Avenge: #3 Romanian Mob Chronicles (2 page)

I felt my brows dripping farther into a scowl, the pulse of her heartbeat against my fingertips. “Who are you?”

My voice had dropped, was now barely more than a low rumble in my chest. But she heard me, and understood.

“I’m Lily, Mr. Constantin’s new nurse,” she said.

Then, in the next beat, she pulled her hand away, snapped the canister into the tube, again ignoring me completely, all of her focus on him. “This should help. Just keep going, breathe slow and even,” she said.

Her voice, the hand that again rubbed Christoph’s back, seemed to coax the breath from him. Bit by bit the wheeze quieted, and soon all that remained was the low rattle that shook Christoph’s chest almost all the time now. Sad that the sound was an improvement, but it was.

“You should rest, Mr. Constantin,” the woman said as she pulled the tube out of his mouth.

“No. Time enough for that soon enough,” he choked out.

She looked at him skeptically as if she wanted to protest, but she eventually said, “Okay. But I’m going to make you some tea. It’ll help keep the cough down.”

Christoph waved, patted the back of the woman’s hand. “Fine. Fine,” he said.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” she said, and then, without looking at me at all, she left, her soft-soled shoes barely making a sound on the smooth hardwood floors.

I stared at the spot the woman had vacated and then looked to Christoph. “Who is that woman?”

“Lily. My nurse,” he said casually, as if an unknown woman crashing in happened all the time.

“She’s a stranger,” I replied, unable to contain my surprise at his nonchalance. After all, it was Christoph himself who had taught me to be leery of outsiders, only slightly less so of insiders, the one who had insisted that I always watch, make sure that no one got too close without knowing what they wanted from us.

“It couldn’t be helped,” he said. “Adela
insisted I have someone around the clock.”

And that Christoph hadn’t put his foot down, had instead gone along with it, was further proof that things were as bad as I suspected, incontrovertible proof that there would be no coming back from this.

“Christoph, I—” I stopped short when the woman returned.

“Mr. Constantin, here you go,” the woman said.

She set a small tray on the table in front of him, grabbed the dainty teacup from it, and held it to Christoph’s lips. To my shock, he didn’t protest, just sipped, and the sound of his breathing evened further once he had finished the cup.

“Thank you, Lily,” he said.

She regarded him thoughtfully. “You’re welcome. I’ll come check on you later?”

He nodded, and she left, all without acknowledging my presence.

L
ily

M
y heart pounded
,
and
for the first time since I had been in this house, I felt the stirrings of fear.

Real fear.

Fear that reminded me of what was at stake, and of what I was risking.

Before, this had been almost academic, me stacking one domino after another in my carefully arranged pattern, perfectly placed so that I could knock them down. I’d kept myself distant, used that distance to control my emotions, built a wall from behind which I watched the other me work.

He’d knocked that wall down in an instant, his potency, his power bringing what I had made a bloodless task back to the flesh, reminding me of the very real consequences should I err. Because when I’d watched him from the corner of my eye, so acutely conscious of his presence but doing everything in my power to pretend I wasn’t, I’d been left with the notion that he could—and would—end me, snuff out my life with no thought should I give him reason.

Which meant I couldn’t give him reason, couldn’t do anything that might garner suspicion, though my presence alone seemed to put him on edge.

I tried to walk slowly, casually, but with every step I waited for him to appear, to jump out of one of the long, dark corridor’s doors, grab me from behind.

But, I stayed calm, made my way to the room where I slept during overnight shifts. And only after I closed and locked the door behind me and sank against it did I allow myself to breathe. The exhale shuddered through my entire body, and with it went some of the tension that had gripped me.

I’d thought I was prepared for this, had assumed as much after I’d managed to work my way up, managed to look each of them in the eye, even the old man, and convince them that I was nothing more than what I seemed, a quiet, sweet little nurse desperate for some extra cash.

It had been a plausible front, still was, but the man down the hall, the one who had looked at me so intently that it had shaken me to my core… I wondered if he would be so easily convinced.

And something, probably common sense, told me that he wouldn’t be.

He had followed my every movement with inky-dark eyes, staring as if he could see under my skin, through my bones, and straight into my heart, my brain, the only place I kept my secrets and my plans.

I’d never been stupid enough to write anything down. Clan Constantin would never find a manifesto, a diary where I kept my innermost thoughts. And that had given me some comfort, knowing that only I knew what drove me. That fact had let me think that if I just held it together, no one would ever be the wiser.

But that man made me question myself, however slightly.

I could still feel his gaze on me, searing, probing, unnerving.

I sent up a small prayer of thanks that I had never seen him before, then sent up a bigger one that I wouldn’t again.

I would succeed. I knew it with every fiber of my being. My purpose here would be fulfilled. But that man might make an already difficult task that much harder.

And the thing was, I couldn’t say why. Yes, he was huge, intimidating, but they all were. Even Christoph Senior, infirm, not at all at his best, had the power to scare me.

But that man…he was something different.

He was tall, a weakness of mine, but I couldn’t say he was handsome. He was too gruff for that, and at first glance, one might think he was feral, uncontrolled.

But a second glance would prove the falsehood of that notion. Yes, his stature, his rough features all gave the impression of unrefinement, but the cold calculation that glittered in his eyes showed that much more was underneath. He was an odd combination, a powerful, imposing man wrapped in a fine suit, his clothing only underscoring the danger of his aura.

I was revolted by him, I told myself, by all those like him, but even that revulsion, the fear, couldn’t mask his power or dampen the thrum of electric awareness that raced through my blood, the feeling awakening something in me that I rarely experienced, making me feel alive in a way I seldom did.

But who he was, whatever awareness he made me feel, was of no import.

After years of tireless effort, I was close, closer than I had ever been, and closer than I ever would be again. Nothing would stop me. Not my fear, not my anger, and certainly not that man.

I’d stay out of his way, keep my head down.

Because revenge was in my grasp.

All I had to do was take it.

A
nton

“
I
’m going
to check her out,” I said the next day as I sat across from Christoph Senior. I was giving voice to the thoughts that had plagued me since I’d first seen the woman. Some of them, the mystery of who she was and what she wanted, were things that concerned him; my other thoughts, the memory of her voice, the feeling of her fingers against my skin, those were my own.

But Christoph Senior waved me off, dismissive, unconcerned. “Anton, focus. You’re worried about a nurse with all that we are facing?”

In some ways, I knew he was right. No one would have allowed her this close without checking her out, making sure she posed no risk.

But still…

Something about her didn’t sit well with me. She was pretty, very pretty, actually, but that wasn’t notable. Her calm was, though. There had been some pause in her, that natural freeze that most people experienced when I first looked at them. But they didn’t shake it off as fast as she had. And that response, the way she had stopped and then picked right back up, was enough to rouse my suspicion.

“Well?” Christoph said.

I looked to him again. “You always said it yourself. We can never be too careful. I won’t do much. I just need to be sure…”

Christoph nodded, and I could see his energy flagging.

“She was right that you need to rest more, though,” I said.

“I am not a child, Anton. Do not treat me as such,” he barked, the reaction far from his usual cool, telling me that my acknowledgment of his weakened state hit close to home. But at this point, I was more concerned with his health than his pride.

“I respect you too much for that. And I respect you enough to tell you things you might not want to hear. You need to rest more. Starting now.”

The old man nodded, his shoulders shaking with the heaviness of his breaths. “Fine. I’ll rest. But you’ll see Christoph Junior?”

“Tonight,” I assured him.

“And you’ll keep what we discussed between us?”

“I will,” I said, knowing full well what Christoph meant.

His sons had inherited many things from him, including that particular streak of stubborn pride. And if Christoph Junior knew what his father had asked of me, he would rebel, feel compelled to show his and Clan Constantin’s power without care for the toes he might step on, and would end up creating just the situation the old man hoped to avoid.

“Report back,” Christoph Senior said.

Then he stood, his suit draping on his frame where he had once filled it.

I watched him walk, each step labored, worrying, but again I didn’t offer to help. He would’ve rejected it, and I still wanted to spare him in whatever way I could. But each clumsy, slow step felt like it took minutes, and when he finally reached the end of the long hall and entered the bedroom, I felt another prick in my chest.

But I pushed it away.

Regret and sadness would get me nowhere.

So instead I went to talk to the new boss.

A
nton

I
nodded
at Paul
and Sandu, two members of Clan Constantin, but didn’t slow to greet them. Instead, I made my way down to the basement in search of Christoph Junior. The old man had worked out of this club for decades, but in recent years it had become Petey’s lair, the place he’d used to entertain and self-aggrandize.

And it had worked.

Much of the respect Petey had found was only because of his name, but he was liked because of what he did for others. Maybe tolerated was the better word. Petey had thrown good parties, was always generous with women and drugs, but I often wondered how the others would have responded if that generosity and his last name had been different.

It didn’t matter, though. Not anymore. He was dead now, gone like so many others, destined to be a memory, a story, a do-you-remember-when.

And it was my job to make sure that the same didn’t happen to his brother.

I found Christoph Junior perched behind his father’s desk. He looked right there, eerily reminiscent of the old man, same face, same light hair, though his eyes were blue to his father’s black. He was more boyish though, almost delicate, something he had been teased about.

Once.

The price of the implied insult had been the offender’s top row of teeth, and the message had been received. No one else had ever dared speak of Christoph Junior’s looks. After his display, he’d established that he wouldn’t be trifled with and been free to cultivate his persona, more stockbroker than mobster.

It must be nice,
I thought as I walked through the office. Blending in had never been an option for me; lulling people into a false sense of comfort was something that my stature and demeanor didn’t allow.

But Christoph Junior worked it to his advantage, somehow managing to balance his father’s ruthlessness with his mother’s smoothness, something that had served him well despite his sometimes erratic behavior.

It was an admirable quality, the ability to mask what lay beneath, and there had been a time when I’d envied him. But no more. His approach had its advantages, but so did mine.

“Anton,” he said after I shut the door behind me, closing out the noise that drifted from above. “You spoke with Father?”

I nodded.

“And this won’t be a problem? I know there had been talk that you would…” He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

“Not around me. That seat is your birthright, and I will remove the tongue of anyone who dares say otherwise,” I said.

I meant it too. The chair did belong to a Constantin, something that I, no matter how much I was respected, would never be. And I didn’t waste the energy or the time trying to imagine what it would be like if I were.

Not anymore.

“I knew I could count on you,” he said.

“Always.”

“We have a meeting tonight,” he said.

“With who?” I asked.

“Me.”

I turned to the sound of the voice and watched as Priest, our occasional business partner, stepped out of the shadows. He’d never crossed me, or Clan Constantin as far as I knew, but I didn’t trust him, especially not to overhear such a personal conversation. He was far too comfortable in the outskirts, never picked a side. And a man with no loyalty, with nothing to be loyal to, was a dangerous one.

“I’m stepping in on a temporary basis for David Ashmore.”

“Did they ever find him?” Christoph asked.

“Not that I know of,” Priest replied.

He spoke casually, as if he knew nothing about the matter, but it was an open secret that he had helped Vasile Petran bury Ashmore in a very deep hole after the money launderer had invaded Vasile’s home and attacked his woman. Though if the reasons were true, no one had any qualms about it. Wouldn’t have even if the reasons hadn’t been. Still, Ashmore’s loss had been somewhat disruptive to the business, and Priest would get things back on track.

“So you’re stepping in to handle the money aspect of the business?” I said.

“Yes. But it’ll be at a higher rate,” Priest replied.

“How much?” I asked.

“Twenty percent,” he said.

“Fine,” I replied.

“Fifteen,” Christoph Junior interjected.

Priest looked to him for the first time. “Twenty is standard given the circumstances.”

“Circumstances you helped create,” Christoph Junior said.

“Still. There is a customary price.”

“Fifteen,” he repeated.

“Does his father agree with this?” Priest asked, this time looking directly at me.

“Christoph Junior speaks for Clan Constantin,” I said.

“Very well. Fifteen.”

Priest left without saying anything else.

“He folded,” Christoph said, looking rather pleased with himself.

I didn’t bother to tell him that if Priest had done something, he had his own motives, and bowing to Christoph was likely not one of them.

“You disagree,” he said.

I took a moment to consider. Christoph Junior and I had always operated more or less as equals, the Constantin name giving him an advantage I’d never have, but his father’s favor and that of the others bolstering my status. So while our relationship had been friendly if not close, there had always been an undercurrent of tension, a battle that neither of us acknowledged but which both of us were aware of. But this was different, and I sensed the test in his words.

My first instinct was to push. I’d accepted his status, his eventual role as my leader, but his name didn’t earn him my respect, especially not when I knew him and his weaknesses so well. Not when I knew that, but for a name, I could easily be sitting where he sat. I started to say as much, but I thought of Christoph Senior, of the promise I had made to him, and held my tongue.

“Whatever you think is best,” I said.

The words were utterly unconvincing in every way, but Christoph Junior nodded, appeared satisfied.

“Good. And this is just the first step,” he said. “It’s time for Clan Constantin to move into the future. And I’m going to take us there.”

The worry that had been brewing in the back of my mind churned to full speed. I could see now why Christoph had given me this task. Junior was not off to a great start, and if he handled Clan Constantin like this, he wouldn’t last the year. So it was up to me to see that he made it, though I knew Christoph Junior would test me every step of the way.

“That nurse. Do you know her?” I asked, deciding to shift to what I hoped would be a safer topic.

“Yes. Mother wanted to hire someone, so I found her.”

“Did you check her out?”

Christoph Junior looked insulted. “You think I’d let a stranger into our home, around my mother, my sick father, without checking her out? Do you think you’re the only one with any brains, Anton?”

His eyes glittered, his cheeks puffed out the way they had when we were children and he hadn’t gotten his way. But we weren’t children anymore, and this was a very dangerous game.

“I’m sure you did,” I said. “But no one mentioned her to me, so it was surprising when I found her there.”

“Did she do something to trouble you?”

I thought back to how she’d been with Christoph, how easily she’d handled him, how she hadn’t even blinked an eye when I’d touched her. Outsiders were seldom allowed into our world, and those who were were never given free rein, and I could sense their fear, the tension that came with being around ones like us.

But the woman had shown none of it, had acted as though she was taking care of any regular patient, that I was just an average concerned friend or associate, when, after one look at me, it was obvious I wasn’t. There was nothing I did intentionally, and in fact, I made it a point to dress well, always appear presentable—something else I had learned from Christoph Senior—but clothes, no matter how well tailored, couldn’t hide my build or the tattoos that peeked from underneath them.

People always,
always
reacted when they saw them. Fear, curiosity, admiration.
Something
.

But she’d shown nothing.

Suspicion pricked at my brain, made me wonder.

“Did she do something wrong?” Christoph asked, sounding impatient.

“No. She did a very good job, in fact. But you don’t find it strange?”

“Find what strange?”

“She seems pretty cool, pretty smooth,” I said.

“Money has a calming effect on people. And trust me when I say she’s being very well compensated. If she gets out of line, I’ll have you handle her. Now we have a business to attend to,” he said.

The irony of the statement was not lost on me. Funny how when it suited him,
we
had a business to attend to.

But he was right.

We did have a business to attend to, and I had a nurse to investigate.