Page 1 of Big Bad Daddy

Chapter One

Uncle, are you listening? You don’t look like you’re listening.” My nephew, Bogdan, hovers nearby, speaking in hushed tones to prevent my men from listening to the latest news concerning my lovesick, idiotic son.

I heard every word, but I’m too stunned to reply and wonder why he keeps it under wraps when everyone under my command already knows the worst part.

I shake my head with disbelief, blinking rapidly to clear my mind of murderous thoughts as I try to calm my breath long enough to speak. This morning, my son Vasily flagrantly disobeyed my command to end his one-sided relationship with Senator Rossi’s daughter and chose to kidnap her instead. I could kill him. But first, I’ll need to find him.

He claims he’s in love and swears her feelings match his. That sounds impossible to believe. If that were the case, why would he need to steal her from her family and hoard her like a dragon protecting his treasure? Does he think I’ll make him return her? If so, he would be right. I spent the last few years trying to cultivate a relationship with the senator, who hasgotten too comfortable sitting in the back pockets of the Five Families, and Vasily has ruined it in one day.

Vasily was never a sensible boy and grew into an unhinged man. After sixteen hours of no contact, he sent his mother a message letting her know he and the girl were fine. Fortunately, my ex-wife knows better than to keep such precious information from me—especially if she wants her alimony payments delivered on time. She didn’t know where they were staying. He was smart enough to keep that information to himself, but he placated her concerns by telling her he was still in the state. There are only a handful of places he could be.

“Why are you whispering? I appreciate your attempt at discretion, but we’re way past that now.” I groan and slowly push away from my desk, clenching my fists with anger and an overwhelming desire to punch a hole through the closest wall.

Bogdan leans in and drops his voice another octave. “I told you, I think we have a mole. I don’t know if they’re reporting to the FBI or another bratva, but there is at least one man present I still haven’t ruled out. It’s just a hunch, but you need to humor me and keep this information on a need-to-know basis. I suggest you only mobilize the men you trust.”

As much as I hate to admit it, Bogdan may be right. The Feds have kept their distance for years. They’re easy to bribe, and most are too intimidated by the possibility of our collective retribution reaching their families. I’m not the kind of man who targets women and children, but others do, and the threat is always there.

Recently, our biggest rival has been making noise. I fear we’ve caught the attention of a few ambitious government agents who, I assume, believe a possible promotion is worth the risk of going against the Brooklyn bratvas. I can’t reiterate what kind of mistake that is, but they’ll soon find out.

Bogdan is the family’s lawyer, mySovietnik, and my closest confidante. He has one foot in the respectable world. He has more to lose and occasionally jumps to conclusions. Much of the time, he’s correct, so I’ve learned not to question his judgment.

“Fine, take Gaspar and Ludomir. Have them look at our safe houses near Niagara Falls, Utica, and Lake Placid. They’re out of the way and far from prying eyes. Ensure she’s there willingly; if she is, don’t disturb them until he and I speak. Have the Rossis contacted the police or Secret Service?” I remove my gun from my desk drawer and slide it into my underarm holster, ensuring the safety is on.

“No, they haven’t. We spoke to them hours after it happened, before they realized their daughter was missing. They’ll keep their mouths shut, and we persuaded him to keep his Sicilian cronies out of it. He’s two weeks away from the election and doesn’t want anything leaking to the press about his daughter fraternizing with a known mobster.” He smirks and then rolls his eyes, astounded by the senator’s hypocrisy. Senator Rossi owes his entire career to the Serpico family, head of the Five Families of New York.

“Good. I’ll deal with the Rossis later. Between Vivi disappearing to New Orleans and Vasily vanishing upstate, I hardly have enough time to handle our business. I appreciate your due diligence and discretion.” I offer a quick nod in gratitude and cross the room to the small minibar I keep in my office. The sun has set, and this is my first drink of the day. That might be a record.

“My father told me you’d found Vivienne in New Orleans. Did you speak to Andre? Did he update you?”

Bogdan typically knows everything before I do, but I didn’t entrust him to search for my daughter. I didn’t want him distracted from his recent task of keeping an eye on Vasily. Mydaughter, Vivi, never gives me problems. We’re not as close as I’d like, but she stays out of trouble and never makes waves.

That was before her horrible mother, my ex-girlfriend, fed her lies and told her I was planning on arranging for her to marry the newpakhanof the Grinkov Bratva. It was complete bullshit, but Vivi’s so starved for her mother’s affection that she took the woman’s treachery as an act of love.

Without a word to me, she moved away and fell off the grid. I hired a former associate to hunt her down, then hired someone else to keep an eye on him. I know they’re in New Orleans, but I fear he’s made contact and fallen under her charms. He’s too old for her, but she’s very convincing at playing the victim and may talk him into helping her disappear somewhere else.

For now, I’m watching them and will deal with them soon. I don’t need to control my daughter, but I prefer knowing where she lays her head at night. She’ll always be my baby.

I’m still waiting for a proper update, but at least I know she’s safe and Andre’s close enough to protect her. It would take someone with brass balls and a death wish to hurt my children.

I uncork a decanter of whiskey and pour myself a glass. It’s best to keep away from vodka right now. It’s my drink of choice, but once I start, I may not be able to stop. And I’d prefer a clear head when making heavy decisions.

The first sip settles my nerves. The second calms my mind. I have one foot out of this business. I took the reins of the Volkov Brotherhood when I was twenty years old, after my father's death. It was up to me to make him proud and to build a proper legacy to leavemychildren. Almost three decades of war, murder, and looking over my shoulder night and day have worn me down. If I could hand over my crown to Vasily today, I would. But he isn’t ready. He’s too impulsive and too reckless to trust with so much power.

The topic of my retirement brings my mind back to another point of business. Bogdan knows I’m expecting news from my realtor but has remained silent. That means it’s terrible.

“Before you leave, tell me we’ve closed on the island. You know it’s my first choice, and I know you wouldn’t want to disappoint me,” I say, already knowing the answer. I placed a bid on an island off the coast of New York. It’s close enough to my children but located well within international waters. The last asshole who tried to outbid me got a special visit from my bodyguard, Gaspar. His presence alone is enough to terrify someone into submission.

Bogdan shakes his head once and sighs. “We’ll get it done soon. I promise. A German businessman just outbid you. We have enough funds to deal with this bump, but I worry he’ll keep countering. Let me handle it my way, and I’ll let you know if your way becomes necessary.”

I give him a firm nod, knocking back the rest of my whiskey. “You have a week to handle it before my way becomes the only way. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty one more time.”

Bogdan doesn’t need to remind me of what I did to the Spanish billionaire who tried to use his connections to steal it from under my nose. He deserved worse than I gave, but at least he lived. I’ve heard he’s started physical therapy. That’s more than I can say for most men who have crossed me.

“I’ve got two more items to bring to your attention before I leave. Since you never replied to Yarina’s dinner party invitation for Saturday, she’s assumed you’re attending. She said to tell you it’s three days away, and she won’t take no for an answer. Alexei Grinkov and Gavril Pushkin will be there, but she assured me no business will be allowed. She also wanted me to tell you that her niece, Larissa, will be there and looks forward to seeing you.” Bogdan turns his head but fails to disguise his laughter.

“Yarina should be ashamed of herself. Her niece is twenty-five years old and much too young for me. I’ve watched her grow up and have no interest in fraternizing with a virtual child. Besides, I don’t care for how she laughs. It’s disturbing,” I murmur, scanning my liquor cabinet for my favorite vodka. I know I refilled my supply after my brother Nikolai’s recent visit.

“Twenty-five isn’t so young,” Bogdan argues, annoying me further when he points to the brand-new case of vodka staring me in the face.

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