Page 89 of The Payback

She tilts her head, studying me. “If I may suggest something?” I nod at her request. “Do try not to make yourself too available. I know he is your husband and thepakhan, but, my dear, you are also your own person with goals, hopes, and ambitions. How will he respect that if you are constantly at his beck and call?”

I pause and sit back in my seat. “That is nearly the opposite of all the guidance I’ve received so far.”

Especially from her husband.

Reading my mind, she chuckles and says, “That is likely Sergei’s advice to you, but that is because I keep the man wanting more. He wants me around at all times because I am not. It is far too easy to fall into a life dictated by men, Elsa. I don’t know about you, but trusting my fate to someone else makes little sense. Does it make sense to you?”

Instantly, I’m reminded of that moment during high tea when she mentioned that though the tea looked weak and unassuming, it was far more than that. She was proved right when I tasted it, and now, it feels like this moment also has meaning—a grain of truth for me to pick out and use to my advantage.

“Not at all,” I answer truthfully. “It is still early days in our marriage, relatively speaking.”

“Exactly. Start how you wish to continue, or your husband will make a fuss that you’re ‘changing.’” She rolls her eyes, looking so out of character I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. “The last thing we need is thepakhan’s wife used as a doormat. So, take your power, dear, and join the rest of us as we steer our men in the directions needed.”

Igor, the driver, appears at the table before I can delve into that statement. “Ma’am, we’re ready. I’ve been instructed to get you home as soon as possible.”

Oksana is waiting for me to grasp this newfound power. “We will go in half an hour and no sooner, Igor.”

“But ma’am—”

“But nothing. Unless you want to drag me from this restaurant kicking and screaming, you and my husband will wait until my business is done.” Oksana’s stern mouth curls into a soft smile.

Igor steps back, already lifting his phone to his ear.

“Well done, Elsa. Perhaps there is hope for you yet,” Oksana says, lifting her flute of champagne in salute. I clink mine with hers, sipping the so-far untouched alcohol.

I dip my head at her compliment. “Is it normal to feel my heartbeat in my toes after that?” I ask, hoping for a bit of camaraderie and light-heartedness.

“It will get easier with time, and more importantly, demands on your time will become less and less from your husband. The great tragedy in this world is that the patriarchy has been so established for so long. It makes for difficulties in upsetting it.”

“Is that the goal, then? To upend the patriarchy?”

“Nothing so sinister as that, dear girl. After all, the leader of our entire organisation is a woman. Things are well on their way to a better balance.” Oksana returns her attention to her tablet, even as my phone buzzes incessantly on the table with Dimitri’s name flashing across the screen. I turn it over and give Oksana all of my attention. It seems to endear me to her, and she clearly knows more about the Bratva than she lets on.

“What does the leader think of installing more women in positions of power?” I ask. “I’ve heard Dimitri and Nik mention her. Natasha, right?”

“That’s correct. She is Nik’s cousin on his father’s side and was married to the former leader. Nik’s assistance in gathering information led to her holding all the cards, and there was a power shift when her husband died. Instead of passing it to another male, Natasha took power. All of that is because of Nikita’s work. So when he finished his assignment, he was given the choice of where to go, a rarity among lower ranked members.”

“And he chose New York?” I ask. “And to be a bodyguard?”

I don’t mean for it to sound disparaging, but Nik is an intelligent man with motivation and drive. He could be a brigadier or, at the very least, run a chapter.

“The thing to understand about Nikita is that he’s already lost so much of his family. He could have joined Natasha in Russia and taken up a post in her territory. But here, he had Dimitri, Danil, and my husband and I, whom he’s known since he was a young teenager. Waste of an opportunity to carve out his own life, if you ask me, but he returned after his work abroad and has been loyal since. As for his position, well, there wasn’t much available, so we assigned him as Dimitri’s bodyguard.”

This makes sense. As Nik mentioned, there were no other roles to fill when he returned home, and replacing someone would sow discord. Instead, he was brought on to shadow Dimitri and learn how the Bratva had changed while he was undercover.

I use up every minute of that half hour. When Oksana finally puts her tablet away, I slump back in my seat and smile gratefully at her. “Thank you again for helping with this.”

“Think nothing of it. I enjoy this. It’s like playing chess and laying the board. How the event goes will be up to you and the moves you make. Use the gala wisely and make connections independent of your husband. I wish someone had told me the same when I married Sergei.”

I smile with understanding. “It isn’t easy navigating a world I don’t know, but you’ve made it so much better.” I rest my hand on hers, giving it a squeeze of gratitude.

Igor approaches the table, his steps hesitant. “Please, Mrs Aslanov. It is time to go.”

“Thank you for your patience, Igor.” I stand from my seat, and when I offer to pay for our meal, Oksana waves me off.

“Go on, Elsa. Remember to start how you wish to continue.”

Her words play on repeat in my head as I exit the restaurant, follow Igor to the car parked down the street, and return to the apartment where Dimitri is waiting.

---