Page 55 of Hunt Me (Dmitriyev Bratva #1)

M ikhail

“A package came for you.”

In a day filled with meetings, I’d contacted Mark Jenkins first, arriving at his office bright and early.

After a night spent with Bristol, I was more than eager for this chapter of hell to be over.

Connor’s arrest had been big news, shoving aside all doubts that Dmitriyev Enterprises was an upstanding, law-abiding company.

It was a small win, but something I’d savored, even if I hadn’t achieved satisfaction in killing Connor. However, I had the woman I craved home safe where she’d remain.

As mine.

At least the thought kept the ugly demons from eroding a relatively decent mood.

He slid a large envelope across the desk. “This came yesterday.”

When he hesitated, I realized exactly who’d sent it.

“It’s from Sergio.” He eyed me warily as I pulled it into my hands.

Thoughts about my old mentor resurfaced, which created another pang of guilt and a wave of anger, but I shoved them down.

After a moment of hesitation, I peeled open the flap, pulling a large notebook and a jump drive into my hands.

The man was not only old school, he was also thorough.

His anticipation of his death meant he’d suspected a traitor in our midst. All I needed to do was flip through a few pages to know Sergio had made plans in case anything happened to him.

He had kept a paper copy of his black book, along with an electronic copy. He’d likely died trying to protect it.

“Should I know what you have?” Mark asked.

“This is nothing you need to worry about.” I pulled a folded piece of paper from the inside of the book into my hands, taking a deep breath before opening it.

Mikhail,

If you’re reading this, I’ve reached the end of my existence on this planet. Not to sound morbid, but you and I knew it was only a matter of time. I’m an old dog in a new world, a world that you now rule.

I’ve admired you over the years and how you’ve grown, yet never forgetting the importance of family and of the Bratva.

Don’t mourn the loss. Instead, celebrate your life.

My hope for you is that you find the love you so desire.

If you do, you’ll truly become the spirit of the Pakhan as your father always suggested.

Be well, my friend, and know you were like a son to me.

Sergio

I read the letter once again before folding and putting it back in its rightful place. It was profoundly true that the Bratva was a family. While things had changed over the years, there were some aspects that would always stay the same.

Loyalty.

Respect.

Honor.

I would uphold those until the day I died.

“Why did you ask to see me?” Mark asked casually.

“Because you’re going to have an addition to your staff, a new attorney who will be handling the majority of work for the Dmitriyev family.”

I could tell instantly he knew what I was instructing him to do.

He half laughed as he drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk. “Consider it done.”

I rose to my feet, but before heading to the door, I gave him one last instruction.

“Make it worth her while.”

There were two more items on my agenda that needed to be handled. The first would be easy but pointed, a warning issued.

The second? Well, that one could be deadly depending on how the person receiving the threat handled it.

But I didn’t care.

I was finished with playing games with anyone.

I’d done my civic duty by contacting Jack, allowing him to pick up the scum who’d killed Jax Shane.

Did I think Connor would be behind bars for long?

In truth, no, but I’d listened to my conscience, something I’d forgone until Bristol had crashed into my life.

As I walked into the building, I couldn’t help but smile.

She was such a wild child, a woman finally coming into her own.

Once inside, I immediately went through a metal detector. Even though I walked through and the light turned green, the police officer pulled me aside, frisking me as if I was a common criminal. It would seem my reputation had been boosted to possible outlaw.

No, I was just the Pakhan, ruler of the city.

Casino King.

He finally waved me through, but not before giving me the evil eye. I almost told him he was lucky the city wasn’t littered with bodies.

I headed to the mayor’s office, barely giving the receptionist a glance as I walked by.

“I’m sorry. You can’t go back there. You can’t…” Her voice trailed off as I took long strides down the hallway. I knew the mayor was in his office. I didn’t care if he was busy. The man would talk to me.

Period.

By the time I made it to his office door, two more armed guards appeared. They were young and eager, their hands already on their weapons. I simply allowed them to see I was bored with their reaction.

At that moment, the door opened and Sebastian Rork appeared.

While I’d only seen his face in pictures and on the news, I was surprised that there hadn’t been a hint of recognition from twenty-two years before. Granted, it had been dark that fateful night, thick with smoke and I’d experienced double vision, but I prided myself in never forgetting a face.

Perhaps I hadn’t wanted to remember.

His eyes opened wide as if he was just recognizing me for the first time. “It’s okay, Jim, Bobby. I’ve got this.”

“You’re sure, Mayor?”

“I’m positive.” Sebastian appeared haggard, as if the last few days had taken a significant toll. He was a fool to think he could take on the O’Shaughnessy Empire without facing retaliation.

He opened the door wider, allowing me in, hesitating behind me before closing the door.

“Mikhail.”

“Mayor.”

“Please, take a seat.”

“I won’t be here long enough to get comfortable, but thank you.”

He walked around me, keeping some distance. We stood for a full minute staring at each other. “I understand you had a hand in the apprehension of Connor O’Shaughnessy as well as saving my daughter’s life.”

“I was there.”

“From what she’s told me, you understate your heroic actions.”

“I did what was necessary under the circumstances.”

“Yes, I guess you did. Why are you here, Mikhail, to file a formal complaint about the special commission?”

I chuckled. “I don’t think that would do any good. One reason I thought I’d come by was to ensure you knew that investigating my family or my corporation will be futile. We are law-abiding citizens and you’ll be wasting your time.” It sounded good on paper.

“And I think you’re a smart enough man to realize who I was formally investigating.”

“Be careful biting the hand that fed you. I’m aware you took a bribe over twenty years ago, which is the reason Connor’s sentence was reduced to time served.”

“You don’t understand what was happening at the time or the threats I received. They sent me pictures of Bristol in daycare. They followed me and my wife, even appearing in the grocery store. She was pregnant at the time, almost miscarrying our daughter Callie.”

“Yet instead of going to your superiors or to the FBI, you chose to look the other way. You got into bed with the devil,” I told him.

He nodded. “I’m well aware of my actions, but at the time, I felt I had no other choice. I returned the money, not that it matters at this point.”

“It matters because they had evidence you were dirty. They still do, which is why they approached you about creating a framework of deceit around my family.” I don’t know if I was really interested in his admittance, but I was curious as to his reaction.

Appearing even more haggard, he moved behind his desk.

“I’ll be honest with you, Mikhail, because whether or not you choose to believe it, I do respect both you and your family.

Yes, I was contacted again by Tristen O’Shaughnessy, and he did ask me to work with him on a land development project.

I was no fool. I knew he was looking for favors, but I heard him out.

At first, I did nothing more than tell him I had nothing to do with approving citywide projects and sent him on his way.

Then he began hounding me, sending me pictures of things I’d done in the past. I hadn’t realized the depth of his surveillance all those years ago.

Once again, I called his bluff. The threats continued, including threatening Bristol.

I reached a breaking point but had thoughts of how to turn the tables. ”

I chuckled openly. I hadn’t given the man enough credit. “So you devised a plan of pretending to investigate the Dmitriyev family knowing that O’Shaughnessy and his clan would feel as if they could begin undermining my reputation.”

“Yes, but if you noticed, I didn’t mention names in the press conference or with any other methods of communication.”

“And you led people to believe I had a hand in Jax Shane’s murder.”

His exhale was heavy. “There are several dirty cops within the department, those completely loyal to Tristen. I had to see how far the treachery went.”

“You are aware I have friends in the department.”

“I’m aware, Mikhail. But as you told me twenty-two years ago, I owed you. I still do.”

“You remember.” I was surprised.

“How could I forget. You saved my daughter’s life and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. Coming here was never about placing your family in the crosshairs.”

“I find it convenient you did. What was the purpose?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, Mikhail. Perhaps I thought I could keep Las Vegas from spiraling out of control. I knew the best way to keep the city free of men like O’Shaughnessy was to keep a closer eye on their activities.”

“A noble effort however short sighted.”

“Maybe so. However, it felt damn good to have a hand in shaping rules regarding casinos, which helped keep crime low. For a while, the Irishman left me alone. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew one day Tristen would use blackmail, but I thought I’d be strong enough to handle him.”