Page 18 of The Councilor

The last thing I could do was go to bed with Aleksander.

But a girl could dream.

CHAPTER 6

Aleksander

Vadim had a way of pulling you out of whatever duties you were involved in. The trial was still ongoing, perhaps the only reason because of the highly secured information my assistant had provided. A couple of days had passed already and I had to agree with Jacob. It could be over with by the end of the week. That pleased the hell out of me.

I’d been the one to introduce the name of the unexpected witness to the judge, requesting a slight continuance. I’d shocked Jacob, which had been my intent. Fortunately, the judge had chosen not to go against me.

Good for him and his livelihood.

However, I only had a couple of additional days, less if I could swing it. The last thing I wanted was for the case to drag on. There was already a media frenzy around the situation, reporters waiting outside the courthouse. The defendant was quite the celebrity himself.

At least Jacob had been pissed for being thwarted and his reaction had made my day. However, there was no doubt the man would come swinging back.

I needed to grill the new witness, but Vadim had insisted I stop by his house after work. I didn’t like the tone in his voice, the agitation that clearly meant stealing Bernardi’s party favors and killing his men had poked a bear.

Exactly what I’d warned him about.

As I pulled into the driveway, I sensed Vadim had placed his security on high alert, another sign that a war was ensuing. I didn’t need to knock on the door, but always did. With Caroline now in the picture, I valued their privacy as much as they did.

One of the housekeepers opened the door, the girl always happy to see me. “They’re in the smoking room, Mr. Semenov.”

The smoking room.

It was a man cave on steroids, a recent change in the house. He’d wanted his space. It was the only place in the house she’d allowed him to smoke his Cuban cigars. I had to admit, after the last couple of long days, I could use one and a couple of shots of whiskey.

I headed to the location in the back, noticing Nikolay Kuzmin first. He was the Brigadier of the Bratva, hallowed ground for the man to be on. He’d earned his place at the top of the food chain, his loyalty to Vadim unquestionable.

“I can see I’m late to the party,” I told them both.

Vadim looked up from puffing on his cigar, already having taken his perch in his favorite leather chair. It had seen better days, but he couldn’t care less.

“We have a situation we need to handle. It’s likely to unfold into a war.” Nikolay acted as if this was some surprise to me. I wondered if the man was miffed that he hadn’t been invited the night before. Granted, Vadim was respectful of the fact a child had just been dropped on the man’s doorstep.

“Bernardi didn’t like our actions,” I said as I poured a drink.

“Not in the least. His response was immediate. He killed two of our men in their beds last night. Not only did he slit their throats but had them gutted.” Vadim’s words were said coolly. We’d had this kind of shit happen before, although the level of brutality had been meant to send a statement.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t tell you.” I grabbed a cigar and joined the two men, easing down onto the end of the couch. I knew Vadim didn’t like being told anything but the three of us were required to be frank with one another or we couldn’t continue being successful.

As I cut and lit the Cuban piece, Vadim scrubbed his face. “Yeah, I know you did.”

“Plus, keeping his drugs adds another layer.”

I could tell Nikolay had just heard of the second part, his eyes opening wide.

“What the fuck?” he demanded.

“As you know, several crates of high-quality heroin were found at the site last night. I decided to take it.” Vadim was still cool about what he was saying, which was one reason he was considered a powerful leader. But his temper was tremendous, explosive always.

“Well, shit. Then we can expect an attack at any time.” Nikolay was exasperated.

“He’s right, Vadim. You might consider Bernardi a thug, but he has a decent army surrounding him, people who are extremely loyal. We don’t need a citywide turf war.”

Vadim took several puffs of his cigar, studying me intently. “Then what do you suggest, Harvard boy? That I break bread with Luciano or worse, grovel to him?”

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