Page 52 of Unwritten Vows

Derrick

I’ve never been so miserable.

I look out on the mountain of evidence I have piled high on my desk and sip my red bull and vodka.

It’s been weeks of calls and sticky bullshit that indicates the war I’m in has heated up to scorching levels.

My ex, Mara Whitney, even called me to use a dock she ended up having to torch.

I gave her my blessing to torch it—no one ever used it and it was better for me to collect the insurance money on it, anyway.

Through it all, I’ve had call after call dealing with the leaders of nearby mafia families who need to feel me out.

Rhode Island is a small state, and I’m certain some of them want to demolish this operation and absorb it into their own.

But I answered all their questions with the same ease and detachment as I’ve been taught throughout my entire life.

In the end, I’m sure they realize they won’t be able to simply sidestep me.

I’ll put up a fight if they try something, and right now, with this war about to explode, they don’t want to make another enemy.

I’ve managed to keep myself out of harm’s way, but likely just because I haven’t left my billionaire property. I’ve holed myself up, barely sleeping and eating, digging through papers and old surveillance tapes.

My father had an intricate plan, all right.

He encouraged the marriage between Liza and me from the beginning to my face, but Edoardo did not approach him as he had told me.

My father came up with the entire plan on his own.

He leveraged me in order to try and make a deal.

He used my Q Score—my societal popularity score—as well as the idea that we could hurt Liza and her father if I left her disgraced.

I’m happier than ever that I killed him.

He even had deals I’d never heard of, and I’m sure I know why.

I had always suspected that he sold women, but he knew that was a sore spot for me, especially since my mother was taken, violated, and killed.

He knew I’d never be okay with that in our operation, I think, and that was likely the reason he did it behind my back.

My father’s biggest failings were that he believed he could keep me in the dark about his relationship with Edoardo, but at the same time believed I would never question him.

He raised me to think outside the box, challenge every authority figure, and assert my own in their place in every situation, but thought I would be loyal to him when he broke my trust.

Thinking back through my life, any time any issue came up with him, I was quickly silenced in one way or another, and then I was given positive reinforcement as soon as I complied.

He trained me to be his perfect soldier.

To question everyone but him. Thank God I ended up with a fatal defect and overrode his commands.

And I have only Liza to thank for allowing me to see through it.

My stomach clenches at the thought of her. I’ve been gathering everything I can find to get her back and her father in my corner again. They’ll see what I have to offer , I reassure myself. They’ll believe my good intentions.

The phone on my desk rings, ripping me from my thoughts. It’s Marco, no doubt giving me some kind of run around with the next shipment coming through his territory. I don’t know how he keeps all concern for the upcoming war out of his business. It’s like he’s not even thinking about it.

“Stepinov,” I say, trying to give as much attention as possible to this call.

“I need the contract for the Fentanyl going through Provport.” His voice is clipped as he talks about the drugs he’s been running through our port in Providence.

“Why?” I mutter, annoyed with this obnoxiously unclear intrusion. I fumble through the stack of papers in front of me. I think I saw it somewhere in this pile, but it’s not exactly organized.

“I need to know who’s on it. We share it, Stepinov; I’m entitled to the information.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I know that, I just have other shit to do and I can’t drop everything just to find you a piece of paper.”

“It’s many pieces of paper. Just find it and give me the info please.”

I roll my eyes. “Only because you said please.” I continue to look and find it a moment later.

“What do you want to know?”

“The names. Who’s on there?”

I start reading off the names I see mentioned, recognizing many of them as billionaires that ran in my father’s circle.

He stops me soon after I read Mara’s father, Maxim’s name. “Okay, thanks. Make a copy of it and send it out to me, will you?”

“Yeah, sure,” I say, already thinking a few steps ahead. “Why couldn’t I just send it out to you in the first place?” It’ll be there in two days.”

“I need to know for a meeting tomorrow. Shit spread about what happened at your dock with Timur. Some of the big guys are spooked. I’m meeting with Yaroslav and those three morons from Baltimore.”

I’m too shocked that he’s talking about Liza’s father to think of anything else. “Wait, I thought you and Yaroslav were on bad terms because you spied on him last year.”

There’s a shrug in Marco’s voice when he speaks next.

“People do interesting things in times of war. We’re all trying to control the narrative and we’re all fucking lying, but we meet with each other and try to feel it out.

The Bolyar is someone you want on your side.

If he thinks I’m a snake because I don’t want to put all my eggs into one basket, that’s his issue. Not that he’ll ever find out.”

I don’t really give a shit about his explanations. I need to be at this meeting. I just want to know one thing. “Where?”

*****

The meeting takes place at a point of neutrality for the families: Rhode Island. My drive is quick, right down to Newport, and the men meet on the rooftop of one of the waterside lounges in the area.

I don’t give a shit what they’re saying. I just know that I have dirt on every single leader in the area and that I need to grab the Bolyar to discuss it before he leaves. At least he can’t kill me, since we’re on my turf. It’s the best time and place to do this.

He doesn’t look pleased with the conversation as he speaks and I watch from a dark corner of the next room over.

I know the owner of this place, and he agreed to let me skulk around behind the closed door of the office as the men spoke.

Perhaps it’s not completely neutral here, but I almost never use the power I actually have to do things like this, so everyone thinks it is.

I can hear bits and pieces of the conversation, and I wish I could make sense of them, but my brain keeps going over the stack of papers I have, everything I’ve learned, and what I’m about to say to him.

I know this isn’t my last chance to speak with him, that we’ll certainly see each other again out and about, but if he doesn’t listen to me this time, he’ll be less likely to trust me the next time, and then even less likely the time after that, and on and on. I need to put my best foot forward.

“You are not giving me anything new, Marco! Your eyes betray you. You’re hiding something from me.

I don’t believe a word out of your mouth!

” This is the Bolyar’s famous temper I’ve heard so much about.

He throws a plate off the bar and it shatters into a million pieces before he takes a few stomps in my direction.

“Wait, Bolyar, I am not trying to anger you! I don’t know what you want me to say. I can’t give you information I don’t have. Do you want to work together? Maybe we can figure out—”

“You can’t give me information because you’re playing both sides.

I’m not an idiot, Marco. I know you met with Maxim Whitney and you pretend you know nothing of it.

I know you spied on me, and you tell me it was a rogue action that one of your men took upon themselves, but for no recognition?

No, I can’t partner with someone who gives me nothing but lies. ”

“Well, I could give you more—”

“No. You are not even neutral, you’re just a liar. I’m leaving.” He begins to walk toward the exit, and although Marco is still objecting, I spot the end of a meeting when I see one.

I pretend to be talking to someone on my phone and swing the door to the office open wide, strolling right out.

“Well, make sure they strip it all, we don’t want to have a problem…

” I pretend to trail off when I see the Bolyar, looking at me with his eyes wide, a mix of surprise and anger in his expression.

“Oh, I gotta go,” I say, pretending to be surprised right back, although the lump in my throat isn’t fake. “Bolyar, sir. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

His eyes narrow on me, then look back at Marco, trying to put together why the fuck I’ve just appeared.

The Bolyar looks furious. “I’m now in the presence of two liars.”

“Sir, I…” I decide honesty is my best bet.

I’m going to have a hard time being convincing if I don’t just explain myself.

“Okay. Marco told me you’d be meeting with him here and I jumped on the chance to get to speak with you.

He didn’t even know I’d be here or that I wanted to see you.

” I look past Yaroslav to Marco’s red, ruddy face, staring at me in absolute shock. “Hey, buddy.”

Yaroslav’s face is red as a tomato. “You have about 30 seconds to explain to me why you’re performing this stunt before I crush your skull with my hands and burn this place down to the ground.”

“I just wanted to talk to you.” I say hastily. I’m already starting to feel desperate. All of my training, my years of masking feelings with cold nonchalance, is melting away quickly to show the yearning for his daughter underneath. “Please, will you just step into the other room with me?”