Chapter Twelve
When Raven saw Nicky, she grinned. “You’ve been up all night again, haven’t you?”
Nicky grinned back. “Yup, sure have been but I’m proud to say the fort is wired for pictures and sound.”
“You got it done already?” Yuri was surprised.
“Yes I did. It wasn’t that difficult to do and once I had everything I needed, it went quickly. The feeds are all tied into your security room.” He turned to Raven. “Is it true? Nikoli told me what you found last night.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. Considering where we found it, the certificate could be fake.” She looked at Nikoli. “I really wish you would have asked me about what I wanted to do before you called your friend.”
Nikoli reached for her hand and patted it. “My dear, I meant you no harm. I remember well the heartbreak Misha went through when Joy disappeared. We don’t yet know what happened to her but this could explain at least a part of it.” He looked over at Yuri then back to her. “You will never have anything to fear from Misha or Sergi.”
“And if we find the certificate was fake? Then what? I don’t want you to make a deal with either Carlos or Andria to find out what they know. They both deserve what they have coming for the part they played in Nicky’s kidnapping. I’d rather never know than rely on either of them.”
“My dear, all we need is a simple blood test to know the truth,” Nikoli told her.
Raven shook her head. “That’s only the beginning. Misha will want to know what happened to Joy. Carlos will try to make a deal and then he’ll walk away free and clear. He’ll be free to start all over again and the first thing he’ll do, is come after me.”
Nikoli smiled. “That’s where you would be wrong my dear. If you think for one moment that Serrgi will make a deal with the likes of Carlos Lopez, you couldn’t be more wrong. Sergi is old school Bratva. Carlos is nothing more than a coward and the moment he tries his bullshit with Sergi, he will feel the full wrath of the Bratva.” He looked over at Yuri. “In fact, it is maybe a good thing Sergi is coming. If we can get the evidence we need to bring Grigori down, Sergi can pass judgement right away. Justice can be swift and if we can find the truth, it will be brutal.”
“Then let’s all do our job and get the evidence we need to bring him to justice,” Yuri suggested. “But first, let’s get some breakfast. Raven didn’t eat much last night and she needs some food.”
Nicky looked crestfallen. “I forgot.” Turning to his sister, he apologized. “I should have remembered.”
She smiled. “No worries. I just need a good breakfast.”
Nikoli looked confused. “What did I miss?”
“Raven doesn’t eat red meat or ham. We all had steaks last night,” Nicky informed him.
Nikoli looked startled. “Is there a reason you don’t eat red meat?”
“I just don’t care for the taste of it. I tried to eat it as a child but I got sick on it once, so I never ate it again. I can’t say I miss it.”
“Well, that’s curious,” Nikoli claimed.
“Why would that be so particular?” Nicky asked.
“Someone else I know has the same reaction to red meat.” Nikoli nodded. “In fact, his whole family suffers from the same affliction. It has to do with a medical condition that’s passed from generation to generation.”
Raven felt dread running down her spine. She was almost afraid to ask.
“Who is this person?” Yuri asked for her.
“Sergi Constantine,” Nikoli replied his eyes wide. “Misha and I shared many meals together and when I noticed they never ate red meat, I asked about it. Misha told me it was a family thing.”
Raven moved over to a chair and sat down hard. “That doesn’t mean anything. I can eat red meat if I want to.”
Nicky came over and sat down beside her. “No Raven, you can’t. You know what happens to you when you do. You get sick for three days every time.”
“That doesn’t mean a thing,” she insisted.
Nicky reached out and pulled her chin up to his. “Are you afraid?”
She nodded. “Terrified. So much has changed in so little time.”
“What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked her gently.
“She’s afraid that Carlos or Andria will try to make a deal for information,” Yuri explained.
Nikoli chuckled. “Sergi would never let that happen.”
“That’s what I tried to tell her but I don’t think she believes me.”
“She will when she meets him,” Nikoli assured her. “No one else knows they’re coming, so there won’t be any protocol to deal with. As soon as their plane lands, they’ll come here to meet you.”
“When are they due to land?”
“They left last night, so with the time change they should be here sometime this afternoon.” He informed her. Turning to Yuri he said, “I’ve heard from Sazon. He and Barshan have taken Grigori and they should be back later tonight. They’ll take him out to the fort and leave him.”
Yuri nodded. “I’ll have everything set up by that time. After breakfast, I have to go downstairs and talk to our friend Joshua. I also need to tell Joseph that Sergi is very interested in his latest plans to attack us.”
“Joseph still thinks Demi will back his play. When I spoke to him the other day, he assured me he would deal with him. Sergi will want to make an example out of him. He’ll want to send a message to the Ukraines not to mess with us.”
“I do not think Demi will want to cross Sergi,” Yuri agreed with Nikoli.
“He won’t. We’ll have to wait and see what Sergi wants to do.”
“Let’s get everything in order then. Joshua is fucked either way. His greed will cost him his life.”
“This will also set an example for anyone else that thinks to cross us,” Nikoli stated. “Sometimes, a small show of power settles the dust.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “As if the head of the Russian mob could do anything small. Can we order breakfast now?”
Yuri chuckled. “Of course. Do you want to go downstairs or have it up here?”
“Up here please.” She watched as Yuri ordered their meal to be delivered to the penthouse.
“They can’t get to you here,” Nicky assured her.
Raven shook her head to silence him but Nicky wouldn’t be silenced.
He turned to Yuri. “She’s afraid Carlos has a contract out on her. He’s had people looking for us for ten years now. With him in custody, she’s afraid they’ll come here and find her.”
“Are you afraid for your life too?” Nikoli asked his son.
Nicky shrugged. “Not as much. She made sure I stayed in the background, so they wouldn’t know what I looked like. She’s the one who always went out. She’s the one who worked outside our apartment. I mean I had a job but she always made sure I was disguised. She took the most chances.”
“No one would dare hurt you here,” Yuri stated.
“I know but I’d rather not take any chances.” Raven frowned. “I haven’t seen any of his men around but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there looking for him. He hasn’t been in contact with anyone for days, so they must be worried about him by now.”
“My men will not let anyone in the hotel that shouldn’t be here.”
“I know.” Raven shrugged. “I’ve lived a certain way for so long, it’s hard to let it go now. I know in my heart that I’m safe but the fear deep down inside me just won’t abandon me. It’s been there too long.”
“Let’s eat and then we can finish with Carlos’s files,” Nikoli commented. “Yuri has some work to do downstairs anyway.”
It was close to lunch time when Nikoli got a phone call. They had almost gotten through all the files and were compiling evidence as they went along when Nikoli got the call he’d been waiting on. He hung up the phone and called Yuri back to the penthouse.
He turned to Nicky and Raven. “Misha and Sergi are on the grounds and are on their way here.”
Raven ran to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Yuri arrived just in time to hear the door slam behind her. When he asked about it, Nikoli told him what happened.
Nicky went toward the door but Yuri reached out his hand to stop him. “Just give her a moment.”
Nicky shook his head. “You don’t understand, she’s looking for an escape route. She doesn’t want to be here when they arrive.”
“She can’t go anywhere,” Yuri told him.
“You don’t know her very well if that’s what you think,” Nicky countered. “Carlos taught her well how to get in and out of any place. She’s been in here a number of times before so she probably already has a route in mind.” He nodded at the room in question. “Check it out if you don’t believe me. You won’t find her in there. But you better move quickly before she has a chance to get out.”
Yuri moved toward the door and when he opened it, Raven was nowhere to be found. “Damn it!” He swore. Turning to Nicky he asked, “Where would she be?”
Nicky went into the room and looked around a moment before he made his way to the kitchen. “Raven, please don’t run from this. You always told me to confront my fears. You said if I did that, the fears would go away. This is something that has to happen. You always told me that someday we would find our family. Remember that? When I asked you about my father, you told me that we’d find him someday. Guess what? We found him. We found your father too. Now you have to be strong enough to meet him.” He waited for a moment then called out to her, “You can do this. All you have to do is give him a chance. You want this as much as I do, just give him a chance!”
A moment later, the door to the dumbwaiter opened up and Raven came out. Tears were running down her face and she went to Nicky. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her for a moment. Yuri growled a bit and Nicky slowly let her go and backed away holding his arms out.
Yuri pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I won’t let him hurt you,” he vowed.
“I’m sorry.” She sniffled. “I panicked. I know it’s silly but I don’t know if I’m ready for all this.”
“I know it’s a lot of change in a short time but if you don’t believe anything else, believe in me. Believe in us,” Yuri told her. “You belong to me now and I won’t ever let you go.” Then he kissed her long and hard. “You belong to me.” He repeated.
“Ok, I belong to you,” she whispered. “Please don’t let me go.”
The doorbell rang and the sound echoed through the apartment. Raven began trembling and Yuri’s hold tightened. “Let’s go meet your father and grandfather.”
“Stay with me?” she begged.
Yuri nodded and led her back to the living room where two men waited for them. Both men were tall and one had dark hair while the other had silver hair. When Misha saw her for the first time he gasped and whispered, “Joy”
Sergi stared at her with a blank expression.
Misha moved closer.
Yuri stepped to her back but kept his arm around her waist. He held out his hand to shake hands with Misha. “It is good to see you again Misha,” he greeted the other man.
Misha couldn’t take his eyes off Raven. “You look like your mother,” he spoke softly.
“I do?” Raven questioned.
“Da, you do. She was a small woman as well. She had long dark hair and green eyes.”
“I’m sorry but I never knew her,” Raven said.
“Forgive me child. My name is Misha Constantine and this is my father Sergi.” He half turned to his father and Sergi stepped forward.
Sergi placed his hands around Raven’s face and he studied her for a moment. Then he did something unexpected. He turned her head to check behind her left ear. Brushing the dark hair away, he found the birthmark he must have been looking for. He looked at his son and nodded. Then he smiled. “You are my granddaughter.”
“How do you know that?” Raven asked.
“For centuries, all the Constantine’s have been blessed with a heart shaped birthmark behind their left ears. It’s been the one constant in our family for many generations.”
Raven searched their faces. “You don’t need a blood test, just to be sure?”
Misha and Sergi both shook their heads. “My son recognized you right away and you carry the family trait, I need no other proof than that.”
“Do you have any idea what happened to your mother?” Misha asked.
Raven shook her head. “I was raised until the age of eight by Andria Waterson. Although she wasn’t a good mother, she was the only mother I knew.”
“Andria?” Misha frowned.
“Did you know her?” Yuri asked.
“I met her once just before Joy disappeared,” Misha admitted. “I can’t say I thought very highly of her.”
“You were right in your thinking,” Nikoli told them.
“What happened?” Sergi asked. “You said you would explain when we got here.”
“Let’s sit down this might take a while.” Yuri motioned for everyone to sit. He poured them all a drink and sat down beside Raven to hear the story again.
An hour later, they could all see the rage in Misha and Sergi. They could almost feel it—it was so strong.
Sergi got to his feet and held out his hand to Raven. When she put her hand in his he drew her to her feet. Then he embraced her.
Yuri rushed to his feet as well. Sergi simply raised an eyebrow at his action.
“I am claiming her.” Yuri growled. “She is my woman in every way. She belongs to me.”
Sergi’s lips tightened. “She is my granddaughter. You will respect her position.”
Misha got to his feet as well.
But before he could say anything, Raven stepped back and went to stand by Yuri.
Nikoli gasped at her action.
“I am his woman,” she told both Sergi and Misha. “I desire the chance to know both of you but please don’t make me choose between you and Yuri.”
“Yuri is Bratva. He will do as he is told,” Sergi warned her.
“If you hurt him or his position in any way, I will never see you again.”
“Do you threaten me?” Sergi demanded angrily.
“Oh, of course not.” Raven shook her head. “I don’t even know you, not yet anyway. I would really like the chance to know you but I haven’t grown up with the rules you live by. I have been living by my own rules. I know what’s right for me and this man is right for me. You have to give me time to know you before you can tell me what to do and even then, I will listen to your suggestions and I may even follow them but in the end, I will do what is best for me. That’s what I know, that is what I have done since I’ve been old enough to know right from wrong. I cannot be a servant, not to you or anyone else. I am a woman full grown. My life hasn’t been easy but I’ve found my own way once and I can do it again. I’ve only just found you, so please don’t tell me what I can and cannot do. You don’t have that right.”
Misha began to laugh. His anger dissipated as quickly as it came about. “You are more like your mother than you realize child. She had a streak of independence a mile wide too. I never could quite tame her.” He smiled sadly. “That was one of the things I loved about her so much. She never allowed me to push her around. So petite, so unruly.”
“I think it is time to meet this Carlos character. And also this Andria,” Sergi suggested. He looked to Raven and asked, “What can you tell me about the man himself?”
“He might be around 50-60 years old.” She shrugged. “He’s a cold, cruel man. He likes to strike fear in a person, in fact I think he thrives on the fear and chaos he creates. He craves power but rather than work for things he wants, he just takes it. He really hates the fact that your people are here and have the power he thinks should be his. He really wants to be the one in charge of this city.”
“He looks like a monster,” Nicky added. “I remember waking up from nightmares when I was a kid and he would be the bad man in my dreams.”
Sergi nodded. “I have met such men in my lifetime. Even when they get everything they desire, it is never enough and they just don’t care what they had to do to get it. And when they don’t get what they feel they deserve, they reign hell down on everyone they feel that denied them.”
“I’ll take you to where they are being held,” Yuri offered.
“I would also like to meet this man.” Nikoli sneered. “I have heard of him for years but never had the pleasure. This man played the middle man when my son was kidnapped hours after he was born and the murder of my wife.”
“Did you discover who was behind the murder and kidnapping?” Misha asked.
“I did.” Nikoli nodded. “It was Grigori Demenkoff.”
“Are you certain it was him?” Sergi asked.
“Da, we have the evidence but we are going for a confession,” Nikoli explained. “Yuri has a place in the swamps. We are going to hold him there for a day or two. I want to break this man for everything he’s done to me. Not only that but he’s trying to put me out and take my place in New York.”
Sergi sneered. “His appointment would never be approved from Russia.”
Yuri took them to his own private elevator. This one would take them straight to the security floor. When they got off the elevator, they were in a short hallway. To the right was a large open room with many monitors that showed every part of the hotel and restaurant. There was one bank of monitors that displayed the inside of an old fort.
They continued down the hall to a block of secure rooms. In the first room was Andria Waterson. She was pacing the limited room she had and seemed to be very nervous. When Misha and Sergi stopped to watch her, she noticed them. Turning her head, she paled when she saw Misha. She had to sit down on the narrow bed in the room. “Misha,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Hello Andria,” he greeted her. “You aren’t looking so well.”
“I’ve been better,” she admitted. “I never thought I would see you again.”
“I imagine you did not.” He walked closer to the clear bullet proof door. “I have one question for you and I want you to try not to lie to me. What did you do to Joy?”
Andria’s face went completely white and she began to tremble. “I had nothing to do with what happened to Joy.”
“What happened to her?” he asked her again.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Carlos asked me about her and I told him you were seeing her. The last night I saw her, we were clubbing, and she went to the bathroom. The next thing I know, Carlos came into the club and told me to go home. He said not to worry about her and I should avoid getting in contact with him and you. I did what I was told. It was months later, Carlos came to my home with a baby girl. He told me to take care of her. I told him I wasn’t mother material but he didn’t care. I didn’t hear from him again for five years when he told me to get close to Nikoli. I didn’t want to but he made me. He scares me and he told me if I didn’t do what he wanted, he would just kill me. When Nikoli wouldn’t cooperate, Carlos told me to kill Bethany. I didn’t want to do it but I didn’t have a choice. After she was dead, he told me to get the baby. I did what I was told to do. If I didn’t I knew Carlos would come for me and he would hurt me until I prayed for death.” She hung her head. “I just did what I was told to do.”
“You did it to save your own skin.” Nikoli sneered. “You killed my wife and stole my son. You made my life a living hell for twenty years and now, I have learned that you didn’t even take care of him. You left him in the care of another then you walked away. You managed to hide yourself for years, yet you feared not doing what he asked you to do? Somehow your words do not ring true.”
“What’s going to happen to me now?” she asked.
“Your fate lies with me now,” Sergi told her. “The daughter you were to care for is my granddaughter, Misha’s only child. I believe you knew that from the beginning and like Nikoli, I believe you turned your back on an innocent child, not once but twice. We of the Bratva do not turn our backs on the innocent, we protect them. Anyone who abuses women and innocents deserve our wrath and you, woman, deserve my wrath.”
“But I didn’t know Misha was Bratva!” She cried out.
“No more excuses.” Sergi demanded. “No more lies.” He then turned away and walked down the hall to the next room. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared into the room. Misha, Nikoli and Yuri saw this and moved forward to see what he was looking at. Raven and Nicky came up behind them.
When Raven saw who was in the room she was shaken. “Carlos,” she whispered.
Sergi whipped his head around and stared at her. “This is your Carlos?” he demanded. He turned back to glare at the other man.
“Do you know him father?” Misha asked.
Carlos noticed them standing there and he turned around slowly. When he saw Sergi staring at him, Carlos growled. “It had to be you didn’t it?”
Sergi nodded. “I guess we’ve come full circle haven’t we? Only this time, you are on the other end.”
Carlos sneered. “You cannot judge me.”
“I can and will,” Sergi assured him. “You will be brought before a High Tribunal but it will be me who passes your judgement.” He hesitated and then added. “And it will give me great pleasure to do so.”
“You know this man?” Nikoli asked.
Sergi nodded. “He has been a wanted man in Russia for the last forty five years. His name is Carl Bellovik.”
“What crime is he wanted for?” Yuri asked.
“He was an upcoming member of the Bratva as a young man. But he was a cruel man even then. When the old Bratva leader Felix Valan tried to sanction his actions, Carl murdered him in his sleep, like the coward he is. Then he ran. He murdered the Russian boss and then disappeared. No one could find him. Believe me, we searched for him under every rock on Russian soil.”
“What are you going to do with him now?” Nikoli asked as he had a stake in this man’s future.
“He is going back to Russia to face a Tribunal and then he will hang for his crimes. The Valan family will be very interested in the Tribunal verdict. They will be sitting in the front row when you are hanged.”
Carl showed no remorse, no emotion at all at Sergi’s words. “You can all go to hell!”
“Tell me something,” Nikoli spoke. “What did I ever do to you that you would murder my wife and take my son?”
“It wasn’t me who did that.” Carl shrugged. “That was all Grigori’s plan. I would have just killed you but Grigori wanted you to suffer for the slight your wife gave him.”
“What slight?” Nikoli frowned.
“He thought she would be happy to sleep with him but she turned him down flat. She told him she was in love with you and she wouldn’t even entertain the idea of being with him. He tried to tell her he was the better man but she wouldn’t hear it. She said him she loved you and you alone.” He sneered. “He told her he would ruin you and she would be left out in the cold.”
“What did she say to that?” Nikoli asked.
“She laughed at him.” Carl shook his head. “She told him she would never be left in the cold. She told him your arms would keep her safe and warm.”
“Is that why he had her murdered?”
Carl nodded. “He told me in confidence that she would die and Nikoli would lose his son but he would live to suffer for his humiliation.” He looked over at Nikoli. “You were supposed to suffer, always knowing your son lived, but you wouldn’t know where he was or what was happening to him.”
Nikoli charged at the glass. “You would have sold my child into the skin trade!”
Carl smiled. “Yes, I would have. I had a buyer all lined up until that bitch stole him from my home.”
“Be very happy that you can only die once,” Nikoli vowed. “There is a special place in hell waiting for you when you get there.”
“At least I won’t go alone,” Carl surmised.
“No, you won’t go alone,” Nikoli agreed. “Grigori will accompany you. We have your confession taped to show the tribunal at the trial.”
“You might want to know that we took every file you had in your safe house,” Yuri informed him.
Carl snarled. “How the hell did you know where it was?”
“Your secret wasn’t a secret,” Yuri assured him. “We got all your files.”
“Not all of them.” Carl sneered.
“If you mean the notebook in the wall safe, we got that too.” Yuri nodded.
“How the hell did you know about the safe?” Carl demanded. He turned to glare at Raven who waved at him. “How the fuck did you even know where the house was?”
“You threatened me and Nicky,” Raven replied. “You had people hunting for us. I needed something I could use against you if your people ever found us.”
Carl thought for a moment. “You took it didn’t you?”
Raven nodded.
“Have you given it to them yet?” He wanted to know.
“No but I will.” Raven reached into her pocket and pulled out a flash drive. She gave it to Misha.
“What is this?” Misha asked.
“I’m not sure what’s on it but he blew a gasket when he noticed it was gone,” Raven told them.
“You little bitch!” Carl shouted. “You’ve just signed my death warrant. I hope you’re happy now.”
Raven stalked up to the door of the cell. “I did nothing, but survive your foul world. Your own actions have condemned you. You truly deserve whatever the Tribunal does to you. Both you and Grigori have earned your place in hell and you can take that nasty woman with you.”
Sergi looked over at Yuri. “I don’t think we need to subject Grigori to whatever you had planned for him. Bring him here and hold him until we go back to Russia. The evidence we have is enough to condemn him for his actions.” He nodded to the flash drive in his son’s hand. “There might be even more on that.”
Yuri stepped away to place the call to Sazon. When he returned he said, “They’ll bring him here. They had to give him something to put him to sleep and it hasn’t wore off yet.”
“Maybe he’ll get here before he wakes up.” Sergi shrugged. “It might be better that way, less hassle.”
Misha stepped up to the glass. “What happened to my Joy?” he growled at Carl.
Carl closed his eyes. “I really cared about Joy,” he told them. “She was the only thing in my life that was good and I wanted her. I saw her out with Andria one night and that’s all it took. I had to have her, so I took her. I didn’t know she was carrying your baby when I took her. Even after she began to show, she wouldn’t tell me who the baby’s father was. She kept her secret until the night the baby was born. She was a strong woman all through the time she was with me. When she delivered her daughter, she called out your name and that’s when I knew. I knew she would never be with me because she was still very much in love with you. I told her she would never see her baby again and when I took the baby from her, she closed her eyes and just gave up. I didn’t do anything to her but she knew she wouldn’t be with you or her child again and she simply gave up. I couldn’t get her to care about anything after that. She passed three days later. She wouldn’t eat or drink. She just didn’t care about living anymore. I was angry at her for her defying my wishes. All I wanted was for her to care about me.”
“What did you do with her body?” Misha wanted to know.
“I had her buried under a fake name.” Carl admitted.
“Where is she buried?” Misha asked.
“That I don’t have to tell you.” Carl shook his head.
“I know where she is,” Raven spoke up.
Misha turned to frown at her while Carl growled. “How do you know?” Her father asked.
“When Nicky and I were living with him, Carlos had a drinking problem. He would get drunk all the time and then he would get chatty. He would always want to be alone when he drank and sometimes he would talk about her. Her would yell at someone named Joy and ask her why she couldn’t love him the way he loved her. One night, he’d been drinking. He started getting mad, screaming, yelling and throwing furniture around the garage. Then he stumbled outside and went down the street. He walked for a long time and ended up at a small cemetery. He stopped in front of a grave. He sat down and started talking to the headstone. I followed him that night just to see where he was going. It was almost dawn before he left. When he left, I checked the headstone and saw the name Joyce Briggs.” She shrugged. “I didn’t think anything about it because I never heard the name Joy or Joyce before yesterday, or at least I didn’t put it together until now.”
Carl held out his arms and sneered, “Now you know everything! You should be very happy. You got your brat back safe and sound and you got me in custody. What more do you want?”
“I want the twenty four years you stole from me back.” Misha growled. “I want to be there when my child is born, I want to see her grow up and take her first steps. I want to grow old with her mother. That’s what I want.”
“Well neither one of us got what we wanted, did we?” Carl growled back. “All I ever wanted was Joy.”
“I will gladly watch you hang,” Misha told him.
“And I will die knowing Joy is out of your reach,” Carl taunted him.
“But she isn’t completely out of his reach,” Sergi pointed out. “He’ll have the daughter she gave him. Raven is half her mother’s daughter too.”
Carl hung in head in defeat.
Just then, the elevator door opened as Sazon and Barshan came out carrying Grigori. He was tied and gagged and still out for the count. Yuri opened the third cell door and the others carried him inside. They dumped his body on the bed and Grigori began to wake up.
Before he came completely to, Sazon cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles and all three men left the cell. Yuri locked the door behind him and they all waited and watched until Grigori sat up and ripped the duct tape off his mouth. “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.
Nikoli stepped forward and smiled at the other man’s misfortune. “I found my son and uncovered who was behind his kidnapping and the murder of my wife.”
Grigori paused then got to his feet. “And what has that to do with me?”
“You masterminded the entire plot, you rat bastard!” Nikoli all but shouted.
“You can’t prove a thing,” Grigori told him.
“Oh, but we can.” Nikoli argued. “We have both your accomplices and all the evidence the Tribunal will need to nail you to the wall.”
Sergi stepped into Grigori’s line of sight. “I have heard the evidence and seen it as well.”
“What are you doing here?” Grigori began to look worried.
“I came to meet my long lost granddaughter.”
“Rebel,” Grigori mumbled.
“You knew about her as well?” Sergi swore.
“He found out about her a long time ago,” Carl assured them. “How do you think I became his middle man and Andria became his pawn? He blackmailed us into doing his dirty work while he stayed in the clear.”
Sergi walked to the glass door and stared at the man inside. “The tribunal will make short work of the case and you will meet your fate on Russian soil. All your assets will be turned over to the Bratva.”
“What about my family?” Grigori asked.
“That will be up to the tribunal, won’t it?” Sergi shrugged. “You knew the rules when you broke them.”
“This will destroy them.” Grigori lamented.
“Just as you almost destroyed my family.” Sergi seethed. He then turned and walked back to the elevator, ushering Raven and Nicky along with him. The others joined him, leaving the three prisoners locked in their cells.