Page 9 of Claim Me
We’d been friends for nine months fifteen plus years before. We’d been close, almost brothers. After fulfilling the duties required by his authoritative father, he’d left to pursue his dreams while I remained in Vegas to pursue mine. There’d been no overt reason we’d lost touch other than conflicting schedules, but here we were, over a decade and a half flying by. I thought about his request. The timing sucked.
But we’d vowed to be there for each other if the shit hit the fan. There was no doubt hearing his voice that he was in serious trouble.
“Send me the information. I’ll catch a flight and be right there.”
Charles let out a deep breath, the anguished sound creating a need to destroy whatever problem or person that had derailed his life. “Thank you, brother. I owe you for this.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I tossed my phone, trying to imagine who the hell had attacked him.
“What the hell was that?” Mikhail asked.
“Do you remember Charlie from fifteen years ago?.” His memory wasn’t any better than mine had been. “His father was friends with Pops. Charlie was sent here as a punishment of sorts to earn a real living. Our dear father thought I could use the same treatment since he’d listed me as the family playboy.”
“You mean the black sheep,” he said, laughing. “Yeah, you were none too happy when forced to clean rooms, work with the landscapers, and serve as a dishwasher in the resort’s kitchens. Charlie was your sidekick. Yeah, I remember him. Rabble-rouser, our mother used to call him. I’m honestly surprised the two of you didn’t get arrested.”
I grinned and opened my bottom desk drawer, pressing my fingers against the heat-sensitive pads and unlocking the small safe. As I opened the door, I gave him a mischievous look.
“Well, fuck me. Youwerearrested.”
“Only once,” I lied. “Pops was none too happy.” With my favorite weapon in my hand, I stood, pushing back the chair.
“You two were like one half of an all-boy band.”
“Not any longer. Charlie was shot. From the sound of his voice, he’s terrified the person responsible is coming to finish the job.”
Mikhail rose to his feet. “Jesus Christ. What the hell did he get in the middle of? Go do what you need to do. It’s not often we manage to develop friendships in our world.”
Our world.
It had once been filled with using violence to solve disagreements, bloodshed and death to conclude a dysfunctional working relationship, and arranged marriages to form alliances. Now our lives were much simpler, calmer in a way that nourished families and retirement funds. Once upon a time our enemies had used guns and car bombs to try to win a situation or invade a territory. Times had changed. Now everyone had become more sophisticated. Hacking, stock manipulation, and corporate takeovers were weapons of mass destruction.
Mikhail was right. Bratva were blood brothers, a lifetime bond formed with oaths of alliance and obedience. While Charles might not have pledged his allegiance to the family, I thought of him as blood bonded for life. His enemies were my enemies.
Whoever had attempted to end his life would soon learn crossing a member of the Dmitriyev family was a death wish.
And I was happy to indulge the asshole with providing him with his ultimate fantasy.
No one fucked with my family or my friends.
CHAPTER 4
Kazimir
A storm had made for a longer flight than necessary, which had driven me into a shitty mood.
Where the fuck were the police? Why the hell weren’t they protecting Charlie?
I was furious as I stormed down the corridor even after barking at the nurse who’d attempted to keep me from visiting my friend.
Somewhere along the way I’d demanded to talk to the detective in charge. Given my rude or what some would call obnoxious behavior, I had a feeling my request would be honored.
Reaching Charles’ room, I slowed and stood in front of the huge glass pane. The curtain had been pulled all the way back, allowing anyone passing by to see my friend’s condition. There were no security guards, no family members waiting for any news as to his condition. It was something else to piss me off.
Did no one care about what he’d been through?
He’d never been a huge guy but had bulked up during his stint working for my father’s company. Now he appeared frail, lifeless. I took a few seconds trying to put myself in the right frame of mind to see and talk with him. If that was possible. He had an oxygen mask covering his face to help him breathe. What had the fuckers done to him?
