Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
It’s difficult to witness this insult to my brother. He is a man who loves his wife more than any other, and he’s a man who has just been betrayed. One last slide presents itself, the final blow for all to see.
How does it feel to know your beloved Sovietnik is deaf and married to a whore?
Blind rage drives Alexei to smash the computer, and there isn’t a single word spoken among us. Viktor is the one to clear the room, instructing us all to wait in the bar. I’m the last man to leave my place, eager to help, but understanding that in Alexei’s present mental state, he won’t see it that way.
Viktor stops me at the door. “Nobody is allowed to leave this building.”
I nod, and the door closes behind him. My Vory brothers drink and speak quietly among themselves while we wait for a resolution. My eyes are fixed on Sergei, acknowledging the smug expression on his face. Soon, that smug expression will be replaced with a lifeless one.
If he did have his fingers in this, he’s covered his tracks well. I have witnessed the genuine love between Alexei and his wife, and it’s difficult to comprehend that she would ever do this, but that’s how it appears.
I know my brother. Like me, he is quick to believe the worst in others. And I know when he emerges from the control room with Viktor, he has come to believe the worst of his pregnant wife.
Viktor moves to the front of the room with Alexei in tow, and there is no explanation needed for what happens next. The Vory way is simple, but brutal. By hiding his secret from his Vory brothers, Alexei has committed a betrayal. The brotherhood doesn’t tolerate secrets, but Alexei has kept his for good reason. He considers his deafness a weakness.
It will not save him from punishment regardless. This is the Vory way. He strips his shirt and takes the drink that Viktor offers him first, draining it in one swallow. With a nod, he signals that he is ready to accept the consequences, and Viktor has the first honor of punching him.
He strikes Alexei in the gut, and then gestures for the rest of his Vory brothers to follow suit. Every man has his turn. Sergei takes pleasure in the act, pummeling Alexei twice. When my turn comes around, I apologize in advance, and then hit him where I hope it will hurt the least. He takes it like a man, and when the ordeal is over, he earns another tattoo. A symbol that he has earned his way back into the brotherhood with honor.
But there is no honor in what happened to him. I’m murderous on his behalf, but I don’t know what I can do to help him. Viktor calls for Franco and sends Alexei home to recover.
It’s only once he’s gone that it occurs to me I still have my own problems to deal with. And Viktor is not in a pleasant mood now. When he approaches me, I’m almost certain he will demand either Nakya’s death or Ana’s proposal by midnight tonight.
Instead, he slaps me on the shoulder. “We will discuss the marriage later. For now, I need you to do what you can to see Alexei through this. I foresee a difficult road ahead.”
I nod, but Viktor is quick to remind me that this isn’t over.
“Soon. You will make your proposal soon.”
Viktor’s orders have given me a renewed sense of purpose. It’s easier to focus on problems when they aren’t yours, and I have made it my objective to prove to Alexei that his wife did not betray him. However, my brother has proven himself to be more stubborn than I initially gave him credit for.
He’s too blinded by anger to listen to reason, and I stand little chance of redeeming Talia without proof of her innocence. Mischa is on surveillance detail, analyzing the video from the club that day, but his work takes time. Time is not a luxury I have when Alexei grows colder and more resistant from one day to the next.
He spends hours locked away in his office, obsessing over every piece of evidence. Cognac has become his only ally because he trusts no one. The natural and logical progression in this situation is a simple one. Alexei won’t let this go. At the risk of his own life, he will determine that the answers lie with Talia’s former captor. The only possible end to such a visit will be bloody and messy.
In many ways, his situation is reflective of my own. Impossible and doomed to failure.
This morning, I am reminded of business left unfinished when I study the pieces still waiting in my vault. It’s been too long since I painted, and it’s as if time has stopped, preserving the memory of that day for an eternity. Her image still rests on the easel, untouched, and I think if I could, I would hang it in my bedroom.