Redemption (The Volkov Mafia Series Book 4) (11 page)

“I don’t know, Em. I don’t have it to give just yet. I might have to go into hiding until I can get the money together. If you want me to get help, that means I have no chance of getting this money quickly. I want to stop, I really do, Em.” He sounds so desperate.

I have a little money put away. I have been saving my earnings so I can get my own place, but it might be worth helping him get sorted first. What’s the point of having it if you can’t help the people you care about?

“How much do you owe him?” I don’t sugarcoat my question. I want to know.

“Ten grand. That’s what I owe him, Em. Like you said, no more lies.”

I’m taken aback. Fuck! That’s a lot of money. I recover a little before I speak. “Is he the only person you owe?” I demand.

After a beat I hear him take a big, deep breath. “Yes.”

I can’t help the huge sense of relief that floods through me. The weight I feel on my heart lifts slightly. I can help him, I know I can. I just hope he doesn’t blow it.

“I can lend you the money so you can get this guy off your back.” I don’t care if it’s stupid to offer him the money. What else am I supposed to do? Just sit here and wait for the aftermath that I know will come if he doesn’t take it?

“No! I’m not taking your money, Emma, and that’s final. Thanks for the offer, but I will sort it. I will figure it out.”

It breaks my heart hearing him talk like this, but I know he has to do it on his own. He has to admit he has an issue and find a way to fix it without making it worse.

“I need you to fight this, Alek. I need you to find a way to come back from this so we can be together. Fight for us, Alek. But most of all fight for yourself.”

I don’t let him reply. I end the call before he can answer.

Chapter Eleven

Alekzander

What the fuck am I supposed to do now? I have nowhere to go. No one to help me. I’m still holding my side. It hurts like a bitch; every time I take a breath it feels like someone is stabbing me in the ribs. I think I’ve broken something but I’m not sure.

The call that I’ve just gotten from Emma was the best and worst all at the same time. I’m so glad that Jonny doesn’t have her, but I’m pissed off about Damien’s demands on her. The last thing I want is to put Emma in the line of fire just because I’m a dick that can’t stop gambling.

I think back to her words. It would have been so easy to accept the money from her, but if I did then I’m no better than I was borrowing from Jonny in the first place. I need to fix this without borrowing, and I certainly need to do it without gambling. I need help, but right now I’m not sure where I can go to get it.  I could hear the worry in her voice. I could imagine the look of despair on her face. I can’t bear to think how she would look if she saw me right now.

I reach for my phone and search the call log. I save the number and store it in my phone. Then I hit the little message icon at the top. I need to let her know one more thing before I try to get myself sorted.

Alek: I’m going to do this for us, you’ll see.

I put the phone away, not wanting to be eagerly awaiting her reply.

I hear the ping of an alert, telling me that I have a message. I ignore it for now, holding on to the hope that she is still with me for a little while longer. I don’t want to lose that as well, because if I do, I will be a man that has lost everything in life that’s worth living for.

I’m sat in a café somewhere in London. The greasy spoon is safe for now. I nurse the coffee in my hands, taking little sips often, knowing that if I take a big gulp it is going to hurt like a motherfucker. I’m lucky that this is a twenty-four-hour place, because I have been sat in here since I woke up in the alley. Every muscle in my body fucking hurts. All I want to do is go home, grab the whiskey, and crawl into bed. But I now know that won’t be happening any time soon.

Time to face the music, I guess. I dig out my phone and see a text, but it’s not from Emma.

Vlad: If you need somewhere to crash and help you figure this shit out, you know where my place is. I will be there after work today. Will bring supplies.

Well that was unexpected. To say that I am pleased is an understatement; the sixty pounds in my pocket wouldn’t have got me very far in London, that’s for sure. I hit reply.

Alek: What time will you get in? I will be there. Thanks, mate.

I press send. I’m a little disappointed to see that Emma hasn’t replied to me, but I guess she has the kids to deal with today. I just hope I hear from her when she can message me undetected for now. I hate that she feels obligated to stay, but what else can I do? I can’t go in and demand Damien to hand her over. She doesn’t belong to me. I don’t own her. And I won’t treat her like a slave, even if in theory that’s what Damien is doing to her.

My phone pings again.

Vlad: I will be there at six. I’m doing it for her as well. If it was just you I wouldn’t give a shit, but she loves you, even if she won’t admit it yet.

I sit and seethe for a bit. What the fuck did he mean ‘I’m doing it for her as well’? He better not be getting any designs on my girl. I know I don’t deserve her right now, but one day I’m going to.

Alek: See you at six.

At least I have somewhere to go for now, but I hope Damien doesn’t find out … or Jonny.

I need to recover for a little bit, keep my head down and formulate a plan to deal with this shit once and for all. I hope that Vlad will be ok with what I have in mind.

*****

The days pass slowly. I wander around London to pass the time. I don’t think I’ve ever really just took the time to stop and appreciate the beauty that is the capital.

I walk over Tower Bridge, slowly I might add, because of the pain I’m in.

I pass museums, pubs, tourist shops, libraries, and even Buckingham Palace. As I wander down I’m drawn to the beauty that is the River Thames. It’s stunning to watch. There’s so much life going on; people earning a day’s wage, tourists enjoying a trip along the river. It spans such a distance, so much so that if you’re not really taking the time to look, it will pass you by in the blink of an eye. Even Big Ben has me at a loss for words. Do you know that’s not the actual name of the clock? It’s the name of the big bell inside the clock. The real name for the clock is The Great Westminster Clock, but the tower is called just that, the ‘clock tower’. You would be amazed at the things you can find out when you have the time to explore.

As I make my way to Vlad’s place, I grab myself a bite to eat. Nothing special, just a portion of chips.

I notice the street first; a long row of identical houses line both sides, with trees on the pavement that follow the road. The huge bay windows draw the eye. The immaculate front yards have an array of potted plants and bistro tables in the front. The brick work varies in colour. Some are the original red brick and a lot have been painted in a variety of colours, ranging from blue to pale yellow, but the majority seem to be white.

I reach my destination – number 311. I have only ever been outside before so I’m not quite sure what to expect when I get inside. I see Vlad getting out of his car before heading up the path to his front door. He sees me waiting, leaning against the brick wall that separates his house from the one next door. He cringes at the sight of me. Shit, do I look that bad? I hadn’t really noticed people staring at me throughout the day, but I was more focused on the sights than the people.

“Fuck, you look like shit, dude,” he says to me whilst grabbing his keys out of his pocket and opening the front door.

“Yeah, I feel like shit too, mate,” I tell him. I’m about to say more when he stops me in my tracks.

“Now look, there is something you need to know before I invite you in. What you see inside these walls stays here, do you understand? This is bigger than just me.”

I must look lost because right at this moment, I have no clue what he is talking about. I just nod my head. What else can I say?

We walk into the bright white hallway. It leads off to a couple of rooms downstairs. As we walk through to the living room I see a woman sat on the sofa. Her hair is in a neat bun and her clothes are pristine. I quickly look up to Vlad; I didn’t know he had a girlfriend or wife. She stands upon our arrival.

“Daria is sleeping, sir. I put her down about thirty minutes ago. Will that be all, Mr. Sokolov?” she says in a very broken accent.

Huh? I’m really confused now. He nods his head and sees the woman to the door. First thing’s first, who the fuck is Daria? And what the hell am I missing here?

I wait for him to come back. I want to find out what’s going on.

“You’re probably wondering what’s going on. Here, follow me. It will be easier to show you, Alek.”

I follow him out of the living room and up the flight of stairs in the hallway. We get to the top of the landing and I see four doors, all of them open except one. We approach the closed door. I’m wondering what I will find inside. Does he have a sick wife that needs help, or a mother that is dying and is with him to live out her final days? All these thoughts are running through my mind as each step we take brings me closer to finding out.

He quietly opens the door and we walk inside. The first thing I see is pink! It’s bloody everywhere. I see a little pine bed in the corner of the room and a big white dolls house on the floor. It stands about four-feet tall and the front door is open, showing beautifully decorated walls and furniture. Even the little lights work. I look over to the bed and notice the tiny lump under the covers. Well this isn’t what I expected. He has a little girl.

“Well, now you know. This is my daughter Daria. She is five years old.” His eyes show a dark sorrow buried deep within them. I’m fearing there is more to this story than meets the eye.

“Yeah, I see that. Are you sure it’s wise having me here if you have a family to think about?” I ask, because I am genuinely worried about the problems I could cause by being here.

“Look, no one knows about her. You are the only one who has ever seen her. That’s why I told you, what you see in this house, stays in this house.” He looks serious.

We make our way back downstairs. Sitting in the chair in the living room, I look at the glass of whiskey in his hand. He offers me one too. I take it from him eagerly and throw it back.

“So, you want to know what happened then?” I say to him.

“Yeah, it might help me understand a little more. All I have is the snippets of what Damien and Emma have told me.” I suppose it’s only fair that I give him what he wants, then he might open up to me about what has caused his turmoil.

“I borrowed money from Jonny ‘The Butcher’ Haynes. Ten grand to be precise. But when the time came to pay it back, I had gambled it all away. So I took a last minute Poker match that I thought I could win easy. Turns out it was fixed as Jonny was playing too. He beat me on the last hand and I lost it all. His goons then took me out back and gave me a pasting, telling me I had twenty-four hours to get the money or else. And the next thing I knew, I woke up in an alley. I walked to the café around the corner, then you text.” I lay it all out there for him so that he knows I’m not hiding anything else.

“So what you’re saying is that everything everyone went through last time to sort all your crap out, you turned to gambling again and it’s backfired on you. But what’s worse is you’ve put a price on Emma’s head if you don’t pay up. You’re a fucking dick. You think of no one but yourself.” He doesn’t hold back, but it’s what I’ve been waiting to hear from someone else other than Damien.

“I know I’m a dick and I need to get this sorted. I won’t risk losing Emma. I fucking love her, Vlad! I need your help. I need to bring Jonny down and take him out. I want his turf and his crew.”

He looks at me with an expression of pure shock on his face. Like I’m talking in fucking riddles. Is it really that hard of a concept to grasp? I can’t get the money to pay him off, but I sure as hell can take him down and there is no one better to help me than Vlad.

“You’re crazy if you think you can take down Haynes on your own. What will this change if I help you, Alek?”

His words hit me deep. His question resounds in my head,
what will it change?
“Everything,” I say to him. “This is going to be the start of what I need to break away from my brother.” I speak with conviction. I just hope that my honesty is enough for him to see through the bullshit.

“I appreciate you being honest with me. I suppose if we do this then both sides have to come clean and bare their deepest secrets.”

I nod at him, not sure if this is wise or not. To know a man’s deepest secrets is the key to either failure or doom.

“It was a late November night,” Vlad starts. “Daria was only three months old. I was at work and Anna had gone out with some of the girls. We had a babysitter looking after Daria until I got back from work. All was well, or so I thought. She never came home that night or the next. I was heartbroken at first, I thought she had left me. But I quickly realised it was so much more than that. She loved Daria and me with all of her heart, she would never willingly leave us. So I went looking for her; I went to the bar she was last seen in, only to be told that no one could remember her. I found a string of missing girls’ cases that the police had let turn cold. They told the families they had done everything in their power to find the girls, but in actual fact they just couldn’t be bothered. My thoughts are they knew exactly what was happening but they just turned a blind eye to it all. I searched for months, taking Daria with me. Our search brought us here after finding out that they had been stealing the girls to use as Russian brides. I tracked a few of the others down and helped them get back home. But I couldn’t find another lead on Anna. It seemed she’d just disappeared without a trace. I had told Damien that I needed to find this girl and he said he may be able to help me locate her. What I didn’t tell him was the reason why my love had disappeared and left me holding the baby, so to speak. What was I to do? I thought it would help. I have known Malc for years and have been with Damien about two years now on and off. When he sent me to go and help in Russia that’s when I became a permeant fixture in the Volkov household. I still haven’t found Anna. Daria asks about her mummy every day. I hate not being able to tell her what happened to her mother. She thinks her mum left her because she didn’t want her anymore, that she didn’t love her enough. It kills me every day to get up and leave her to go to work and try to progress a little further in my search for Anna, but each time I come home to nothing new and it cuts me deep, to the point that I latched on to Emma in the hopes that it would ease the ache, that I would be able to move on and draw a line under it. I can’t believe I tried to kiss her this morning. It was wrong. It felt like I was kissing my own sister. It was something that shouldn’t have happened. I just want this nightmare to end.”