Chapter twenty ooone here it is! As usual, I am veery open to feedback :D

Happy reading!

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Levin

Financial District Manhattan, NY, USA - April 12th, 2021

The first meeting Kyril has every Monday, ever since Valentina was attacked in November, is with Alexander.

It's always after she comes into work, at 10am, and it unfolds like every other meeting. But, unlike all the ones that came before, Boris is here. He flew in with Yuri two weeks after the wedding, determined to become more hands-on in the States. He's been very adamant that the luxury escort business could be expanded to our western neighbors. And what better place to have escorts walking around than casinos filled with filthy rich men?

As per usual, Alexander starts by giving him an executive summary. "She went to a club on Saturday, with the receptionist and the HR temp." And then proceeds to list any potential safety risks he identified. "And she might be having a thing with a guy. His name's Matteo. He spotted me after an hour."

Kyril leans in. "How so?"

"He noticed me watching her, and then spotted my earpiece a while later. He came up to me to tell me that."

"He approached you?"

"Yes. Told me that he figured out I'm her bodyguard, and that I can lay back when he's around her because he would never let something happen to her."

I think about that kid going up to a mountain of a man like Alexander and say all of this.

"What happened next?"

"They went back inside, danced for a while, then they took the bus to her apartment. He waited for her to get inside before going home."

"What impression did he leave you?"

Alexander pauses. "He was attentive enough to spot me watching her and had the guts to come up to me and tell me all of that, knowing that it would get to you. And he looked like he was being honest."

"He obviously cares for her enough to kill two Russians." Boris huffs.

Kyril rationalizes, although he's aware of the gravity of the situation. "He's able to protect her, and he did it better than us."

"Sounds like you think he cares for her." His brother mocks.

"If it was your daughter, what would you do?" Kyril asks Alexander. He'd never think of ever considering Boris' opinion when it comes to children.

"I think she likes a boy, and we should let her enjoy that."

Kyril doesn't expect Alexander to be familiar with Matteo's background. He's always been stationed in Moscow, and the conflict with the Italians has always been based in New York.

"If anything, Valentina and Matteo liking each other could be what ends up keeping our peace."

Boris exhales and shakes his head, placing his elbows on the desk.

"I've known Lorenzo Giudice for a long time now, and I know what his family is capable of. We also know now that Matteo is his heir, to his business and to the crime empire, and that he must already be involved in both by now."

Kyril knows him well enough to know that he's going into a furious rant.

"He was with Valentina the night she got robbed at gunpoint, the only one outside our family who knows about this, and he also has the means to kill people and get away with it. He's the one who killed the two Russians last year. And he did it for Valentina. Indirectly exploiting Matteo's weakness by allowing Valentina to date him was our instinct Kyril, and you know it. Now you think that having someone else looking after your daughter might not be the worst idea in the world! You're acting like you forgot how they took us out, one by one for years on end. Matteo Giudice, alone, found those men before we did."

"And that's fucking impressive." Alexander admits.

Boris' mouth curves. "You're on his side now? They killed your wife, your parents, and your son! We could use her to our advantage, if the guy is starting to fall in love with her."

"I will not use my daughter, Boris."

"Do you want to make things fair with the Italians or not? I'm not telling you to use your daughter, I'm just telling you to let her date the Giudice boy."

"What if something happens to her? What if they do something to her? I cannot risk that."

"He killed the two Russians for her and then tried to make it look like we did it. That's an act of defiance."

Someone knocks and all their heads turn towards the sound.

"Come in."

Valentina enters the room, eyes immediately on Boris. She always has the same look in her eyes when she looks at him. Hatred and disgust well hidden under an indignant façade.

"I need help with something."

"We're in a meeting." Boris barks.

"I can see that."

Kyril stands. "I'll be right back." He says as he follows her out of the room.

The two men sit in silence for a while, until Boris cuts the tension by walking over to the drinks tray.

"Are we not going to talk about the stunt you just pulled?" he asks.

Alexander turns to him. "If Kyril thinks it's okay to let Matteo be around the girl, then we have found our way in."

Boris' mouth twitches upwards. "It's be easier to get things past him."

"Exactly."

"For a second I thought you believed the kid deserved to live." Boris pours him a glass, then brings it over.

Alexander shakes his head as a wave of fury overcomes him. Pictures of his wife and their son's heads on the dining room table still haunt him.

"He took out Romeo because they found out he turned." Boris continues. "And he also took out Yuri's men. Does he remind you of anyone from the nineties?"

"It's Lorenzo all over again."

"Initiation, a few murders here and there to prove himself..." Boris starts.

"Then he brings a bazooka to a gun fight, just because he lost his mind over a woman."

"That's fucking right. The kid figured out you were a bodyguard, yes, but he's still inexperienced."

Alexander nods, and Bois sees the exact moment worry crosses his eyes. "I don't think we're strong enough to handle Lorenzo Giudice right now."

"We wouldn't be going after Lorenzo Giudice." Boris sips at his Rum. "We're going after his failed prodigy."

"Do you think we might be underestimating him?"

"I think we're overestimating him."

"You said he reminds you of his father."

Boris sighs. Alexander might be a beast of a soldier, but he's too dense sometimes. "The character, yes. The skill and the intelligence, no. I don't even think he knows how to fight."

"I'm not going to fight him."

"Of course you're not. That would be too easy."

Alexander nods.

"You will kill him."

Kyril would never approve them taking out Matteo Giudice. He'd say it's too risky and Lorenzo would retaliate. 

But Boris has a plan, and his plans always work out.

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See you next chapterrr!

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xx