Nikolai: The Complete Collection

30. Nikolai

30

NIKOLAI

M y head lifts from glaring at a pack of cigarettes on my desk when awareness of being watched washes over me. Rico has his shoulder propped on the doorframe of my office. His eyes are drifting around the vast space, categorizing the changes I made to his domain after his “death” three years ago.

“Didn’t like the glass furniture?” he mutters, stepping into the room.

I wait for him to slump into the chair across from me, before shrugging. “It was all right. It just didn’t look too good after I took a bat to it,” I reply, stabbing my half-smoked cigarette into an ashtray. When his dark brow slants, showcasing his confusion about my reply, I add, “Everyone handles grief differently.”

My tone is low, hating the soft cock I’ve become the past week. I thought Justine was the only one who could alter my mindset. I realize now that isn’t the case.

Rico has nearly as much influence over me as Justine does. He just does it in the same mind-fucking way our father always does.

Did , I mentally correct.

Rico’s brows stitch as guilt crosses his face. “If I had known my decision would haunt you, Eli, I would have gotten word to you… somehow . I just didn’t realize what was happening behind the scenes. I only saw what Vladimir wanted me to see.”

“I know,” I reply, my lips twisting as I struggle to hold in the rest of my retort. It’s a pointless endeavor when I say, “But right now, none of that matters.” I scrub my hand over my tired eyes before they drift to the wall separating my office from the room Justine is sleeping in. “She needs to remain my number one priority.”

Even though I’m not looking at Rico, I know he is smiling. I can feel it in my bones.

“Never thought I’d see the day.”

When my eyes swing back to Rico, he says, “You finally got your gift from heaven.”

His shit-eating grin turns blinding when I nod. “Stick a fork in me. I am fucking done.”

When he throws his head back and laughs, it feels like we’ve stepped back in time. I haven’t heard him laugh like this since we were teens. Even then, it was infrequent.

Our childhood wasn’t filled with trips to the playgrounds or fond memories. We were groomed to be killers with rules designed to break us more than teach us.

“Do you feel different?” I ask Rico when his laughter settles down, wondering if I’m the only one not registering Vladimir’s death.

Don’t get me wrong, the air of the Popov compound is the most vibrant it’s ever been, but that hollow nothingness I’ve felt since we left the warehouse last night is still present.

Rico begins answering my question with a shrug. “I’ll still check Eli’s closet every night for the next few months. It all seems a little surreal at the moment.”

I nod, agreeing with his assessment. I coasted past Vladimir’s room twice this morning to ensure it was vacant, and I even made Maya sit in with Justine while she was sleeps to ensure her safety.

“Talking about surreal,” Rico mutters, drawing my attention to him.

He balances on the end of his chair, his large frame looking oddly out of place on the rickety dining chair where Roman usually sits.

Roman wasn’t happy when I ordered him home to rest this morning. He wanted to stay. He soon discovered that my change in title hasn’t weakened my resolve in the slightest. He left with his front teeth— barely!

After digging out a piece of paper from his pants pocket, Rico slides it across the thin wooden desk between us. “Trey found this yesterday. Thought it might be of interest to you.”

I take a moment to read his forthright eyes before glancing down at the sheet of paper. Although I never ventured into Vladimir’s latest money scheme, I know what this document is. It is the contract Vladimir exchanges when buyers purchase his whores.

“What the fuck?” I growl when my eyes scan my name at the top of the contract.

Although my first question should be how over a million dollars got transferred from my account without my knowledge, it isn’t. I’m just praying Justine never sees this document.

Justine was remarkably open about my business during the many discussions we had last night, but I could see in her eyes there was a fine line she will never cross when it comes to certain aspects of my lifestyle—most notably the whores we freed last night.

She asked at least five times what I planned to do with the women amassed by Vladimir’s takeover. I answered her as honestly as I could. For now, they will sit at Clarks until the heat from Vladimir’s dethroning dies down.

Although she wasn’t happy about my plans of keeping the women detained, my promise that they will not be touched while under my watch eased her worry.

“This isn’t me. I don’t pay for whores,” I defend, throwing the slip of paper onto my desk.

“I know. I’ve seen the way you look at Justine. You’re as pussy-whipped as the rest of us.” The seriousness of our conversation doesn’t match Rico’s snickering tone.

His grin grows larger when I immaturely roll my eyes. My eye roll stops halfway when he adds, “If you had heeded my warning four years ago, none of this would have happened. I always told you she was a money-grabbing whore.”

I snap my eyes to his, wanting to ensure I’m not mishearing the accusation in his tone. “This was Malvina?” I ask, distrusting the story his eyes are relaying.

Rico’s eyes drop to the document sitting between us before nodding. “Yep.” His tone is as cocky as his facial expression.

Blood roars to my ears as I clench my fists. At Justine’s request, Malvina’s punishment wasn’t going to be as severe as Vladimir’s. Now, she may not be so lucky.

My mind strays from dangerous thoughts when Rico says, “You’re not the only schmuck Malvina was pedaling money from for the sex trafficking trade. She’s got a few men under her belt.”

“Who?” I ask, incapable of harnessing my curiosity.

I barely know the man in front of me, but before our relationship went sideways, I knew Rico well enough to detect when he was hiding something from me.

Our relationship has a long, winding track to drive before it can be restored, but I’m confident he is keeping something from me.

He scrubs his hand over the stubble on his chin, its unkept appearance compliments of two days of no sleep. He’s like me, incapable of sleeping until all our ghosts have been laid to rest. It’s been a long-ass twenty-eight years.

“Andros,” Rico eventually answers.

“Her father? Malvina has been swindling money from her father?” My tone is high with shock. Double-crossing Vladimir carries a sentence of death, but double-crossing Andros… There isn’t a punishment worthy enough for that.

When Rico nods, I mumble, “She’s dead. Andros loves his children… until they steal from him. Did she not learn from Marko’s demise?”

“That’s what Andros said when I updated him this morning,” he informs me, his tone wary of how I will react at discovering he’s been communicating with an associate behind my back.

I’d be worried if I hadn’t seen the flare that brightened his eyes when he spoke of his son earlier. Furthermore, his wife would never survive in our industry, and he loves her enough he’d never force her into our life.

Rico was born a mafia prince.

Unlike me, he won’t die a king.

“What terms did Andros state?”

I try to keep annoyance out of my tone. My attempts are below average. I’m not worried Rico wants his rightful title. I’m frustrated Malvina’s punishment is being snatched from my grasp. Andros is a powerful man, one I want on my side as I transition from a prince to a king, so I have no choice but to accept any conditions he invokes.

“He wants you to send Malvina home.” When I attempt to interrupt, he waves his hand through the air, cutting me off. “He said he understands your objective, but guarantees returning Malvina to Russia will be the best outcome for all involved. If you truly want to succeed Vladimir’s reign, Eli, you must think smart. I know you want revenge for what your girl went through, but you’ve already got the sweetest reward.” His eyes stray to the wall I was staring at earlier. “You’ve got your Ангел. What more do you need than that?” His accent is so thick his Russian heritage echoes in his tone.

I slump in my chair while considering his request. I want Malvina to feel the pain I went through watching Justine lie lifeless on the bloodstained floor that nearly claimed my life thirteen years ago, but I also promised Justine that she would want for nothing when she is mine. I can’t keep my promise if I go against a man as powerful as Andros. Besides, the less cleanup I’m required to do from Vladimir’s dethroning, the better.

“Very well. Send her home.”

My eyes snap to Rico when he says, “Already done.” My narrowed squint widens when he cheekily adds, “I may have taped her to the chair to ensure she didn’t go anywhere this time.” A pompous wink increases the gleam twinkling in his eyes.

I laugh. “What’s your kitten going to think when she discovers you’ve been tying women up… again ?” The jeering of my tone leaves no doubt of my playfulness. He may now be a family man, but he wasn’t only a few short years ago.

His growl rumbles through my chest. “Blaire knows there’s only one kitty I want purring beneath me. I don’t care if it is three years or three hundred, I’ll never get enough of her sexy purr.”

His eyes are as dark and haunted as Vladimir’s were, but when he talks about his family, a flare breaks through the darkness encompassing him.

He truly looks free.

“Then don’t let me stop you,” I say, standing from my seat. “Go get your kitten.”

He hesitates for the quickest second when I offer my hand. It is unusual for me to show any signs of affection, much less release a man from this madhouse without chastisement, but the more Justine’s attention pumps blood to my heart, the further I tiptoe away from insanity.

Accepting my gesture, Rico pulls my body into his chest. Although a desk is between us, the sentiment of his gesture can’t be missed.

We’re two brothers hugging out our indifferences.

“I can stay if you need me. Wait for the dust to finish settling,” Rico murmurs into my ear, his tone conflicted. He hates being away from his wife and son as much as I hate being away from Justine for even a second.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him. Thankfully, my tone is confident.

I’ve got a shit ton of rebuilding to do and a few matters I’d rather ignore for the next century, but nothing I’m set to face the next week will be more challenging than what we tackled head-on yesterday. With Rico’s help, I got Justine back. He doesn’t need to help me any more than he has already.

“If you change your mind, I gave Roman all my details.”

I nod before slapping his back three times, requesting to be released from his firm grip. He holds on a little longer, either hoping I’ll react to his jeering or not as eager to step away from our lifestyle the second time around as he was the first time.

After holding on to me long enough it starts getting awkward, he finally pulls away. “I’ll give you a week,” he advises, his tone a complete contradiction to the man who was practically humping my leg thirty seconds ago.

“For what?” I ask, unable to read the demand in his eyes.

He gathers a bag I didn’t notice sitting at the entranceway of my office before returning his eyes to me. “To apologize to my wife. If you haven’t called within a week, I’ll be back, and this time, I won’t go easy on you.”

I huff as my ego awakens. He might be a few inches taller than me and a few pounds heavier, but I can take him. I’ve got grit on my side. I’ve got determination. I’ve also got my queen to protect. No one will take Justine away from me—not even myself.

A little over an hour has passed since I walked Rico to his car. His departure caused as many hushed whispers as his arrival did, but this time, they were void of malicious taunts.

He isn’t a part of our business anymore, but he is my family, and disrespecting anyone in my family is as punishable as disrespecting me.

My men can be annoyed at Rico’s deal with another devil as evil as Vladimir, but at the end of the day, his negotiation was no more disrespectful than the ones many of them have made over the years.

He wanted out of this lifestyle. He found a way out. That’s courageous, not fearful. So, if anyone has a problem with me issuing him a full pardon from our family, they can bring it up with me. I’ll be more than happy to show them what I think of insolence.

A tap at my door draws me out of my thoughts. I’m hoping it is Maya advising me Justine is awake, but I’m left disappointed when my eyes lock on Trey.

“We’ve got a problem at Clarks.”

“Handle it,” I demand, unwilling to leave Justine’s side for even a minute.

Clarks is an off-site compound approximately two miles from the main house. With my crew amassing new members faster than the principal residence could handle, a set of bunker-type dorms were built on land fringing the property’s borders.

Although the facilities at Clarks aren’t as lavish as their original living conditions, my men prefer it over the massive mansion Vladimir commissioned in the early nineties. They have unlimited booze, drugs, and women. What more could they need?

“Can’t,” Trey replies, drawing my attention back to him.

Dropping my pen on the paperwork in front of me, I slouch back in my chair. This is the one thing I’ve always hated about my… job . It doesn’t matter how my fortune is amassed. It is never done without a paper trail.

Even the shadiest men won’t consider a deal unless they see a contract. It may be written in the blood of their loved ones, but they don’t care. They still want everything in writing.

Although I’d like to forget this side of my industry for a week or two, my wealth is already taking a hit with the deal I made to secure the Yurys earlier this week. And considering my conversation with Alexei about his son being caught in the crossfire of a war he didn’t belong in didn’t go as well as I was hoping, I need to keep my associates happy.

Furthermore, Justine needs her sleep, so anything I can do to stop me from taking her while she is resting, I will do it. Even something as mundane as paperwork.

“Why can’t you handle it?” I ask Trey, my tone jeering.

I’ve been grooming Trey as my second-in-command since the day he joined my crew. If he is incapable of handling a dozen or two whores, we’re going to have an issue.

Trey swallows harshly, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Because we need you… and your girl.”