His body stiffens in an erect position, probably realizing that all the rumors he’s heard about me are true.
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Kolya circles him like a giant cat who’s about to devour a cub and asks him in a rough Russian accent, “Age.”
“Twenty-one, sir.”
“Parents’ occupations.”
“They’re both dead.”
“Place of birth.”
“Saint Petersburg.”
“How did you get onto this island?”
“Scholarship.”
“Why did you join the Serpents?”
“I didn’t want to go back to my previous life in Russia, and I thought if I joined the New York Bratva, then I’d secure my future.”
“Reasons for defecting and choosing Jeremy.”
“He saved my life when he didn’t have to. He also taught me that I can take my fate into my own hands, and if I fail, so be it. I can always try again.”
“Military experience.”
“One year.”
“Too little.” Kolya tsks. “That might as well be considered nothing.”
“I’m open to enrolling again after college.”
“Special Forces?” Kolya asks with a raised brow.
“If that’s what the boss wants.”
“Even if that’s not what he wants, you will go.” I step forward. “You’re supposed to be the first line of defense for my son, and if I can’t trust you to protect him, I can and will eliminate you.”
He swallows, but he doesn’t cut eye contact. “Yes, sir.”
“You seem like a good kid, Ilya, but I’ll watch you until the day you die.” I grab him by the nape and stare straight into his eyes. “If I smell a hint of betrayal, incompetence, or even misjudgment, Kolya and I will see you again under less pleasant circumstances. And mark my words, death will be everything you wish for. Be loyal, and you’ll be compensated. Anything else will be punished.”
“I am loyal, but not to you, sir. My loyalty lies with Jeremy.” He doesn’t miss a beat as he says the words.
“How dare you.” Kolya reaches for him, but I raise a hand, stopping him in his tracks.
After a moment of staring at the kid, I casually release him.
He doesn’t take a step back, doesn’t flinch, or even release a breath of relief.
I still don’t entirely trust this kid, but I like him. He might be able to broaden Jeremy’s tunnel vision.
“Where is he?” I stroll inside with both Ilya and Kolya in tow.
“Control room. Let me take you there.”
“No need. You can stay here with Kolya.” I smile when my guard gives me a ‘really?’ look. “The kid needs to learn some hard facts. Think of him as Yan.”
“Can’t. At least Yan was in Special Forces.”
“Don’t be a snob, Kolya.” I smile to myself and head to the control room on the second story.
I’ve paid Jeremy a few visits through the years he’s been here, mainly because my wife misses him and doesn’t want to bug him about coming home often. For that reason, I learned the ins and outs of this mansion by heart. In fact, I knew everything about this place before Jeremy even set foot here.
After all, I couldn’t send him here without ensuring it was well-secured.
I push the door to the room open and stop at the threshold.
Jeremy sits in front of the countless monitors, alone, elbows on the table, chin leaning on his hand as he watches a sequence in a loop.
On the screen, a girl runs from the property while removing a wig and revealing her hair before she disappears out of the camera’s range.
On and on, the sequence repeats as if it’s a broken record.
I stride to behind Jeremy and cast a glance at what’s in front of him. A half-empty bottle of vodka, his phone flipped upside down on the table, and…a comic book? He never even read those when he was young.
Kids look up to superheroes; he looked up to me.
And clowns. He loved those fuckers for reasons unknown, and since Lia had a slight phobia of them, I often took him out to see those things.
Even from this view, he looks so much like me. My wife often hated that, especially when he was born. She was sad that he didn’t look like her in the slightest, but she eventually came to accept it.
I grab the back of his chair. “Is that the girl who helped that motherfucker Creighton kidnap your sister?”
My son finally notices I’m there, his slightly droopy eyes focused on me, his reaction delayed, probably due to being drunk—or getting there.