Page 36 of White Rabbit
Surely giving Brecklyn my mother’s ring would make my intentions clear. If not, she’d figure it out soon enough, and whatever was up with her, she’d come around.
I buzzed Nikita to tell her to order a huge flower bouquet. She didn’t answer. Frowning in annoyance, I called her cellphone. Nothing.
I growled through my nose. She might be my stepsister, but since I met Brecklyn, Nikita had been a pain in the ass, moody and unreliable. I hadn’t missed her occasional nastiness to my wife. Her behavior wasn’t helping the tension with my wife, and it had only gotten worse since I’d reprimanded Nikita.
Perhaps, I should plan to send my stepsister to stay with our cousins in Prudentópolis, Brazil, where many from the home country had settled. She might appreciate the change of scene since she wasn’t assimilating to another woman being in residence. She’d gotten used to being the only female Kloboucnik. She didn’t like not being the queen of the mansion, but she could never be my queen. Besides being my stepsister, there was only one woman how owned my heart. Brecklyn, my kokhána, by beloved.
Needing to hear her voice, I picked up my cell to dial her. A knock at my door, followed by it cracking open, interrupted me.
“Pakhan,” Aslan greeted me. “I would have had Nikita buzz you, but she just left.”
“Left?”
“I saw her car heading for the gate as I was walking over.”
Frowning, I shook my head. Irresponsible. Just as I’d been thinking. It might be time to replace my assistant.
“Does Emma still want a job?” I half-joked.
“About that…” He shut the office door and strode over to my desk. His face serious, he hit the button on my desk that activated the electronic system to disable any possible bugging. My office was swept for devices frequently, but for sensitive conversations, we still turned on the system.
“What is it?” I asked, leaving back in my chair, my fingers steepled before me.
“I know who ordered the hit on my. I know who almost killed my family.” Anger pulsed in the vein beneath his right eye, his jaw tense and his cheeks ruddy. Mysovetnikfaced down gunmen with assault rifles and didn’t lose his composure, but threaten his family,hurthis family and the murder was written on his face.
I slowly stood. Resting my fingertips on my desk, I leaned toward him. “Who?”
Whoever it was, they wouldn’t be breathing much longer. God help me if it was truly one of my brother.
“Low-level thugs, not from any enemy or ally syndicate. They were just addicts who attacked us for cash, to get money for their fucking drugs. Where they are now…they’re probably wishing for drugs in hell. But they didn’t orchestrate the attack.”
“Who ordered it? What family?”
“Ours. Nikita. Nikita planned and ordered it.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Why would she be involved in that?”
“Not involved,” he said through gritted teeth, obviously believing I didn’t believe him. Thing was, I did. It cost him tocome to me with this, and he would never make an accusation without proof, especially if it was this damaging.
“She’s the mastermind,” he asserted. “To get to you.”
“To kill me?” Impossible for that to be the reason. She could have killed me a million ways a million different ways over the past decade.
“No. She wanted to get to you. Don’t you see it. She wanted to have you. To rule by your side, and I was in the way. And now, I… We have leave, Emma, Dinah and me.” He pressed his fist to his chest. “Slava Kloboucnik, Pakhan. You know my alliance will always be to the Iron Claws and to you, but I can’t risk my family. We talked about that when I first took Emma. When I almost set her aside in favor of the family.”
It spoke of our relationship and my own dedication to my men that Aslan would suggest such an option, that he would know it was acceptable to me for him to go.
“I know.” I would do the same for Brecklyn, and God help me if anyone figured that out. Though it wasn’t so unusual. All the leaders within the five families held their women as the most priceless of treasure and would do whatever was necessary to protect them.
Normally, I would tell him to bring Emma and Dinah here, but the danger was within my own walls. “I understand. I’ll call Jozef back in. Theobshchakcan use more hands on time anyway.”
Aslan nodded. “I’m not he’d agree with that assessment. He’s in love with his ledgers. In any case, I’ll take Em and Dinah away tohide them, and as soon as I have them to safety, I’ll return to you and do my duty.”
“I’ll put extra protection around them,” I vowed. And I’d put extra protection on Brecklyn. “If you choose to leave, at least stay through the meeting with my brothers. Nikita will not be a problem after this afternoon.”
I placed a call to Anatoli to arrange the protection detail then summoned my brother’s with a code red. They would all be to my office within a half hour, save for Bohdan. As my half brother, he’d chosen not to be part of family operation. Even Kaz and Symon would find a way to get out of surgery or court, respectively, to arrive here with the others for the emergency meeting.
Anger gnawed at my gut. That one of my family, one of the inner circle, would betray us. If she were a man, I would kill her. What I would do, instead, remained to be seen. Whatever it was, Nikita’s time as part of the Kloboucnik family ended today.
