“Very. Keep your mouth shut.” I reached up and pulled her chin toward me. “You’re going to listen to me, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, anger flashing in her eyes.
“Good girl.” I released her and turned back toward Vlas.
I led Aida over to him and he smiled at our approach. He was my age, early thirties, with a square jaw and a wide, crooked nose that had been broken more than once. His eyes were ice gray and his blond hair was buzzed down to stubble. He wore a black t-shirt, jeans, and basketball sneakers, and he didn’t look much different from any civilian in the area.
But I knew Vlas, maybe better than anyone else did. We grew up together, though we grew up in different worlds. He was Russian mob from birth, but I didn’t find myself in the Leone Family until later on. We knew each other in school though, and were friends for a time when we were just kids. But our worlds pulled us apart, and our familiarity turned us into enemies, slowly but surely.
“Thanks for coming,” he said without a hint of accent. “I appreciate you showing up on short notice. And you brought the girl with you.”
I nodded once. “I was ordered to show up,” I said. “If I had my choice, the next time you saw me would’ve been at the end of gun.”
Vlas laughed. “I don’t blame you at all. Come on, take a seat.”
“I’d rather not.”
“You know your standing only makes me uncomfortable.”
“Good.” I stared him and he just smiled.
“All right then, fine. Have it your way.” He slowly stood up and stretched his back. “You know, Dante, I liked you better before you were a Capo. You were no bullshit back then, know what I mean?”
“Sure. I wouldn’t have waited for orders before hitting back.”
“Exactly.” He grinned at me. “But here you are with your little girl, obeying your commands like a good soldier.”
“What do you want, Vlas?”
“Let’s talk terms.” He lingered a few feet away, a smile on his face. He clasped his hands behind his back.
“Terms?” I snorted. “I don’t follow. You’re finished with this already? I kill two of your guys and you’re done?”
He tilted his head, grinning. “Oh, no. Terms for you, my man. Terms for your surrender.”
I laughed, unable to help myself. “And why the fuck do you think I’d surrender anything to you?”
“Because we both know you aren’t winning this,” Vlas said. “I have more men and more guns. And I’m not constrained by a Don that’s unwilling to spill blood.”
“I don’t know, that’s not the rumor I’ve heard. I hear your boss is pretty goddamn pissed about what you pulled.”
He waved that away with a casual flick of his wrist. “I think you might’ve heard wrong, then. My Pakhan is willing to let his brigadiers do their jobs.”
“What do you think your job is?” I grunted.
“Killing you and taking your territory.” He smiled, teeth flashing in the sunlight. “Come now, Dante. You know how this goes. We’ve been at peace for too long, sooner or later our businesses are going to clash.”
“Makes no sense,” I said. “There’s no profit in killing each other.”
“Maybe not for you,” he said then his eyes moved over to Aida. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her body, top to bottom. From other men, I felt a sense of pride at their desire. But from Vlas, I wanted to rip his teeth from his skull and shove them through his chest. “I didn’t realize our girl was so beautiful.”
“Don’t speak to her,” I said, stepping forward. Vlas looked a little surprised, but I caught a flash of fear in his eyes. I’d always been a step above him, always a little stronger, always a little faster. He was a hard man, but we both knew that I was harder in a fair fight.
But that was the thing about Vlas. He didn’t fight fair and never had. That was how he won so often, how he climbed through the ranks of the Bratva to become a celebrated brigadier. In his family, those underhanded tactics were celebrated, so long as they were successful.
Tactics like ambushing a rival in the middle of the morning for no apparent reason.
“And yet you dressed her up for me.”
“I wanted you to see what I had,” I said. “And to know what you’ll never touch.”
He snorted. “Please. She’s pretty, I’ll give you that.”
“And she’s mine.”
His eyes moved away from her and locked back onto mine. “Actually, that’s what we’re here to discuss.”
My jaw tightened. “What?”
“Her father fucked me,” Vlas said, a bit of anger leaking into his voice. “He embarrassed me and made me look weak. You took care of the little rat for me, which I do very much appreciate. But that wasn’t enough. I need that girl. I need to show what happens to those that cross me. I want the city to know that when you steal from me, you’re not the only one that gets punished. I break you and your family.”
I watched him for a long moment before laughing. I couldn’t help myself. The notion was so absurd, so over the top, that I just couldn’t hold it in. “No, Vlas,” I said, shaking my head and grinning. “That’s just about the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard.”
His smile didn’t falter, but I saw the tension in his eyes. Other men that didn’t know him so well might not have noticed, but I could see it plain as the clouds in the sky.
“This is not negotiable,” he said. “Hand me the girl and we can end this war now.”
“No,” I said. “I wouldn’t give her to you for anything. And beyond that, you tried to kill me, Vlas. You went too far.”
He shrugged and shook his head. “What can I say, Dante? I wanted to get rid of my biggest threat in the city. You should be flattered.”
“I’m angry,”
