Page 64 of The Brigadier
“When?”
“Just a little while ago.”
On the way back, I’d made some decisions I knew Chantel might not like. That had included disabling her phone entirely, although I’d need to smash the components. I’d also purchased several burner phones. I couldn’t put it past the asshole to have a way of finding cell phone numbers and being able to use those to keep track of his… Hell, I almost said victims. Fuck that.
Sighing, I leaned against the counter. He was irritated that I didn’t trust him. Tough. “Her phone has been disconnected. She’ll have a new burner phone soon. You of all people know how cell phones can be tracked and traced. I can’t have that happen. I assure you that she’s perfectly fine and in good spirits.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. Why don’t you go into more detail about what your business was about while in New York.” It wasn’t a request and my tone indicated as much. I took a swig of my drink as silence hit the other end of the line.
“Are you fucking accusing me of something? Brother?”
“I don’t know. Should I be?”
His laugh was bitter and full of as much rage as I felt. In the ways of Russian men, who meant either the burning need for retaliation or that there was guilt involved with his recent activities. I guessed the latter in this case. “How dare you. I come to New York and spend time with you and you act as if I’m your enemy.”
“Not directly, Vissarian. However, the fact you’re being cagey about your activities when we’ve shared quite a bit about our work, our personal lives, and our family tells me you have something to hide.”
“You’re a fucking asshole. What you see is what you get. You know that.”
Little did he know I was questioning everyone and their loyalty at this point. “Yeah, I do. However, I’m trying to determine who is attempting to take out this regime. That places your daughter in danger, my brother. Now, I fully intend on doing everything in my power to ensure she remains healthy and happy, but it won’t be easy if I don’t have all the information to help me do so.”
I allowed the information to hang. I could hear his heavy breathing and did nothing more than suck back a good portion of my whiskey.
“Jesus Christ. I had a meeting with a Cosa Nostra outfit and the Armenians at their request. They want to establish lines between the two cities.”
“What business?” There I went again, gritting and grinding my teeth. My dentist would be none too happy with me.
“Fuck. Weapons. Okay?”
My brother was suddenly getting into illegal weapons? Was he fucking kidding me? “You are joking.”
“No.”
“Why in the fuck are you stupid enough to do that?”
He remained silent.
“Fucking talk. Now.”
“Fine,” Vissarian hissed. “My legitimate businesses haven’t been doing well for over a year. I’ve tried everything but one mistake with a contract and I lost money. Big money. I felt I had nochoice, especially when a possible alliance of sorts was offered. But we’re talking limited business. No more.”
“By whom?”
“The Don of the Cosa Nostra.”
“Which one?” I was now growling.
“Rossi. Giordano Rossi. No, they aren’t the biggest, but they hold New Jersey and are making a claim in New York.”
Rossi. One thing this conversation did was confirm Luciano hadn’t been stupid. I wondered if he knew of this meeting. It wasn’t unheard of at all. In fact, it happened all the time.
“That wasn’t the best move you’ve made, brother. We have an alliance with the Bernardi Cosa Nostra, the family settling here three generations ago.”
He wasn’t shocked nor was he bothered it would seem. “Business is business. I never said I would have anything to do with infiltrating whatever alliance you’ve established. Nor did I have that information provided to me. I’m simply trying to improve both my bank accounts and my reputation. Just like your Pakhan would do.”
“Not this way. You should have told me from the start.”