CHAPTER TWO
She’d been right to pray he would forgive her. Drago’s hands curled around the letter Ana left for him. He was going to kill her.
“What are you going to do?” Gretchen asked her husband warily.
“I have to find her and drag her ass back here now, don’t I?” he snarled. “Hopefully, before Michael Tabrone has a chance to hurt her or maybe kill her the same way he killed our grandfather.”
Gretchen bit her lip with worry. She was feeling very selfish right about now. She was due to have her child any day and she wanted her husband with her when that happened. She knew how much their grandfather meant to both Drago and Ana. She’d known in her heart that Ana would go after the man that took him away from them but her timing could have been a whole lot better.
Drago looked over at his wife and saw the emotions running across her face. He threw the letter down on the table and went over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Kissing her forehead he whispered, “Don’t worry so woman, I’m not leaving you right now.” He placed his hand on her big belly. “You and this baby mean the world to me.”
“But so does she.” Gretchen sighed. “I don’t want to be selfish right now but I need you to be here for me and the baby too.”
Drago exhaled a deep breath. “I know and right now, I could kill my sister for this, but it’s done now and I can’t turn back time to stop her from going. All I can do is hope she’ll be okay and maybe put a little protection in place.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gretchen asked.
“I need to go see someone.” Maybe he could get some of his friends to watch out for her.
“She took her Land Rover,” Gretchen told him. When he nodded, she also told him, “Dutcher is gone as well.”
Drago’s shoulders tightened. He snapped his head around and stared at his wife. “Are you sure?”
Gretchen nodded slowly.
Drago shrugged but didn’t lose the tension in his shoulders. “At least she’ll be protected.” Then he thought of something and ran for the workshop. When he returned a few minutes later, he looked at his wife. “She took the sword.”
“What sword?” Gretchen frowned.
“She made a copy of the sword grandfather made for Michael Tabrone, only it’s smaller to fit her own hand. She plans on killing him with it.”
“Oh Drago, she can’t do that!” Gretchen cried out raising her trembling hands to her mouth.
Drago nodded. “I know but those are her plans. I have to find a way to stop her.” He kissed his wife. “I have to make a trip to Troy. I have to see someone there. I may not be back until tomorrow depending on what happens when I get there.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She tried to smile but failed. “Go take care of your sister, she needs you too.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her again, then turned to leave.
Gretchen watched and when she heard his pickup roar out of the driveway, she too, said a prayer for everyone involved to stay safe.
Drago watched the entrance of Redemption House. He’d been sitting here for the last hour or so. He was waiting to see his friend Jethro Ryan. He’d met Jethro years ago and they remained friends, despite the differences they had.
Jethro was a member of the Troy MC. They started out as Satan Spawn but now went under the name Sin’s Bastards. Drago understood they weren’t the normal MC. Their president and leader, Deke Tory had cleaned up the old club and now, they were totally legit. While they still ran a strip club and a bar or two, they had their hands in many businesses in and around town.
Redemption House wasn’t one of the businesses the club owned but it was run by Deke’s wife, Cassie. They helped people get back on their feet when the world didn’t give a crap about them. It began as an idea to give people a second chance but now, it was well known, not only here but also in Boston and the idea was generating some interest in other areas as well.
The door opened and three men came out. One of them was Jethro Ryan.
Drago got out of his truck and waited for them to come closer. Then he looked at his friend and called him over, “Jethro, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Jethro Ryan looked up and stared at the other man in surprise. “Drago Petroff? What the hell are you doing here?”
Drago grinned and held out his hand. “Hoping to find you.”
Jethro smiled. “Why? What did I do now?”
Drago shook his head. “Nothing bad but I need your help.”
Jethro frowned slightly. “My help?”
One of the men with him stared at Drago for a moment. “What’s going on here?”
Jethro glanced at the man beside him. “Deke, this is a friend of mine, Drago Petroff. Drago, this is my brother and club president, Deke Tory. He’s also married to one of my nieces and my friend.”
Drago nodded at the other man and offered his hand.
Deke took his hand and motioned for them to sit down at one of the tables in the parking lot. When they were all sitting, he introduced the other man in the group, “This is my VP- Gator Willis.”
Drago nodded at the other man and turned his attention to Jethro. “I’m sorry to come without calling first, but I’m in a bit of a time crunch here.”
Jethro nodded. “Okay, what’s going on and why did you come to me, of all people?”
Drago took a deep breath before he told them, “You know what my family does, right?” He waited for Jethro to nod then went on, “A couple of months ago my grandfather was murdered by a man he crafted a custom made sword for. It’s taken us this long to find him and I’m afraid my sister, Anastasia has gone after the man. She plans to confront him and possibly take his life.”
Jethro looked shocked for a moment then glanced over at Deke. “Drago’s family makes custom made swords under the Curcovic name. They are famous all over the world for being the best of the best. His great grandfather came to this country from Russia shortly after Tzar Nikolas was arrested and murdered by his own people.”
Deke swore under his breath. Running his fingers through his hair, he stared at Drago. “So what do you want us to do about this?”
Drago shrugged. “I was hoping you could help me save my sister’s life. I didn’t know what else to do, where else to go for help. My family hasn’t exactly been social for a number of reasons I won’t go into right now. I was hoping Jethro could at least give me some ideas for how to help her.”
“Do you know where she went looking for this bastard?” Gator asked.
Drago nodded. “She found him in New Orleans. She left behind the information she found on him. He’s training to be an MMA fighter at the Five Brother’s Gym.”
Deke swore again, as he caught Gator’s eye. “Fuck.”
Gator didn’t look very happy but he agreed with Deke. “We’re going to need to call Leon in on this.”
“I know.” Deke growled.
“Who is this Leon character?” Drago asked.
Deke glared at him. “He’s a mafia man.”
Drago frowned. “Why does he have to be involved?”
“Because the Five Brother’s Gym is run by the Russian mob,” Deke informed him. “Leon is gonna have to call the Russians in on this deal. We have to follow protocol here.”
Drago paused. “Oh, shit.” He got to his feet and backed away a step or two. “This is getting out of hand and it hasn’t even started yet. I need to get her out of the line of fire before she gets there.”
“Yeah, but if we don’t get these people on board now, we’re going to have a bigger mess later,” Deke assured him. “If she goes into New Orleans and brings down chaos anywhere near the gym, she’s gonna have a shitstorm on her hands.” He paused then glared at Drago. “The Russian’s aren’t exactly a forgiving type of people. They will demand their pound of flesh.”
Drago tightened his jaw. “In case you didn’t know this, I happen to be Russian.”
“Then you know what I’m talking about.” Deke refused to back down.
“Is she likely to go after this guy on her own?” Jethro asked trying to break the tension.
Drago nodded finally breaking eye contact with Deke. “She took the sword she means to kill him with.”
Jethro had no clue what he was talking about.
Drago sighed and went on to explain, “Michael contacted my grandfather to make him a sword about six months ago. He said he wanted it as a symbol of his status but he wanted it to be functional as well. He wanted to take lesson to teach him how to use the blade. When my grandfather was done with the blade, Michael came to pick it up. Apparently, he didn’t think he should have to pay for the blade and he challenged my grandfather.”
“What happened?” Gator frowned.
“My grandfather disarmed him twice and Michael wasn’t happy about it,” Drago explained what he’d seen on the video feed of his grandfather’s office. “We watched the security tapes so we saw the whole thing. My grandfather thought he’d done enough to sway the man but Michael picked his sword up and stabbed him in the back like the coward he is. He stabbed him again in the side then in more than one nonlethal place and he left him on the floor to bleed to death.”
Deke watched the man intently. “What else is there? I have a feeling there’s more going on here than just a stolen sword. What else aren’t you telling us?”
Drago turned his head and stared at the other man for a moment. “Michael Tabrone took something he had no right to even know about. Something that’s been in our family for a hundred years. Ana wants it back before Michael has a chance to sell it on the black market.”
“What did he take?” Gator asked.
“I’d rather not say at the moment.”
Deke rolled his eyes. “Keep your secrets then, but we do need to call Leon. We need him to make contact with the Bratva. Maybe they will help, maybe they won’t, but in any case, we can’t move ahead with this until they are onboard. If they don’t want us to help, there will be nothing we can do about this. I hope you understand that. It would be suicide to move against the Bratva.”
Drago nodded briefly. “I understand.” He motioned to Deke. “Make the call.”
Later the same day, two black limos pulled into the clubhouse parking lot. Drago stood in the doorway and stared at the men who climbed out of the vehicles. The men in the first limo were darker skinned then the others and very well dressed in Armani suits. Both men were accompanied by two other men he knew were bodyguards.
Drago watched as the men from the second limo came forward. There were three of them. All three were older men and they all expressed authority in their strides. He had no idea who these men were but he did know he didn’t want to be on their wrong side.
He turned and went back inside. Taking a seat next to Jethro, he waited until the other men joined them.
Deke got to his feet and smiled as he held out his hand to Leon. “Leon, I’m glad you could come so soon.”
Leon smiled. “It’s not every day you call and bring me a problem like this. To say I am intrigued is a statement I don’t often get to make.” He studied Drago for a moment. The he held out his hand to the other man. “My name is Leon Vincinti.” He turned to the man next to him. “This is my son Calderone.” He motioned to the men from the second limo. “These are representatives of the Russian Bratva. Nikoli Silvanic, Sergi Constantine and his son Misha Constantine. Sergi and Misha are visiting from Russia at the moment and they agreed to mediate in this matter.”
Drago shook hands with all of them and acknowledged each of them.
“Let’s sit down while he tells you his tale,” Deke urged them.
“Deke tells us that you are somehow related to the Curcovic blade makers of Russia,” Leon began. “Is that true?”
“Vladimir Curcovic was my great grandfather. I never knew him but his son was my grandfather and he raised me when I lost my parents.”
“Were you an only child then?” Sergi asked.
“No, I have a younger sister Anastasia,” Drago explained.
“What is all this about then?” Misha asked.
Drago took a deep breath and began regaling them with his family history, “Vlad left Russia in 1917, right after the people took Nikolas hostage in his own palace. He came here to America to live quietly and raise his family. He bought some land in the Catskill Mountains and rebuilt his business of blade making. His family handed down this craft from generation to generation, just as my grandfather passed it down to his own son, my father and after my father died my grandfather taught me and my sister his craft. My sister showed grandfather how to reach people on the internet and she doubled his business almost overnight. People know my family’s blades and they were willing to pay whatever he asked. He carried on his father’s crafting of fine blade making and now, he owns a worldwide business. He and I worked the steel and Ana does the engraving and the sales. About six months ago, my grandfather was contacted by a man named Michael Tabrone. He wanted a sword. He paid the deposit and when my grandfather finished the blade, he contacted Michael and they set up a date to finish the sale.”
The men all listened, as Misha nodded his head.
“Michael showed up and seemed to be very happy with the blade. He asked my grandfather for a demonstration and when my grandfather showed him some moves, Michael seemed very impressed. Then he took the sword and refused to finish paying for it.”
“How do you know that?” Nikoli frowned.
“My grandfather had the showroom under surveillance cameras. It recorded the whole thing.”
“Do you still have the recording?” Misha asked.
Drago nodded and pulled out a tablet from his messenger bag. Pulling up the video, they all watched the exchange as the camera caught it. As the exchange unfolded, he watched the faces of the men around him. From their expressions, he knew exactly when Michael plunged to blade into his grandfather’s back.
Closing his eyes, he could see everything they were watching in his mind. He saw the surprise and pain on his grandfather’s face when the blade he crafted pierced his body. He could see the blood drenching his grandfather’s body as he fell first to his knees and then to the floor. He could see the blade pushed all the way into his side and jerked out again. Then he saw every time the bladed pierced his body. Michael had gone overboard with his torture of a defenseless old man.
He knew the tape would show Michael disappearing for a moment, then returning to lay a wooden box on the table. He remembered the look of greed and awe on Michael’s face when he opened the box and saw what was inside. They could see him close the box and tucking it under his arm, they watched as Michael walked out of the room.
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they digested what they’d just seen.
Finally, Misha broke the silence by asking, “What was in the box?”
Drago didn’t want to tell them but knew he had to. “In the year before her husband was arrested for treason against his own people, Tzarina Alexi commissioned my great grandfather to craft a pair of long daggers for her husband. They were ceremonial blades and when the trouble began, the Tzarina begged Vlad to hide the daggers. They were designed in such a way that she was afraid they would bring back fear of an uprising against the people. She found an old drawing of a war dagger over a thousand years old in the archives and when Vlad showed her the finished daggers, it was days before the people broke down the doors of the palace. Vlad took the daggers and left Russia. But he’s held them in trust to be turned over to the heir if there was ever one found. My grandfather told my sister with his last breath that when she got the daggers back, he wanted her to find Nikolas’s heir and turn them over to him. He said it was time to honor his father’s word.”
“Do you know where this Michael went?” Sergi questioned.
Drago nodded. “He went to New Orleans and has signed up to train in the Five Brother’s Gym. He starts training in about a week.”
Nikoli turned to Sergi and Misha and smiled. “So he goes to train with Sazon. This could be interesting.”
Drago frowned staring at the three older men. “Who is this Sazon and why will it be interesting?”
“His name is Sazon Demikoff,” Nikoli informed the group. “He’s one of five blood brothers in charge of the city, they also represent our interests in New Orleans. I can call him and tell him to keep an eye on Michael and watch out for your sister.”
“I think you should know that Ana plans to confront Michael,” Drago informed them.
Sergi shook his head. “What does she hope to do by confronting the man?”
Drago sighed. These men were the kind that would never understand his sister. “She will try to kill him. She made a copy of the blade he used to murder our grandfather and she plans to use it to get revenge for his death.”
“Can she win this match?” Leon wanted to know.
Drago shrugged. “Michael doesn’t know how to use the blade as well. He’s only had the blade for two months, but Ana does. She’s trained for years but he’s bigger and stronger than she is. She may be faster and more agile but he’s still got a man’s strength behind him. Either way, it will be a bloody match. His blade is longer than hers will be.”
Sergi glanced at Nikoli and then turned to Leon. “I think I want to know more about this situation.” Looking over at Drago he said, “I do know of Nikolas’s heir and she lives right there in New Orleans. If the daggers can be found, I’d like to be there when you turn them over to her. The Curcovic blades are noted for being spectacular blades and I wouldn’t mind seeing this set.”
“I have heard rumors of this set too,” Misha added. “It is said they are made with titanium covered in sterling silver. They have several gems imbedded in the hilt. It’s been said the Tzarina spent a small fortune on these daggers and that fact would have enraged the people of the times. They were starving in the streets and the Tzarina was spending money they didn’t have on something as frivolous as ceremonial blades. When the daggers could never be found, the matter was dropped but there were rumors for years, even today the rumors continue. Even the KGB was involved as everyone was looking for Vlad Curcovic.”
“Every few years, the rumors pop up again and people speculate if the daggers really do exist,” Nikoli commented. “I need to call Yuri and get things set up for her arrival.” He got to his feet and moved away from the group to make the call.
Drago acknowledged his statement. “That’s why he moved to the mountains and kept his nose clean. He knew the KGB were looking for him and he knew if they found him he was as good as dead. He changed his name and he never spoke of the incident to anyone. He felt people would eventually forget and he wanted to be forgotten. He just wanted to be left in peace.”
“Did he ever find that peace?” Calderone asked.
Drago smiled. “He did. He found it in the arms of the woman that eventually became his wife. He went on to teach his son to make the blades just as his father taught him. He lived long enough to watch his son teach my father. He died knowing the craft would still pass from father to son. When my parents were killed, Ana and I went to live with my grandfather and he taught us the trade of making blades. I hope to teach my own son one day.”
“You have a son?” Deke asked.
“I will when he remembers he can’t stay inside his mother for too much longer.” He smiled. “He is in fact due to be born any day now. That’s why this is so hard. I want to go after my sister but I also want to be here when my son is born. I can’t do both.”
“You need to stay here and watch the miracle of witnessing your child being born,” Misha advised. “That is something not everyone is privilege to see. We will watch over your sister. You have shared this with us and now, we will take care of it.”
“If you can’t take care of it, I want to be there when she confronts this man,” Drago insisted. “She is my sister.”
Sergi nodded. “You should be there when she confronts the bastard. You have that right but for now, we will protect her.”
“Gentlemen, we have a problem,” Nikoli stated after his phone call.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked. Sam was sitting with his son Deke as part of the MC group.
“Michael signed up for the gym but he’s not going to be there for a week. He wanted to see some friends of his in Houston before he begins his training.”
Sam grinned. “That’s not a problem then.”
Sergi turned to stare at the man. “Why is that?”
“I can call an old friend in to help us watch for Michael. He’s the leader of another MC in Sabine Pass, Texas,” Sam explained. “They are all ex-soldiers, so they know what they’re doing as far as surveillance goes. They can get to him faster than your men can get there.”
Sergi nodded. “They can follow him all the way to New Orleans to keep track of him.”
“Da, Yuri agreed to keep an eye on things in the city and he’s already notified Sazon about your sister. He will protect her.” Nikoli motioned at Drago. “You can rest easy on your sister’s behalf.”
“Are you going to go to New Orleans?” Deke asked the men sitting at his table.
“Da, we will leave immediately,” Sergi told the other man.
“Would you mind if we went along?” Deke asked looking at the other men in his group. “We’d like to follow this as far as we can. Maybe we could even help if there is a need.”
“I can understand your interest in this matter.” Sergi nodded. “You may join us if you would like but I insist that you follow our lead in this situation.”
“We can live with that.” Deke nodded. “I’d just like to see how this plays out. I don’t hold with men abusing women and kids. Never did and never will.”
“Then we have something in common,” Sergi agreed. “Only a coward would hit a woman or a child or use his strength against an older man as this man has done.”
“How many of us will you allow to come along?” Sam asked.
“Four or five will be plenty, I think,” Sergi answered. “I don’t want to give away the game before its time to conclude it.”
“As long as Michael is under surveillance, we have the time to drive there,” Misha commented. “It should be a nice trip. We can take our time and make plans as we go.”
“At this point, she’ll only be a few hours ahead of you. She left sometime after midnight,” Drago informed them all. “I should probably tell you she has her dog with her.”
“Why would you tell us that?” Deke wanted to know.
Drago turned to stare at the man for a moment before he answered, “Because Dutcher will die to protect her. He will also kill to do the same thing. She’s trained him to obey only her signals and commands and you do not want to get between them.”
“Good to know.” Sergi nodded.
Drago got to his feet and looked over at Sergi. “I thank you for this. My sister means a great deal to me. Catching my grandfather’s killer means a lot too, but nothing means more than my sister.”
“It is a good thing you care for your sister,” Misha spoke softly. “Family is supposed to mean something to a man. So many men have forgotten that.”
Drago gave a short nod of his head. “Jethro has my phone number, please call me when it’s time.”
“I’ll have a plane waiting for you when the time comes.” Sergi nodded at him.