Page 75 of Sexting the Silverfox

“Actually, Papa, you’re the one who needs to shut up and know your place,” Vitaly replies. “What is stopping me from killing you right now? Think about it. You taught Anton and me to shut ourselves down when it comes to pulling the trigger. No matter who it is on the receiving end of the bullet, if it must be done, then I must do it. What if I shut myself down because I have to do this? Because there will be no peace, no real progress, not even a glint of happiness for anyone in this fucking family unless you’re six feet under. Killing you would solve all of our problems.”

“Vitaly, you don’t mean that.”

“I do mean it. We’d patch things up with the Abramovic clan. I kill you, and I basically kill the man who ordered Arkady’s assassination,” my brother says. “I kill you, and there’s no one left in New York to question me or my legitimacy. You’re the only one still questioning it, frankly. I kill you, and both Anton and I are free to carry on with the family name and the family business. We’ve got better and fresher ideas for the future, projects you’d never let us do because…” he pauses to mock our father’s condescending tone. “It’s not our style.”

I can’t help but chuckle, drawing a sour look from our father. “Don’t look at me. He’s got a point,” I snap. “You’ve become an inconvenience, Papa.”

“And if I kill you, Audrey will be free to live her life as she chooses,” Vitaly adds. “It’s what our mother would’ve wanted, and it’s what Anton and I want. You’re so stuck on the Bratva traditions, on retaining control over the people you’re supposed to love and protect, that you don’t even care about Audrey’s happiness. If she wants a normal life, who the fuck are you to tell her otherwise? You lived yours. Let her live hers. She’s not hurting anybody.”

“There will always be another Bratva looking to use her against us. Arkady did that with impunity, after all,” Papa says.

“She’s got Jason,” Vitaly replies. “And you’ve seen what Jason can do. You’ve experienced it yourself.”

Our father scoffs, but even that simple gesture is enough to cause him pain. He winces in his wheelchair and gives Vitaly a cold, harsh glare. “You’ve betrayed me.”

“I think it’s time for the two of us to have a chat,” Jason politely interjects, his hands still up in a defensive stance. “You and I, Grigori. Man to man. I’m sure we can work something out so that your own son doesn’t have to kill you.”

My father thinks about it for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek. I can see his mind spinning with the possibilities ahead. He may be stubborn and quite the control freak, but even he has to concede that he no longer holds absolute power over any of us. All it took was for Vitaly to come to his senses and realize that he is, in fact, the true leader of our family. For so long, he was used to taking orders from our father. It’s a hard thing to do, getting out from under Grigori Fedorov’s heavy boot.

“What are you suggesting?” he asks Jason.

“A sit-down. Just you and me,” Jason replies.

I give him a worried look, but he offers a subtle nod in return. His way of reassuring me that it’s going to be okay, one way or another. I’m inclined to believe that. Vitaly has crossed one hell of a line just now. Unless Jason convinces our father to back down and let my brother do his thing, Vitaly will have no choice but to end him—because the old man will never forgive this transgression.

Wolves kill their own pups sometimes. And our old man is the worst kind of wolf.

I sit on the back porch with Vitaly while Jason and our father discuss terms and conditions inside. The townhouse is surrounded by Fedorov men, but I am no longer afraid nor wary of them. They answer to my brother now. Therefore, their prime directive is to protect me, as well. They seem to understand that our father has become problematic.

It’s beautiful and sunny out here. The sun dances across the surface of the lake, and the crystalline water gently laps at the mossy shore. I could stay here forever, away from the crowds and the chaos of being a Fedorov in a world that is already so difficult and dismaying. But there is peace in this sliver of tranquility, a peace that my body and my soul desperately need.

“You really stepped in it this time, didn’t you?” I giggle, staring at the swaying willow branches that dangle just above the water.

“It’s not like I had any other choice,” Vitaly says and shrugs. The gun rests in his lap, ready to be used if our father doesn’t reach an amicable agreement with Jason. “What else could I have done?”

“Sit back and let the old man push us around some more.”

He shakes his head. “I’m tired, Audrey. The men will never take me seriously if I don’t stand up to him. Anton said it more than once. You said it, too. Even though it stung to hear the words, it’s the truth. I couldn’t let him pull the strings anymore.”

“Besides, it’s detrimental to the family,” I reply. “I’m of no use to anyone.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Vitaly sighs deeply. “I’m just sorry I didn’t do this sooner.”

“You did the best you could, big brother. You’ve been a loyal son, first and foremost. That was always your duty, and I swear I have nothing but respect for you in that sense. You just needed to come out of your shell I guess. You needed to push yourself out of your comfort zone.”

“Yeah, well, killing Papa wasn’t on my list until he dragged my ass out of the hospital today to come looking for you,” he says. “Anton is lucky that he’s still in and out of his drug-induced sleep. Otherwise, we would’ve had to carry him around with us, too. The man has lost his fucking marbles, Audrey.”

A bitter smile tests my lips. “He is losing control, and he’s not used to it. He doesn’t know how to handle it. All he’s ever known is now being taken away from him, year after year. I left. Anton is all grown up. You are now expected to lead the charge. What does that leave him with?”

“Retirement. Few Bratva men actually live to see it. I thought he’d look forward to it.”

“Look forward to what exactly? Sitting on a porch like this and looking back at his life? Seeing the faces of all the people he killed? The people whose lives he destroyed?” I look at my brother and notice the consternation on his face. “It’s what you and Anton signed up for as well. You may not see it now, but you will as time goes by. Everything you do as a Fedorov will ultimately come back to haunt you. Every life you take, every life you shatter, you’ll have to live with all of it. And our father has quite the portfolio. Then there is everything he allowed to happen. Everything he could have prevented but knowingly didn’t. Everything he did to you, to Anton, to me. All the hours in that basement. Our mother, let’s not forget about her.”

“He was good to her,” Vitaly insists.

“But she’s not here anymore. She hasn’t been here for a long time, and that has left our father unmoored and lacking consolation. Why do you think he was so mean and so hard on us? Had Mom lived, he never would’ve treated us the way he did.”

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but Vitaly has to accept it. The facts don’t lie. “There are moments when I can barely remember her face, you know?”

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