Arranged Bratva Love

Ive

One Month Later

We didn’t have a sixthbrigadier, and running Oleg’s territory between the five of us was wearing thin.

I knew Ivan was pissed. There was no one he could trust. I couldn’t be in different territories, not when I had problems building within my own. I had it on good authority that a Hank Balafonte had started running drugs through my city. Not only had he begun to do that, but they had started to do the rounds in my nightclubs. I’d already gotten my hands on several pieces of product, and got my nerd to analyze all the components within the drugs. I really fucking despised what I found.

The drugs were not designed to give a high. They were being distributed to women, and those women were turning up on the missing list. This was causing me a headache. They were not turning up at hospitals or dead. No, they were missing, which only left one option-they were being sold.

So now I had a drug problem, and human trafficking to deal with, which pissed me off, especially since the last place the women were seen was at one of my nightclubs. This meant the cops were knocking at my places of business. This wasn’t good.

There were five missing women so far in the past month. That was too high a number for me. I’d already paid off several of my guys within the police force to give me the necessary details to find the women. As for Hank, he was floating under the radar as well. I’d already had several of his men locked up across the city in my cages, and were currently enjoying several days of starvation.

There was also the other detail of another problem-Benjamin Court-who liked to think of himself as a supplier of everything everyone needed. The small little gangs who thought they could run the streets now had guns and knives, and there was once again direction toward me, because being the fucking king of this territory, I had to have control over it.

I knew Ivan’s fake death would cause a ripple effect throughout his territories. People would take the chance to try and rise up. His other brigadiers and I, who didn’t know until Ivan wanted his fake death to be known, had to react to the news accordingly. We did, and this was the consequence of that. Our enemies were trying to rise, and it was up to us to squash it.

“Where is the passage to the ports?” I said, looking at the large map of our city.

Vlad, one of the few men I trusted, pointed at one direct road. He traced it with his finger that led out of my city and down a long road, going straight to the docks. “That’s the only access point.”

Vlad had been working by my side for twenty years. He’d been tossed out by the previous Bratva as he’d been born a bastard to a soldier. He’d been declared worthlessbecause his mother had been a whore who attempted to blackmail the soldier for money. Vlad paid the price for his parents’ actions. We’d met twenty years ago, and he swore his loyalty to me and to Volkov Bratva, so he could exact his revenge. I granted him that request, and he’d been loyal ever since. He was also a happily married man, and he said the key to the perfect marriage was that he listened to his wife. He talked to her. Even as I stared at the map, I couldn’t help but think about Charlotte.

We’d been married a month. I’d left her at our country home while I traveled to my penthouse suite in the city. I hated city life. I always tried to make it back home, but in the past month, I’d gladly made the excuse of work.

Pushing Charlotte from my thoughts, I focused back on the map and Vlad. He’d been the one to alert me to the problems bubbling on the streets. We had eyes and ears everywhere.

“They can’t make that distance with unconscious girls, without raising suspicion,” I said.

“Unless they’vegot someone on their books.”

“That’s an option as well. I don’t like it, but it’s there.”

“You’ve gota better chance of them paying someone off.”

I put my hands on my hips. My men were already spread quite thinly at the moment. My territory had to be onthe fucking border with Oleg’s, didn’t it?

“I want eyes along this line,” I said. It would be easier to climb into my car and drive down the long stretch of road, but that could take hours, if not days, to assess every possible avenue. “I want the full details of everyone that comes and goes along this stretch of road. Even if it’s making a delivery to what appears to be an abandoned warehouse.”

“Do you want me to have them react, sir?”

“No,” I said. “When we locate them, I intend to deal with them myself.” Stepping away from the map, I turned toward the main board I had set up at one of my underground casinos. Every little problem that affected my territory was up on the board, including images of Hank and Benjamin. In each picture, I noticed a recurring figure in each.

“Who the fuck is that?” I asked, pointing at the two women. There were no details of each woman, but they were present at Hank and Benjamin’s side in multiple photos.

Staring at them in closer detail, I frowned. Even though each image was of different men, I pulled both images down and looked at each one. The time stamp showed a ten-minute difference, but they were at the same restaurant.

“They’re working together,” I said, turning back to the map.

“Sir?” Vlad said.

I tossed both images onto the map. We had the main map that didn’t differentiate towns and cities. Picking the photos up, I grit my teeth as I felt anger rising inside me. Between the wedding and shit going down in Oleg’s territory, I had missed these tiny details.

I grabbed the map that had closer details of my city streets and business, and I spread it out across the table on top of the other map. Tossing the photos onto the map, I looked at the streets and business names.

When I was handed my territory by Ivan Volkov, I made sure every single year I created a map of my city. I learned who ran what, which businesses I owned, and who by. I knew part of my power and control was knowing every little detail about everyone. I prided myself on knowing that information.

Slamming my finger on the restaurant, I look at it. “Salvadoors.”

“Sir, that’s a restaurant you own.”

“I know, and the fucking bastards think they’re funny,” I said. They had decided to have a business meeting in one of my own places, in an attempt to overthrow me.

“Has Enrique been in touch?” I asked.

“No, we’ve had no contact with anyone from Salvadoors.”

I smirk. “I think it’s time for us to go and pay Enrique a visit.” I don’t wait around for Vlad. Leaving the basement of my casino, I go straight to the parking lot, where my car waits.

Several of my soldiers gather around and as I climb into the passenger side of my car, Vlad takes the wheel. Two more cars filled with my men follow us out of my casino and we head across the city toward Salvadoors.

I’m not in the best of moods. Ivan had called me earlier today to let me know he intended to be passing through in the next few days, and he’d love a chance to eat lunch or dinner with me and my new bride. He even tried to hint at me getting her pregnant to have lots of little Charlottes and Ives running around my home. That wasn’t going to happen.

I’d not fucked Charlotte. As far as I was aware, she was still a virgin. Not that it bothered me if she wasn’t. I wasn’t avoiding my wife.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Whenever possible, I called my home and got all the detailsI needed from the head of my security. I didn’t need to know every other detail of Charlotte’s life. She spent nearly all her days in the house, either in the library or the kitchen. It would seem my wife liked to feed my staff. At least she was doing something and not laying in bed, waiting for the time to pass, or wishing for my company. I had shit to do. She was free, or as free as she could be. She didn’t need her older husband breathing down her neck.

I didn’t likethat Rage had been in contact with me. He wanted to meet up with Charlotte. I didn’t like his interference. I didn’t like him at all. There was something about him that pissed me off, and well, I didn’t have to like the little bastard, did I? He could make all the claims he wanted about being there for Charlotte. I knew differently.

The scars told another story. He tried to help her, or he did, but even his help had limits when it came to the president of his club. Rage wouldn’t disobey his boss. I had to wonder if he’d seen her dad beating her? Did he look the other way? Did he intervene when it mattered most? It didn’t matter. When it came to Rage, I didn’t like him, and if it was left to me, I’d have wiped out the whole of the Evil Savages MC. But it wasn’t up to me. Ivan had his own reasoning, and he knew what he was doing.

Arriving outside of Salvadoors, I notice, instantly, it wasn’t busy.

“Have we shown a decrease in sales here?” I asked.

Getting married had messed with my head and I didn’t like it.

“No, sir,” Vlad said.

There wasno one around, which wasn’t right. Salvadoors was a great restaurant. The food was impeccable.

It was one of the legal businesses I owned that turned a good profit, and even had a great deal oflove and reviews attached to it.

Opening the car door, I climb out. Two of my men take the lead, and we step into the restaurant. Enrique is at the bar, counting money. The moment he noticed me, he stood up.

“Mr. Yahontov,” he said.

“Enrique.” I offer him a smile. “Business slow?”

“No, sir, just … we had a rush, and I … I let my staff go for the day.”

He’s already sweating. Now, Enrique was a rare find indeed. A good businessman who knew how to cook and had this charm about him. I liked him from the moment I saw him, but now I see that money and power had gone to his head. He drops the wad of cash he had in his hand and I tut.

“Enrique, what have you done?”

He goes to make a run for it, butmy men already knew how I liked to make these kinds of plays, and grabbed him before he even made his way through the kitchen. He tries to fight them off.

“Please, please, I didn’t mean to. They came to me. I didn’t want to, but they said it was for my best interest.” He started to whimper and cry.

How did I not realize how weak this man was? It must have been his food creating a lovely smoke screen.

“So at least I don’t have to hurt you,” I said. “You were approached by Hank and Benjamin?”

He nodded ashe visibly shook.

“They … they came to my restaurant. Threatened my shop. Told me things were going to be changing around here. The Volkov Bratva was coming to an end and if I didn’t want things to get bloody, then I would have to work for them.”

“And what exactly did they want?” I asked.

Enrique looked at me then at my men and he whimpered.

“You’re going to kill me.”

I smiled. “This is the choice you have. Tell me everything you know, and I will make it a quick death. Fuck with me, make me work for the information I require, and it will be a long death.” I step up into his space. “And trust me, Enrique, I’ve got men who have chosen that option, and I still have them begging for death months later.” I wasn’t lying.

Once you swear loyalty to me, that is it, for life. You break that loyalty, you cheat, you lie, you steal from me, and I will make you rot and keep you alive while I watch you do it.

Enrique nodded. “They needed a safe place to meet. They said it was important for people to not know they were working together. If anyone ever asked, they were never here.”

“What business were they talking about?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I swear. I only did it because they said Ivan Volkov was dead and they were going to replace the Bratva. I would never have done it if I knew he wasn’t dead, Mr. Yahontov.”

Gripping the back of his neck, I pulled him in close for a hug. I liked Enrique. He’d been a good guy. He had a good palate when it came to food and flavors. I’d even been tempted to bring Charlotte down here, but that wasn’t going to happen.

I tightenedmy grip. “And you should have come to me the moment they left.”

In my other hand, I had the knife, and I kept my word. His death was quick as I lifted his head off my shoulder, and slammed the blade into his throat.

“You swore loyalty to me,” I tutted. “You made an oath to serve the Volkov Bratva and you failed.”

I pulled the bladeout and let his body drop to the floor.

“Collect the money. Sweep the place and then burn it to the ground.”

Stepping out of Salvadoors, I know I had blood running down my arm, but I didn’t care.

“I want their clubs and all their underground businessesdestroyed, tonight.”I’d been prepared to allow this to play out, but Hank and Benjamin had struck a fire. Now it was time for them to get burned.