Page 48 of Twisted Hearts
Petty? Yes. Amusing to me? What can I say. Also yes.
When Jayden and I shake on a win-win deal that’ll both open up some new shipping avenues for me and keep the Haitians off his back, I’m finally alone with my espresso.
“Mr. Tsarenko?”
Dammit. I glance up as one of my men clears his throat.
“Mr. Kalishnik is here to see you.”
My brows knit as I glance at Korol. Then I sigh. “Send him in.”
Crudo is closed, obviously, which is why I’m able to have meetings in the middle of the dining room. But Marko and I don’t have anything planned today, which has me very, very curious as to why he’s randomly showing up right now.
I nod, standing as the head of the Kalishnik family steps through the front door. Marko’s in his late forties, though if he cared enough to dye the silver out of his temples he could probably pass for fifteen years younger than that. He’s a handsome if grim-looking guy who clearly still works out a lot, and he has good taste in suits.
We don’t interact much outside the High Council, but I like him. His close number two, Vlad, follows him inside.
“Gavan,” Marko rumbles in a deep, time-roughened baritone. “I hope I’m not overstepping.”
I shake my head as he walks over, putting my hand out to clasp his firmly. “Not at all. Please, sit.”
He nods, both of us sitting across the white linen-covered table from each other.
“Can I get you anything to drink? Espresso? Or the wine cellar here is one of the best in the city.”
He smiles, shaking his head. “Thank you, but no, nothing. I’m fine.” Marko clears his throat. “I was only hoping for a moment of your time regarding the events of the Council meeting the other night.”
My jaw grinds. “Abram?”
He nods. “Indeed.”
“The Kalishnik family is the only other founding family currently at the table aside from the Diduchs.” I arch a significant brow at him. “If you’re also of the opinion that Abram invokingOkhrana Sovetato make himself emperor is a bad thing, you could always invoke it yourself. I’m sure Yuri and Viktor would be happy to vote for you if we all privately agreed that it was a measure meant to take the wind out of Abram’s and Demyan’s sails.”
Marko smirks. “Don’t think I haven’t considered it. But while I care for the table deeply, I need to think of my own family’s interests as well. I believe that crossing and making an enemy of Abram Diduch is…unwise.”
I frown. “C’mon, Marko. You’re not scared of that little prick, are you?”
He chuckles a rumbling laugh. “Scared? No. But I am…cautious…of him. He’s unpredictable, he craves power, and he’s openly hostile to the very idea of the table. It’s a bad combination.”
“So declareOkhrana Sovetayourself and beat him at his own game,” I mutter.
Marko just sighs, leaning back in his chair and glancing at the guards posted at both the front door and the back of the restaurant.
“Might we have some privacy?”
I glance at Korol, who nods and stands. “Everybody out,” he grunts sharply at my men. The guards at the front door step outside. The rest of them follow Korol out through the kitchen. Vlad does the same with the two men he and Marko arrived with. Then we’re alone.
“I can father no more children, Gavan,” Marko says quietly. “I would appreciate that staying between us: I’m choosing to share it with you as a sign of respect.”
I nod, puzzled where this is going.
“Cancer, four years ago,” he mutters. “I had a tumor in my lungs. Chemo beat it, but…” He lifts a shoulder. “At my age, it meant game over for having any more children. Which means even if I was lucky enough to meet another woman, I’ll never have any sons.” He clears his throat before lifting his eyes to mine. “You’ve met my Milena, yes?”
“Once, I think.”
Milena Kalishnik is Marko’s eighteen-year-old daughter. I’ve heard she’s smart. But I know the Kalishnik family is old school, and very,verypatriarchal. Him not having any sons doesn’t bode very well for the future of his organization, to be honest. And even if he could sway his top captains to be on board with it, I don’t get the impression that Milena Kalishnik has any interest whatsoever in becoming a Bratva queen or leading a criminal empire.
His eyes pierce mine. “What do you think of her?”