Page 84 of Hunt Me

I shook my head. “Agreed to a point. However, there’s a major difference between those who pledge to honor the letter of the law already in effect and those who create their own rules on a whim.”

“You have me curious.”

“You act without positive proof. You act based on anger, not on evidence.” I walked closer, daring to be bold enough to take the book from his hand. “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“You seem surprised again.”

“I am. Why select this book?”

As he’d done before, he crowded my space. “Because the brilliantly written story is about the roots and consequences of racism and prejudice and how good and evil can coexist in a community.”

“Good versus evil, a cornerstone of my beliefs.”

“Right versus wrong.” He smirked as if testing me.

I had to think about why he seemed fascinated by this story in particular. “Your family was persecuted when they came to America. They were treated as outsiders.”

“Very good. Yes, they were. They came here seeking to remove themselves from the Bratva and the heinous crimes. They’d believed they could lose their heritage and start over. But that wasn’t allowed. They were treated not only as outsiders, but as evil personified because of their thick accents alone. I was just a boy, but I was bullied, beaten by kids whose parents looked the other way. Teachers looked the other way. We had to prove ourselves, but even after doing so, they were still mistreated, lied to. And betrayed. They returned to their own ways.”

“Through violence and bloodshed?”

He cupped my face, peering down at me with even more extreme emotion than I’d seen before. “Maybe initially, Bristol. There’s no reason for me to lie to you. That’s what my father and uncleknew by birthright; using force to get what they wanted. And after a time, the bullying stopped.”

“By force.”

Every laugh, every sound he made held some bitterness. “Yes, by force, but that’s not where my family is at today. At least for the most part. Both men sacrificed to make better lives for their wives and children, believing in the American dream. That didn’t change when they developed the Bratva in Las Vegas. They worked hard and after a few years were able to capitalize on their efforts. You might not believe me, but in building an empire, they worked tirelessly while living in squalor just to put food on the table.”

“The American dream.”

Another bitter laugh. “Yes, it took time, but we built something we are proud of. I refuse to allow anyone to take that away.”

“Sergio was more than an employee or even just a friend. Wasn’t he?”

As he brushed his thumb across my bottom lip, pulling it open slightly, he took a deep breath. “During the years I was bullied, my father was too busy to pay attention. He was never home and when he was, he wasn’t capable of being supportive. I was an angry kid, incapable of controlling my rage. And my fear. Sergio became another father, a man who truly taught me about right versus wrong and that being Bratva was about more than the violence and bloodshed you mentioned, but also about loyalty and respect to both old and new ways. Plus, he also taught me that intelligence was often the best weapon to be used. Along with my father’s love of reading, I discovered a new world,gleaning everything I could about dozens of subjects from books and encyclopedias back in the day when they were still around.”

He laughed from his memory.

But I sensed his extreme sadness. Suddenly, a rush of emotions tore through me.

“Sergio sounds very wise.”

“Yes, and I take his death personally.” He took the book from my hand, sliding it back onto the bookshelf. “Which is why you should be able to understand my frustration with you for not providing me with the truth.”

“Being in this position isn’t something I asked for or wanted. No one in their right mind would.”

“Touché.”

The sudden tension between us was fraught with questions, yet I had no idea what to say to the man.

“There are other aspects of importance withTo Kill a Mockingbirdincluding courage and compassion. Without both within our society, people cannot thrive. That’s why I believe in the law. The framework allows all of us to explore the opportunities that we justly deserve.”

“Very wise for someone so young. Also, very naïve. Unfortunately, evil often undermines acts of goodness, making futile the very compassion you mention.”

“How very sad it must be to be so jaded. What about joy? What about love? Don’t they counteract the evil in your world?”

He pointed to a chair, silently directing me to sit. I didn’t argue, taking a seat while he moved to the couch. “In my world, love canbe used as a weapon. Many a woman has professed her love only to be found with a knife behind her back.”

“Ouch. Then I can’t imagine living in your world, Mikhail. That would be too depressing.”