Page 16 of Claim Me (Dmitriyev Bratva #2)

You’ll find a will. I’ve left the house and my bank accounts to Marissa.

I only recently finished handling my parents’ estate, which you’ll find evidence of in the paperwork.

There is also a trust fund left by my parents.

Small, but they’d squirreled away some money for her.

Sadly, the casino isn’t anything she’s interested in owning, but she is my sister.

You’ll have majority control. Perhaps the two of you can find a way to work together and keep Marengo thriving.

You are the casino king, after all. Right?

An expansion into Seattle won’t hurt you.

You’ll find important contact information for the family and corporate attorneys as well as the accountant.

Upon my death, my personal attorney will be hand delivered a list of requirements and permissions, including that you’re handling every aspect of my estate.

You shouldn’t have any issues with probate, but I’m certain you’ll easily handle them if an issue comes about.

If you look, there’s a flash drive that will better explain the complicated issue as well as the level of danger. I managed to get my hands on some interesting information that Popov had me killed to keep from seeing the light of day. Do what you will with it, but I warn you, you could start a war.

You are the only person I can trust other than my sister. I’m placing her life in your hands.

Please do this for me, my brother. She deserves a wonderful life.

Charlie

Well, fuck.

He’d thought of everything. Why the fuck hadn’t he called me? I would have helped him through whatever crisis he’d been dealing with. He’d always been that way, refusing to take help from anyone. The selfish bastard.

I sat back, closing my eyes. He’d placed the full weight of his empire in my hands.

Buildings and grounds I could handle, some Russian pig I could easily annihilate, but shaping or what Marissa would call controlling someone’s life?

Way above my pay grade. How in the fuck was I supposed to handle this?

Grabbing the envelope, I dumped the remainder of the contents, pulling the small drive into my fingers. Whatever was located on the files was worth killing for.

Worth dying for.

The drive I’d look at later.

Gathering the items, I shoved them back into the envelope and stood. Dealing with Charlie’s personal items would be left up to Marissa, a chore I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Before I turned off the light, a photograph in a frame on one of several bookshelves caught my attention.

Before I closed the distance, I remembered exactly when it was taken.

After our required stint working for the resort’s landscaper, we’d both been promoted to the status of bartender.

Laughing, I picked up the frame, marveling at how young we appeared.

We’d believed we’d just been given a lottery ticket, only our interests had nothing to do with money.

In our twenty-something brains, we’d thought bartending would be our ticket to meeting hot women. We had, but we’d both struck out time and time again.

An ache gripped my heart, the need for revenge igniting another passion deep within. I would avenge his death.

Even if my actions did create a war. He deserved no less.

After a moment of hesitation, I took the picture, sliding it into the envelope. Perhaps the photograph would help in allowing Marissa to trust me. Her ability to do so was vital, more so than almost anything else.

Just before turning off the light, I took another sweep of the room.

Death was inevitable, tragedies occurring every second. No family was immune. Rich. Poor. Black. White. Purple. When the Grim Reaper said it was your time, there was nothing that would stop the monster from slithering through the darkness.

As I’d admitted to Marissa, the difference in my world was that the life expectancy was much shorter. In the old days, surviving to forty was considered exceptional, add another ten years and the person was considered a lucky legend.

After decades of brutality and unnecessary bloodshed, my father and uncle had finally been convinced the old ways weren’t necessarily the right ones. But violence was in our blood. So was our determination to succeed while caring for our families.

Charlie had been like a brother and as such, his death would be treated with honor.

So would his sister.

As far as the person responsible? They’d quickly learn about the Dmitriyev legacy.

We’d been born to be kings.

With the house secure, I returned to the rental car. I’d need to play this carefully. As soon as I started the engine, my phone rang.

“What is it, Ryker?”

“We might have an issue. I’d thought you’d like to know before I had Simon handle it.”

“What?” I pulled from Charlie’s driveway, immediately pressing down on the accelerator.

“There’s a car with a single driver inside. From his vantage point, he has a partial shot of Ms. Valentine’s house. He’s either stupid or oblivious to our presence. What do you want me to do?”

“Watch him. If he attempts to break inside, lock him down,” I growled. “This I’ll handle myself.”

Not only would I handle it, I’d enjoy every moment of tearing the man apart.