Nicolai's POV

'What do you mean they arrested him!' I yelled into the phone at my apparently incompetent employee.

'He-' the man started but I cut him off.

'Why do I have cops on my payroll when my own men get arrested!?' I couldn't keep the anger from my voice.

'Sir, I am sorry, there is a new cop, he keeps arresting our guys.'

Yes. I had heard about this new cop. A transfer from Baltimore PD, an apparent straight shooter who was impervious to bribes of any kind. The man was a good cop, and good cops are what land my people in prison.

'Do you want me to get rid of him?' my employee asked.

I wasn't going to trust an important task like this to him. He was apparently a buffoon, completely untrustworthy. 

'No, I will find someone else, who is actually able to do a job when I tell them to do something. Get Oleg out of prison. Now. That is your job, and if he is still in prison by tomorrow morning I will personally see to it that a bullet reaches your head. Got that?'

'Y-Yes sir.'

I looked up from my large desk to see my daughter standing at the door. I smiled at the beautiful girl who held a confident look on her face, yet I knew my daughter well enough to know that the smile she was harboring was not completely genuine.

'Good.' I hung up on the employee and motioned for Natalia to come into the room.

She faltered for a second, before confidently striding into the room, taking a seat opposite mine.She was dressed for business and she sat tall looking at me from across the wide desk.

'Kotyonok! To what do I owe the pleasure?'

Kotyonok is Russian for Kitten, a nickname she has had since birth. As not only my youngest child, but also my only daughter, she has always been special to me.

'Hello Papa, I just wanted to have a talk with you.'

The last time she 'just wanted to have a talk' she asked me if she could join her brother in a money laundering operation I had asked him to carry out. I didn't like the sound of this.

'What is it, Kotyonok?'

She looked down at her lap for a moment, and then she brought her ice blue eyes up to meet mine.

'I want to ask you for an opportunity.'

I looked at into her hopeful eyes, fearing what I guessed she wanted from me. 'You want to join your brothers again?'

'No.'

That surprised me.

'I want my own tasks, my own missions. I want to be a part of the family business, Papa.'

She looked so much like her mother, Klara, in that moment. The determination and strength hiding behind her soft features reminded me of the woman that I tragically lost all those years ago. I saw my daughter in front of me and I wanted to say no. I wanted to refuse, but how could I refuse to give my daughter something she cares so passionately about. Her mother would have given her this opportunity, had she been there to raise her. Klara wanted her children to be strong and to be able to live their lives how they pleased, as long as they stayed a family. After her death I kept that true for the boys, but with Natalia, it was different. She was too young. Too fragile.

'I tried my best to keep you out of this life, Natalia.'

'I don't want to be kept out, Papa, I have been training for this. I don't want to sit on the side lines anymore, I want to help.'

This was not the same young child who had asked me years ago to help her brothers. This was a woman, asking to be treated like an adult and I was proud of that.

'I will give you one chance. One task.'

'Thank-you Papa.' A light lit up inside those big blue orbs of hers and she smiled wider than I had seen in years.

I got up and sat on the edge of the desk, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

'I am proud of you, Kotyonok. You are so much like your Mama.'

'Thank-you Papa.' She smiled graciously at me.

'I will give you this opportunity, but if you get hurt or you can't do it then I will pull you from the task ok?'

'And when I succeed?'

So much like her mother, failure was never an option. I could see that determination in her expression and I was somehow even prouder.

'If you succeed, then we can talk about a more permanent position' I told her.

There were levels in my organization. I sat at the elite level, giving orders but never committing actual crimes. I would have preferred to give her a task that I would usually handle, but she wouldn't have accepted that. My daughter got in on the ground floor and worked her way to the top.  Anything that varied from that she would consider unfair. I considered the tasks I could have her do, and most were too blatantly violent. I wanted to see how she reacted in situations, I needed something small but still integral to the organisation. I got an idea.

'There is a new cop to the Chicago Police Department. His name is Dexter Wyatt. We have tried to get him on our payroll but he is resisting. We have all of the influential detectives in with us, but if he finds out the right information he can bring this organisation down. I would just order a hit, but the cops get unhappy when one of their own is killed.'

'What should I do with him?' Her eyes held only excitement and determination, no fear.

This girl had been raised in the middle of the Mafia, she was used to violence and crime. If I asked her to execute him, she wouldn't give it a second thought and I knew that.

'Get close to him, see what the extent of his knowledge is and if hopefully he will not be as persistent as he is made out to be. Find out what he knows and any plans, then report directly to me.'

She stood up and extended her hand.

I shook it, feeling proud that I had raised such an amazing daughter, who wanted to follow in my footsteps, and I trusted her to do it.

'Thank-you, Papa. I won't let you down.'

'I know you won't, Kotyonok.'

She hurried out of my office a big smile plastered on her pale face.

------

I had only gotten a few more minutes of work done when Erik walked into my office.

'Papa, was that Natalia I saw in the lobby?'

'Yes, she came to see me.'

He sat down in the seat where his sister had been sitting previously.

'Is she alright?' he asked. His voice held a drop of worry.

'Yes. I gave her a job to do.'

'What sort of job?' he inquired, a quizzical look overcoming his face.

'I told her to get close to Dexter Wyatt.'

'Wait. You gave her an actual job to do? She's not ready for that!' he exploded.

'She is an adult now. She is ready.'

'But Pap-'

'Do you trust my judgement?' I kept my voice firm and steady. I would not waver at the voice of my own child.

'Yes,' he replied instantly.

'Then don't question this,' I stated strongly and he nodded.

'Yes sir. Can I keep an eye on her at least?'

'Yes. Tell your brother that you are both to keep an eye on Natalia, if her cover gets blown I want to be the first to know.'

'Yes, Sir.'

He walked out of my office.

My phone started ringing.

'Yes,' I answered.

'Oleg is out of prison Sir.'

'It looks like you will live another day then.'

The man audibly let out a breath and I wanted to laugh at how I was toying with him. I wouldn't have killed him anyway, I may be a monster but I don't kill my own men. Well, at least not without good reason. Too much effort to hire and train new ones.

'Is there anything else you need sir?'

'Yes I need to order another hit-'

I spent the next few hours doing business before returning home.

I hoped that Natalia did well on this mission, she would be a good asset and if she does well in the long run, then she may even be a candidate to take over when I retire.

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