists.

After high school, I didn’t need to work at some local restaurant or coffee shop, so I spent my time training at the club. By the time I turned nineteen, I was unstoppable; whether I used my fists or a gun. I knew that one day the Italians would find out who I am. My family could only use smoke and mirrors for so long, so I made sure I was ready.

Charlie rounds another corner and it’s just a few more blocks until we will reach her dorm. She’s so fucking gorgeous. Even in the dim of the street lights, I can see her taking casual steps. She still tries not to step on any cracks in the sidewalk if she can help it. It’s hard not to think about all the events that have brought us to this point in our lives.

Me following.

Her not knowing if I’m alive or dead.

Once I was sure Charlie was safe in her dorm room, I started heading for my car. Even though I’m not on the lookout for someone who might hurt Charlie, I still check my surroundings. Pap says no one knows who I am, but I’ve always been skeptical. It’s not easy to remain anonymous when you’re the heir to the Russian Mob. I’ve always done as my father asks because I do want to be in charge one day and it’s kind of fun running things without people knowing exactly who I am.

My anonymity has come in handy when I’m at the gym or just out doing a job because most of the brotherhood don’t know I’m the boss’ son. I’ve been able to suss out guys who aren’t loyal, or who aren’t doing as they’re told. It makes me feel a bit like I’m tattling from time to time, but we’re not dealing with children taking their friends’ toys. This is life or death.

I reach my car without incident and get in enjoying the heat the moment I turn the key in the ignition. Chicago is always cold, no matter the season. They don’t call it the Windy City for nothin’. Putting the car in drive, I consider going to my apartment, but then change my mind and head to the gym. I need to clear my head and sparring always helps.

I’ve come up with some great plans while sparring. Back when I learned that Charlie was going to attend NEU and study journalism, I started keeping a closer eye on her. It was stressing me out, so I went to the gym and Maxim and Andrey took turns sparring with me while I figured out how I could keep her safe. I knew I couldn’t follow her around 24/7, but I didn’t know any other way.

Maxim and Andrey are my right and left hand guys. They’ve been my only friends since moving back to Chicago and helped me adjust to my new life. Andrey is a year younger than me and not the smartest bulb in the box. Maxim is one year older and two sizes larger than me. He’s practically a giant. Even now, they’re the only ones, besides my family, who know who Charlie is and how important she is to me. It's been my father and those two knuckleheads who have helped me keep her safe all this time.

I get to the gym, park, and turn off the car. I walk to the trunk to get my gym bag and as I walk into the building, I think about the day, nearly four years ago now, that Maxim, Andrey and I planned our first ‘undercover’ mission.

Four years ago…

I’ve been at the club for a few hours, sparring and training. I’m full of sweat and my body is sore, but it’s a good feeling. Training gives me a sense of control, of my feet being firmly planted on the floor, even though I’m usually on my toes in the ring.

I hear the bell above the door ring and stop hitting the speedbag.

Andrey and Maxim walk through the door and as soon as they’re within hearing distance I ask, “How was the meeting with the boss this morning?” and start hitting the bag again.

Both Maxim and Andrey have a gym bag slung over their shoulder. As they approach, they drop their bags with a thud.

“Good. Good. Nothing new to report,” Maxim says.

“Okay, good. I need to run some ideas by you both” I state in a no nonsense tone.

“Yeah, sure Yuri. No problem.” Andrey says.

I stop hitting the speedbag again, look around the room, then suggest, “Let’s go sit in the bar area. It’ll be quieter,” and we start heading to the back of the club that Pap decided to attack in the rear soon after we moved back. He said it would be good for the men to have a place to let off steam, and if anyone got too drunk and wanted a fight, they’d be close to the ring.

We walk toward a table at the back corner. Maxim pulls out a chair and lands on it like a meteor falling from the sky.

“Geez Max! Are you trying to break the chair?” Andrey quips.

“Oh, shut up!” Maxim growls, punching Andrey’s arm hard enough to make him stagger and nearly miss his chair.

“Alright! Calm the fuck down. I need your help with something.” I bark, bringing their attention back to the issue at hand. “We need to come up with an easy way to keep watch over Charlie without drawing attention. We can’t follow her all over campus. You two are about as subtle as a forest fire.” Andrey and Maxim look at each other, scoff, and then look back at me.

“You know campus cops are worthless mother fuckers. They couldn’t catch a mouse in a mousetrap let alone catch on to us,” Maxim says with a deep, grumbling laugh.

“I won’t scare her. We can’t be seen on campus by her or anyone else. It would put her in more danger, and we’re trying to keep eyes off of her, not paint a bullseye on her back,” I say emphatically, reminding them what’s at stake.

“Let’s not overthink this. It’s simple. We’ll just bug her phone,” Maxim suggests nonchalantly like it’s the obvious choice.

Andrey scoffs, “Oh, right. We’ll just walk up to Charlie and say, ‘Excuse me, can I please have your phone?’” Rolling his eyes, he continues, “She’s not gonna let us touch her phone.” Andrey argues.

Maxim narrows his eyes on Andrey, “It’s not that hard to swipe someone’s phone, especially a girl like Charlie. She’s smart, but she forgets her phone all the time.” I let out a low laugh. He’s not wrong. That girl does leave her phone everywhere.

“How are we going to do it? I can’t go anywhere near her,” I remind them.

Maxim lets out a rough sigh, “It’s easy. We’ll do it during her freshman orientation.”

“Go on…” I prompt, annoyed.

“I’ll approach some other students like I’m the head of one of the clubs or something. I’ll ask for their information, then I’ll simply walk up to Charlie and ask her too. I’ll block her phone with a clipboard, grab it, and walk away. There are programs that help you monitor someone’s phone. I only need to plug her phone into mine for a few minutes and upload a program. Once it’s finished, I’ll walk back over to Charlie and have her double check her information for any errors and set her phone back down on the table.”

I think for a minute about Maxim’s plan. It seems easy enough.

“Alright. Let’s talk with Konstantin and see what program he thinks will work. We have about a week to get this planned out.”

Lucky for us, Konstantin is a wizard when it comes to tech, so we got everything we needed within a few days of that first meeting. His program has been essential in helping me keep tabs on Charlie when neither the guys nor I could. I head into Konstantine’s office now, because I want him to look into something for me.

“Hey Kon,” I say in greeting, “You busy?” I ask putting my duffle on the floor outside his office.

“A bit. The boss has me looking into a few things. He thinks Nico has a new whorehouse just a few blocks away from the tea shop, so I’m checking it out. What’s up?”

I consider not bothering him since he’s probably knee deep in code. I sigh and shift weight from one foot to the other putting my hands in my pockets.

“I might be making a big deal out of nothing, but can you look into something for me when you have a minute?” I ask.

“Sure. Whatever you need,” he responds easily.

I take a seat at a chair across from his desk and tell him about an assumption I have. “Again, I’m not sure if there will be anything to find, but while I was out the other day, I swore I was being followed,” I tell him.

I don’t know if I’m being overly sensitive because I’ve been keeping close tabs on Charlie lately, but Konstantine can do a quick check for cell phones that were in the area to ease my mind. He’ll probably think I’m being stupid, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. If someone is catching on to who I am, I need to put a stop to it, now!

“Yeah, I can take a look into it. Just let me know where and when and I’ll add it to my list,” he says.

“Great!” I say getting up and heading over to the locker room to set my gym bag down and get my sparring gear on.

I’m just leaving the gym when my phone vibrates. I take it out of my pocket and see that my father is calling.

“Hey boss,” I say in greeting, “What’s up?”

“I need your help at the apartment. Come to the basement and bring Maxim with you,” he says, “We’re in room ten.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” I say hanging up the phone. Then I quickly call Maxim and let him know to meet me at the apartment in ten minutes.

I arrive at the apartment in good time, sometimes traffic is kind to me and I’m thankful because I want to finish up whatever Pap has planned and check in on Charlie.

I park the car, grab my gym bag from the trunk to bring it into my apartment after we’re all done, and head into the building. I take the elevator to the basement, and drop my duffle right outside the metal doors once I get off.

I walk down the dark hallway that is lined with doors and head for the one labeled with a bright silver number ten and walk right in.

I’m met with the smell of burnt flesh, blood, and urine and I have to blink a few times to prevent my eyes from watering.

I take a few steps into the room, which is empty except for a single chair that’s bolted to the floor. On the chair is a young man I don’t recognize. To the left is my father and on the right is Viktor. Jeremie is at the back of the room standing next to a table with a variety of torture implements. To the left of the table is a small sink.

“Hello Son,” Pap says.

“Hey boss,” I say, “Viktor, Jeremie” I nod at them, “and who’s this?” I ask.

“His name doesn’t matter,” my father explains, “he’s just been telling us about his boss’s new business venture.”

“And what’s that?” I ask, curious.

Pap looks over at Viktor, and walks to the back of the room to wash his hands.

“Nico seems to think he can open up a whorehouse anywhere he likes,” Viktor explains as Maxim walks through the door behind me.

“What?” Maxim says as he reaches my side.

Viktor explains again, “Nico opened up a whorehouse near the tea shop. We’re learning all the ins and outs. The boss wants to clue Liam in as soon as possible so we can shut them down.”

Detective Liam Fitzpatrick is our inside man at the Chicago PD. He’s a Detective with the organized crime division and has been in our lives for as long as I can remember. I found out later that while we lived in the suburbs, Pap would call and talk to Liam’s father, a retired cop, who he used to go to school with, to get updates on Uncle Boris and Nico.

Liam decided to become a cop too, so my father stayed in touch. Liam’s always been happy to help since help give him information about the shit the Italians try to get away with, and he turns a blind eye when we need him to.

“Okay, what have we learned?” I ask and the man in the chair begins to groan.

Viktor grabs the man by the hair and hauls his head up, wrenching his neck hard, “Why don’t you explain it for us again?” he says as more of a command than a question.

“Uh…” he groans again, trying to lift his head, “I’ve already told you everything I know.”

The man looks to be in his mid twenties, maybe, it’s hard to tell what’s under all the bruises and dried blood.

Viktor lets the man’s hair go and his head lolls to the side. “Basically, he opened up shop a month ago. There are ten girls between the ages of ten and eighteen,” he lifts one side of his lip in disgust, “Working night and day.”

“What?” I say, furious. I knew Nico was in the sale and trade of women, which is bad enough, but girls? He makes me sick!

My father walks back up and stands next to the bloodied man, “We’re going to put an end to it.”

“What do you need me to do?” I ask.

“I need you and Maxim to give this nice gentlemen a pair of cement shoes so Viktor and I can go meet with Liam,” he says.

“What?” The man looks up in alarm. “You… You don’t have to do that!” He shouts, “I won’t say a word!”

“Right…” Viktor says disbelief in his tone.

“Alright,” I say with a sigh, “We got this.”

“I’ll go mix up some cement,” Maxim says and heads out into the hall to get the supplies we’ll need.

Viktor and my father leave the room and the man calls after them trying to plead for his life, but they ignore him.