“She will.”
I offer him my hand and he takes it with only the slightest bit of trepidation.
“I may not have a don in me, Anton, but that doesn’t make me stupid,” he says. “I know that many of my men aren’t happy with my ascension."
I glance subtly at the two men standing by the car on the other side of the tracks. They both report to me in secret, and those reports confirm everything Yaromir just said.
“I also know that, with your support, I can quell some of that talk.”
“It’s not just talk you need to worry about, Yaromir,” I tell him frankly. “Some men will talk. Others will act.”
“Who do they have to follow?”
“Me, for one.”
His eyebrows rise. “Are you telling me that you want my men?"
“Why would I need to? As long as you come when I call, I’m happy to let you keep your men and your new title.”
“So I’m just the figurehead?”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“I suppose if I say I do, I’ll end up with a bullet in my head.”
I smile. “I like you, Yaromir. You really are a lot smarter than you look. Which is why I won’t be putting a knife in your throat. You want to try your hand at being don? Go ahead. I won’t interfere.”
“And our alliance?”
“It will remain in place.”
His jaw drops. “Why?”
I shrug. “Because I can build my empire without stealing yours. Unless you give me reason to, I won’t be picking a fight with the Ivanovs.”
Yaromir nods. “That’s fair.”
“I have to ask, though: given what you just told me, why would you want to keep the title?”
"Because I have a wife and children,” he sighs. “I also have more debt than I care to mention. I have to do what I can to dig my family out of the hole I’m in. Even if it means taking a job I’m unprepared for.”
I nod. “There are easier ways of getting out of debt, Yaromir.”
His expression turns guilty. “I won’t lie. The lifestyle is seductive.”
“It comes at a cost. Never forget that and you might actually live long enough to really enjoy the benefits of your newfound position.”
“I’ll remember,” he says. “I promise.”
I give him a parting nod and set off down the path towards the car. Yulian is still sulking when I sit down in the driver’s seat.
“What was that about?”
“Just needed some reassurance that the thing I’m about to do is justified,” I say.
“And what thing is that?”
I put the car in reverse and back out slowly. “Killing my wife.”