Page 79 of Merciless Union
“I blew up a bar.”
I’m silent for a moment. The only sound in the car is the quiet sound of the steering wheel being gripped so fucking hard.
“Maxim?”
“Which bar?” I ask in a deadly quiet tone.
“The Psycho Raven.”
“What?” I shout at him.
I can practically hear him flinch on the other end.
“Please, I’m sorry. I messed up. Again.” He sounds breathless. “It’s just that I’m on the run right now. I need you to come pick me up before anyone else finds me.”
“If Erik finds you, he will kill you.” The Psycho Raven is a bar owned by Erik Novikoff, the same Erik who’s father, Vladimir, I killed just a couple weeks ago, and who I just banished from the Bratva. Erik fucking hates me. There’s no reason he doesn’t hate Alexei too. And now Alexei went and blew up his fucking bar.
“I know, I know. Please, just come pick me up.” He rattles off an address down by the waterfront.
I hang up, driving as fast as I can to find Alexei.
He’s shivering in the cold when I pull up to him. “Get the fuck in.”
Alexei doesn’t waste a moment to do as I say. The minute he slams the door behind him, I drive off, not wanting to get into a shootout with Erik.
“I let that bastard live to learn a lesson,” I say. “To make him understand that you don’t mess with a Petrov, especially when one is the head of the Bratva. But now you’ve gone and asked for a war between us. Why the fuck did you think it would be a good idea to blow up his bar?”
Alexei burrows in his seat, shrugging. “I know how he stole one of our drug shipments. I know he was trying to work with Stepan Pasternak. I just thought I’d even the playing field by hurting him like he hurt us.”
“I already did that when I killed his father!”
Alexei flinches away from me. “You know, you’re a lot like Dad when you yell like that.”
I blink, startled at his words. “I’m nothing like Dad,” I growl. “Besides, this is about you. There is a code amongst Mafia men. Erik hurt me first by stealing my drug shipment. I paid him back when I killed his father. Things were settled between us. He’s been lying low. I honestly didn’t give a fuck what he did with his live. I disowned him. He’s no longer my man. But now you brought all this shit back up whenyoudecided to attack him unnecessarily by blowing up his bar! He’ll be coming for me next. I don’t know when or how but I know he will be. I have that fucker Stepan to deal with right now. I don’t need Erik to deal with too!”
“I’m sorry.” Alexei shakes his head. “Sorry that I’msucha fuckup. I was just trying to help you, that’s all.”
“Then you should have come to me first. Instead, you disobeyed me by going behind my back and essentially starting a war between us. I know Erik. I’ve known him all my life and he’s always been a greedy fucker. He’ll come for me. I just know it. The next time you want to fuck shit up, come to me first and I’ll tell you how colossal of a fucking terrible idea that is.”
“Well, I’m not the leader here. If you kept me better informed, then maybe I wouldn’t have done something so stupid.”
“There’s a reason you’re not the leader and it has nothing to do with me being older. You are impulsive, rash, and reckless, Alexei. If you want me to treat you with respect and keep you better informed on business matters, then you need to shape up and gain more responsibility in your life. I might not always be here to bail you out. You need to think more with your brain than with your emotions.”
After a pause, I ask, “How did you blow up the bar exactly?’
“With a Molotov Cocktail.”
I shake my head. “Seriously, Alexei?”
“What? It was all I had in hand at the moment.”
Neither of us say more until we reach the family apartment.
“Maxim,” he starts to say but I cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear any more excuses from you. Just go inside and make sure Mom and our sisters are safe. Things are brewing between me and Stepan. I need to end it once and for all. I’m giving you a chance to prove yourself. Make sure they’re save. Do that for me.”
Alexei is quiet for a moment. Then he nods, getting out of the car. “I’ll make you proud.”
