She remains silent all the way back to the building where my office is housed. I turn her over to one of the men, who promises to show her where she can get cleaned up and find her a change of clothes. I retreat to my office, where I know Levin will be waiting for me with any pertinent updates.
“I heard about what happened down at the docks,” Levin says as soon as I walk in, headed straight for the sideboard where a bottle of vodka is waiting. “I also heard you handled it with remarkable—“’
“Brutality?” I finish. I shrug, downing the first glass and pouring another. “It’s been years since I’ve had to be so heavy-handed with them. But Alexei is stirring up trouble. Dissent in the ranks. I can’t have it.”
“Of course not.” Levin hands me a file. “The information on the next shipment. The one you’ll personally oversee while in Russia a few weeks from now.”
I groan, taking another deep drink. I’d almost forgotten about that business trip. “Have you heard anything I should be aware of? Among the men?”
“Not really.” Levin leans back against the wall as I flip through the file. “There are rumors floating around about your marriage, though. That your wife refuses your bed, that there was an appointment made at a fertility clinic. Which, of course, leads to rumors about your own virility,Ussuri. Questions about how much of a man you are. Questions which,” he adds hastily, “I’m sure you put to rest today.”
I grit my teeth, anger welling up again. “If I find whoever is spreading rumors about my marriage, what happened today in the warehouse will look like child’s play.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Levin says mildly. “Those rumors are feeding Alexei’s willingness to sow discord. And since you’ve made no move to punish him—” he shrugs.
“He’s one of my top men.” I rub a hand over my mouth in frustration. “If I’m too harsh with him, if I don’t handle this gently, he could defect. He could make things worse.”
“If you don’t handle it at all, hewillmake things worse.”
I let out a breath. “I’ll think on it, Levin. Is there any other advice you’d like to give me?”
“Ah—” he catches my sarcasm and shakes his head. “Not at all.”
“It seems like you want to say something.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Go on. Say it.”
Levin lets out a breath, watching me warily. “Just that—if your wife is the root of these problems, perhaps it would be best to lay down the law at home, as well. Cut out the problem at the source, and then Alexei will have nothing to go off of.”
I toss back the rest of my vodka, eyeing Levin. “Don’t think I haven’t considered it. But Caterina is the lynchpin of the bargain I’ve made with the Italians. I can’t force her. It could very well break the agreement we have, and that’s tenuous at best. Not to mention—” I look away, unsure of how much I want to say to Levin. We’re close—he’s been my right hand for as long as I’ve had this seat. He worked for my father before that. But there’s only so much of myself that I’m willing to allow out into the open.
But Levin catches on without my having to say much. “Vera,” he says simply, and I nod.
“I don’t want the same thing to happen to her. And not only for her sake.” I glance back at him, and I can see the understanding in his face. “My children can’t handle that again.”
“Of course. You know best how to handle your family.”
With that, Levin drops the subject and moves on to other things. But as we discuss business, I can’t help hearing his last words over and over in my head.
You know best how to handle your family.
I just hope, this time, that it’s actually true.