Page 116 of Boss

Yegor smiled. “That is right. And after today you will join the Vory. No longer as Tarek Marshall, you will take your father’s name. We will only address you as Viktor Bychkov. You are a criminal—you have corruption in your veins. You are a thief—you have stolen from people to satisfy your greed. You are a murderer—you placed the order of death on your brother Dale and Henry Marshall with my father’s blessing. You are a victor—you have crippled Alek Marshall and reclaimed your birthright. And that story will be told. You will stand by the mark and bars. You will follow the rules of the Vory. You will become a thief in law.”

“I’m ready.” Tarek unbuttoned his shirt. He tossed it to the floor. He then loosened the strings to his pants and dropped them as well. He sat down before the men on the table. The man in the corner turned on the tattoo needle and brought his equipment over.

Yegor smiled. “Welcome to the brotherhood.”

54.

Eight months later –

Chicago, Illinois

“Are you going back upstairs to your room or to the event center?” Charmaine asked.

Kassidy checked her watch. It was close to four. She could catch the last meeting and still have time for a quick shower before they left for dinner. “I’m going to go hear the speaker. It’s just next door. I’ll call you from the room when I get back.”

“Okay. Take notes, Clarissa. I’m counting on you!” Charmaine winked.

Kassidy smiled. Her name was Clarissa Wilson. She lived in a small town called Danbury, Illinois, and she sold Mary-Kay part-time as she worked as a beautician full-time. The big convention in Chicago was the first trip she’d made out of Danbury since she moved there. The first time she’d even allowed herself a vacation. Kassidy walked out of the spinning doors of the hotel and arrived on the bustling sidewalk in the heart of downtown Chicago. She smiled to herself. The city was vibrant and alive with honking horns, cursing motorists, and pedestrians walking briskly past her. The little town of Danbury had a population of about 13,000 and only three percent of that population were people of color. Anonymity for her had come at a big price. She lost her family and she lost contact with the world. She was nobody. Just a beautician who started selling cosmetics to her clients, and found she was really good at it. Charmaine was her regional consultant and had already awarded her with many perks since her sales spiked over the holidays. This trip was one of them.

And after all these years the city of Chicago held the same meaning to her as it did before her childhood scars caused her life to fall apart. Before Daniel betrayed her to cover his childhood secrets. And before her boss kidnapped, tortured and made her fall in love with him. A love that felt empty and abandoned since she hadn't spoken or seen him in over four years.

Kassidy hitched her purse up her arm and headed in the direction of the event center. In the winter she heard the city was frigid with high-winds whipping around the tall skyscraper buildings. But in the summer, like today, it was hot with humidity.

“Hey lady! Looking for the daily news? Got it right heah for you! Ah huh, got it right heah!” A man jumped out in front of her. She smiled politely and tried to side step him. “Awe, c’mon beautiful. Help a brother out. It’s only two bucks. I haven’t eaten.”

Apparently the man was peddling for the vendor. Kassidy tucked her hair behind her ear. She had put in extensions and it was longer now, reaching the middle of her back from a center part.

“Here you go, thank you,” she said and accepted the paper. The man grinned and disappeared back up the sidewalk. She started walking again. As she rounded the corner and headed for the event center, with the paper in her hand and her gift bag from the convention center in the other, she felt awkward and over-burdened. She decided to toss the paper when the headline caught her attention.

Billionaire Tarek Marshall Free!

Kassidy stopped on the sidewalk. Several people bumped into her. “Ah, sorry, excuse me,” she said and ducked over to the right near the building. She held up the article. Today was the day Tarek was released from prison. The article said he would have a six-month probationary period. It went on to say that he was currently in a legal war with his surviving brothers over his control and demise of the Marshall fortune. His father Alek Marshall had died of a heart attack in prison six months ago. His brothers Dale and Henry Marshall were dead. The article said this was the last gasp of the surviving Marshalls’ to stop Judas. That’s what the papers called him now. Judas. They even said his name was legally changed to Viktor Bychkov. The world Tarek came from had crumbled and burned to the ground. She stared at the man seen walking out of the prison. He didn’t look weathered or downtrodden. He looked stronger, hardened. He didn’t duck his head in shame or hide from the cameraman. He looked the photographers directly in the eye.

“No. I can’t. Oh, God I can’t do this,” Kassidy said as anxiety gripped her and the urge to run became so strong she turned and fled to her hotel. She didn’t stop running until she reached her room. And inside Kassidy sat and read the newspaper twice more.

Kassidy looked toward the window. They had a plan and she stuck to it. But things had changed. She was better now. Stronger. She was no longer driven by the need for risks and danger. She was different.

55.

A month later –

Tarek drove his corvette through the gates of the Marshall ranch. The place where it all began had now fallen into ruin. The bankruptcy courts said the Marshalls had to vacate. But he was able to recover the land in his lawsuit. What was left of it was now his. He parked next to a silver Mercedes and opened the door. The dark lenses of his sunglasses shielded his eyes from the sun. But he could see Yegor on the front porch waiting.

“How did you manage to beat me here?” Tarek asked.

Yegor chuckled. “You must have forgotten the way since you’ve been gone.”

“I never forget.” Tarek smiled and gave him a brotherly hug. “Is it open?”

Yegor glanced back behind him. “The door was open but I wouldn’t go inside. Vandals have ruined the place.”

“It’s still mine.” Tarek walked past him and went inside the ranch house. He looked around.

“Why do you want it? The courts have emptied the Marshall accounts. You have far better places than this one. You’re free of these people. Or are you not?”

“It’s what’s owed to me. My real father lost everything. This is my trophy!” Tarek smiled.

Yegor shook his head. “Here.”

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