“Martie,” she says in Southern American English, and shyly drops her eyes. Her voice hits me and everything in my body locks up. She can change everything about herself, but even using a southern accent, I’d know her voice. I move over to the bar and order a drink as I watch to see what she’s going to do.
She is here even when I told her not to come. I should have known she wouldn’t listen to me, but I thought she trusted me. She told me she loved me, and she still lied to me. I know it like I know those green eyes she’s sporting are as fake as her hair. Konstantin leads her to the sofas and takes a seat trying to get her to sit right next to him, but she doesn’t take the bait. She plays coy and sits in a chair next to the sofa, crossing her sexy legs. The suit really is sheer, but all her tattoos except the one on her sternum are covered. I can tell she has a flesh-toned bra on covering her breasts.
The need to gouge out every man’s eyes that sees her like this is so great I squeeze the tumbler in my hand hoping I don’t shatter it.
“Vitaly, do you know what this celebration is all about?” Pavel, one of the Brigadiers asks me. He’s been with Konstantin for years and was a friend of Grigori’s.
“I was told it’s a celebration for the death of an enemy,” I say, not sharing what I did because this man knew Grigori’s rules.
“This is a celebration of Vitaly’s independence. He wants to be free, so I’m going to finally give it to him,” Konstantin says as he joins us.
I look over to the sofa and don’t see her sitting there. That’s when I notice that none of the women are in the room any longer. It’s only the Brigadiers, about six of them. They are in charge of six men each who run different businesses that help the Pakhan and bring him money.
“Vitaly?” Pavel looks at me in question. To get out you have to buy your way out, and a lot of times it’s with your life.
“It’s time I found out how Grigori died. He would have done the same for me.”
“But how could you afford the tribute?”
“He killed one last time for me.” Konstantin pulls the necklace from his chest pocket and holds it out. The room silences. “Now he’s going to show me the video of him taking that suka.”
The men move away from me as I try to hold in my anger. The fact he keeps referring to her as a bitch pisses me off.
“You broke your rules?” Pavel asks me, and I see the disappointment in his eyes.
I nod.
“Oh, don’t be so modest, Vitaly. Tell them who you killed.”
I shake my head no. He’s going to have to admit who he had me kill. He pulls a gun and shoots me in the side. I bend over from the pain for only a moment but then stand up to my full height.