Page 11 of Possess Me
At least with regard to business. We all had our personal lives, and certain lines that we dared not cross.
It wasn’t the same with Hoffman and his ruthless buddies. They were definitely hiding details that if released would likely prevent us from considering an alliance. My sixth sense insisted they needed something from us. My radar was on fire, red flags all over the place. There was no doubt they wanted something other than sharing in a business opportunity.
“Oh, come on. You haven’t had a vacation in years. I thought this would do you some good. Plus, we can consider a possible influx in business in European countries.”
Good for me? I avoided vacations like the plague. He knew why. Pushing me wasn’t the best thing to do under any circumstances. An ache had formed behind my eyes. The last thing I needed was some dramatic attempt at forcing me to face the past. He knew better.
“Uh-huh. I don’t like this shit.” I glanced at the cockpit, noticing the lovely pilot was talking with the tower. Yet every few seconds, she stole a quick glance in my direction. My cock pulsated even more from the thought.
Not that I’d have time to enter into something more pleasurable. I’d be too busy watching my back.
“Just relax. A couple days won’t kill you.”
“Why don’t you confess your sins, dear, beloved Pakhan?”
Mikhail laughed. “Fine. Hoffman asked for you specifically, which did raise some alarm bells, but he knows better than to fuck with me.”
“What? Why, and why didn’t you tell me before I agreed?”
He grumbled under his breath. “You do remember I am the Pakhan of this organization. Yes?”
My cousin rarely played that card, but when he did, he always had a reason, including locking me down so my anger wouldn’t get the better of me. “I’m well aware.” Active in illegal activities or not, no one was to ever question his orders. Including his family.
I could easily be demoted, the embarrassment worse than death.
“I don’t know why they asked Uncle Ivan to send you. You know your father better than I do. When he sets his mind to something, there is no asking him questions. If I had to guess, I’d say it has to do with past acquaintances. What I do know is that the business opportunity appears on the up and up and maybe something we’d be interested in. Both our fathers tend to agree.”
I sensed he was as annoyed as I was.
“But you don’t buy a request out of the blue, do you?”
“Fuck, no. There’s talk of scattered alliances against the Russians back home as they are interfering with various European countries, invading territories. There have been hundreds of violent deaths. My calculated guess is Hoffman believes combining business opportunities will give the Bratva pause. Don’t quote me on that.”
“Just like what happened when we were children still living in Mother Russia. Neither patriarch would shy away from continuing the war that had almost cost them everything.”
And the very reason Boris and Ivan Dmitriyev, brothers who’d had their own factions of a Bratva, had been betrayed, members of their respective armies slaughtered in the streets. As my mother would say, only by the grace of God and two hundred thousand American dollars did they secure a place on a cargo ship for both families.
Any opportunity to exact revenge they’d accept.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I’ve kept a close eye on what’s going on, but that doesn’t mean I’ve had any interest in getting involved. My father on the other hand…”
I whistled. Up to this point, there had only been one other Bratva who’d dared attempt to cross us. They’ve learned their lesson and in turn, we’d expanded into Seattle. Unfortunately, throughout the United States and other countries there were dozens of syndicates who had no business calling themselves Bratva. “Yeah, I know. Pops would resume duties as a hired assassin for a cookie and a line of Russian pigs.” His favorite term. “But you’re worried if we don’t consider this strange alliance, we could be just another victim of a Russian attack.”
“Correct. The Hoffman Group has more power than anyone realizes. They are steeped in the old ways of former prominent warmongers. Plus, they have as much if not more money than we do. In some eyes, our recent battles with the Irish have created an aura of weakness.”
The Irish had been a past we’d been forced to deal with recently, Mikhail almost losing his life in the process. It had been the first bloody battle in years. Now we all knew it wouldn’t be the last. You could never run from your past.
Exhaling, I shifted in my seat, now more than curious as to why I’d been requested directly. “Little do they know what we’re capable of.”
“True, but I have no interest in an all-out war no matter what Uncle Ivan and Pops think we should do. I’m done with painting the streets in red. Which is why we need to know what the Hoffman Group is offering. It’s suspicious timing coming out of the blue. Maybe they’ve heard something that could prove useful.”
Out of the blue, and barely two weeks before. Their push had been the first red flag, but there had been others.
“What if I don’t recommend the alliance?” Mikhail would make the ultimate decision. Of that there was no doubt.
“Then we’ll skip the offer. You know when something isn’t right. Just sniff around, but don’t rock the boat. You’re damn good at weeding through bullshit, discovering the truth. Just don’t get angry. Don’t let Ludolf push you, which I heard he’s famous for. He uses riddles, creating puzzles. Something I heard is highly annoying.”
My cousin had suddenly become an open book since meeting and marrying the love of his life. He was worried about whatever bullshit the Europeans were doing. Granted, if there was one thing I was good at, it was detecting idiots, liars, and enemies.
