Page 30 of Claim Me
Seeing my name in Charlie’s typical block lettering let me know he’d anticipated something would happen to him. What in the fuck had he gotten himself in the middle of? Maybe he’d been trying to get himself out of a business arrangement with Popov.
Before leaving the bedroom, a moment of grief shielded the anger. He’d had so much to live for.
After jogging downstairs, I moved to his desk, sitting down in his office chair before opening it.
On top was a letter also addressed to me.
Kaz,
If you have this letter in your hand, then that means I was killed. I’m sorry I didn’t call you, but in the end, things happened very quickly. All that matters at this point is taking care of my sister, Marissa. She’s all I have left. While I wasn’t able to prove it, I know our parents were murdered less than a year ago. Since then, I’ve tried to alter the path my dad had chosen, but it was too late. Now, Marissa is in grave danger. Vladimir Popov believes she belongs to him.
I don’t know if my father promised him her hand in marriage, but that’s what I suspect. I have a feeling my parents were murdered because he couldn’t go through with the horrible decision. I was hounded by Popov at the end, goons sent to the resort. Whatever you do, do not allow that to happen. I can’t tell you the horrors she’d face.
You’ll find a will. I’ve left the house and my bank accounts to Marissa. I only recently finished handling my parents’ estate, which you’ll find evidence of in the paperwork. There is also a trust fund left by my parents. Small, but they’d squirreled away some money for her. Sadly, the casino isn’t anything she’s interested in owning, but she is my sister. You’ll have majority control. Perhaps the two of you can find a way to work together and keep Marengo thriving. You are the casino king, after all. Right? An expansion into Seattle won’t hurt you.
You’ll find important contact information for the family and corporate attorneys as well as the accountant. Upon my death, my personal attorney will be hand delivered a list of requirements and permissions, including that you’re handling every aspect of my estate. You shouldn’t have any issues with probate, but I’m certain you’ll easily handle them if an issue comes about.
If you look, there’s a flash drive that will better explain the complicated issue as well as the level of danger. I managed to get my hands on some interesting information that Popov had me killed to keep from seeing the light of day. Do what you will with it, but I warn you, you could start a war.
You are the only person I can trust other than my sister. I’m placing her life in your hands.
Please do this for me, my brother. She deserves a wonderful life.
Charlie
Well, fuck.
He’d thought of everything. Why the fuck hadn’t he called me? I would have helped him through whatever crisis he’d beendealing with. He’d always been that way, refusing to take help from anyone. The selfish bastard.
I sat back, closing my eyes. He’d placed the full weight of his empire in my hands. Buildings and grounds I could handle, some Russian pig I could easily annihilate, but shaping or what Marissa would call controlling someone’s life? Way above my pay grade. How in the fuck was I supposed to handle this?
Grabbing the envelope, I dumped the remainder of the contents, pulling the small drive into my fingers. Whatever was located on the files was worth killing for.
Worth dying for.
The drive I’d look at later.
Gathering the items, I shoved them back into the envelope and stood. Dealing with Charlie’s personal items would be left up to Marissa, a chore I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Before I turned off the light, a photograph in a frame on one of several bookshelves caught my attention. Before I closed the distance, I remembered exactly when it was taken. After our required stint working for the resort’s landscaper, we’d both been promoted to the status of bartender. Laughing, I picked up the frame, marveling at how young we appeared. We’d believed we’d just been given a lottery ticket, only our interests had nothing to do with money.
In our twenty-something brains, we’d thought bartending would be our ticket to meeting hot women. We had, but we’d both struck out time and time again.
An ache gripped my heart, the need for revenge igniting another passion deep within. I would avenge his death.
Even if my actions did create a war. He deserved no less.
After a moment of hesitation, I took the picture, sliding it into the envelope. Perhaps the photograph would help in allowing Marissa to trust me. Her ability to do so was vital, more so than almost anything else.
Just before turning off the light, I took another sweep of the room.
Death was inevitable, tragedies occurring every second. No family was immune. Rich. Poor. Black. White. Purple. When the Grim Reaper said it was your time, there was nothing that would stop the monster from slithering through the darkness.
As I’d admitted to Marissa, the difference in my world was that the life expectancy was much shorter. In the old days, surviving to forty was considered exceptional, add another ten years and the person was considered a lucky legend.
After decades of brutality and unnecessary bloodshed, my father and uncle had finally been convinced the old ways weren’t necessarily the right ones. But violence was in our blood. So was our determination to succeed while caring for our families.
Charlie had been like a brother and as such, his death would be treated with honor.
