CHAPTER 22
Gavril
I walked into the building, Anatoly at my heels, and ignored the men gathered. Word had gotten around that the Pakhan was back in Russia, and my whereabouts were now public knowledge.
In a sense, the streets around the car were clogged with people, some wanting to talk to the Kirilenko leader for business or patronage. It always happened whenever I came home that people who wanted money, drugs, women, or a business alliance would find me and try to discuss matters. Sometimes I set up meetings with a few worthy men or women, trying to keep the peace among my own people before heading back to America.
Tonight, I wasn’t there to do that. “Pakhan,” one of the men near me said, inclining his head. “Right this way.”
Anatoly moved to my side, his hand touching the gun at his hip as we moved to the elevator, piling in a moment later. While we were on our home turf, it didn’t mean that the threats stopped there. There were rivals, even in St. Petersburg, that would love nothing more than to get their hands on me.
The elevator moved effortlessly up to the second floor and opened to an opulent room with dark red walls and even darker flooring. A man stood at the window, turning as we entered.
“Good to see you, Pakhan,” he replied, giving me a nod. “I am honored you came in person.”
“Surov,” I replied, returning his nod. “I hope that my trip here is fruitful.”
“It should be,” Surov answered, motioning to the table where a bottle of vodka sat and two glasses. “Shall we?”
I seated myself in the chair, and Surov did the same, pouring us both a healthy swallow of vodka. “To a good shipment,” he announced, holding up his glass.
I held mine to his until the glass clinked together. “A good shipment.”
We both took a drink before settling our glasses back on the table. “They arrived yesterday,” he continued, resting his arms on the table. “All healthy and a good mix. Ukrainians, Georgians, and even some golden-eyed Chechens. No one under sixteen, as requested.”
I nodded. “Good. I will want to inspect them, of course.”
He smirked and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text before placing it back in his pocket. “Of course. After all, it is your money and reputation on the line.”
It was both of those things. The shipment was a group of women, no older than twenty but no younger than sixteen. They would be moved to the States for distribution however I saw fit. It was a transaction I had done numerous times, all with the same process and results.
The elevator dinged, and I watched as the women moved out into the room, nearly filling it up. There were a few who met my eye, lifting their chins in defiance and reminding me of another woman in my life.
Others ignored me altogether, looking elsewhere, and there were a few that stared at their feet, visibly shaking.
My chair scraped across the floor as I pushed it back, standing. Surov joined me as I walked to the first girl, grasping her chin lightly to stare into her eyes. “Open your mouth,” I told her.
She had no choice but to do so. I inspected her teeth before releasing her chin.
“Turn around.”
Meekly, she did as ordered. There were some in the business that were brutal to their shipments, forcing them to strip so that they could inspect everything about them. Some would even take certain liberties like testing for virgins since those fetched a higher price.
I didn’t need any of that. All I wanted was healthy ones, and a simple look-over was sufficient for now.
Once I had gone down the line, I looked back at Surov. “Acceptable.”
He grinned, likely already seeing the dollar signs that he would get paid for a good shipment. “Excellent.”
I looked back at the women, a mixture of worry and unease in my gut. I had done this many times, but this was the first time I wanted to send them back downstairs, back to their rooms and back to their families. Some reminded me of Naomi and what she would think if she knew what I was doing.
It had never bothered me before, but right now, I didn’t like myself. “Send them away.”
Surov clapped his hands, and the women filed back to the elevator as I assumed my seat at the table, pouring more vodka into my glass to burn away the unease in my gut. Once we were alone again, save Anatoly lounging in the corner, Surov turned to me.
“I’ve heard that you are bringing together the Krasnaya and Belaya Bratvas.”
“Not bringing them together,” I told him, picking up my glass. “I’m absorbing the Krasnaya. They will cease to exist.”
“Righting the wrongs of history?” Surov laughed, draining his glass. “Well, that should be an interesting development.”
“These women are a part of my plan,” I told him. “A show of good faith to the remaining brigadiers so that they can see that they have nothing to lose in this new union of ours.”
I would give the women to those that had given their loyalty to me during the wedding and afterward, hoping that I would bring others on board once word spread. Some were just greedy, wanting more than they deserved, but I needed to not have them stray.
Not until I could ensure that they were on my side and loyal to my cause.
“I heard of your wedding,” he replied evenly. “My congratulations once more.”
I frowned, thinking about Naomi and how I had left her to fend for herself against my family. My sisters would do nothing but overwhelm her with their questions, as they did me whenever I came home to visit, but I was more worried about my mother. She wouldn’t have waited until I got back for me to properly introduce Naomi.
No, my mother would want to seek Naomi out for herself, in some twisted test to see if she was worthy of the Kirilenko name.
I shouldn’t have left her. I also couldn’t have brought her with me, but just knowing that I had pretty much given her to the wolves didn’t sit well with me.
“Pakhan?”
Realizing Surov was talking to me, I cleared my throat. “Send me a copy of the cargo manifest,” I said, not caring what he had said. “And I want the women delivered safe and unharmed. If there is any injury on them, if they do not have sufficient water, food, and air in that container, I will hold you personally responsible.”
Surov didn’t respond as I pushed back my chair for the final time to stand. Anatoly was there in a minute, and if he saw anything different about me, he didn’t comment as we rode down the elevator and climbed back into the car.
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