The Life (21 page)

Viviana decided to pick up the call, anyway. “Hello?”

“Vine?
Oh, Jesus Christ.” Anton breathed heavily into the receiver. “Thank God.”

Instantly, her heart rate exploded at the fear saturating his voice. “Anton? Where is your phone?”

“Baby … what car are you in?”

“Rory’s.
Why?”

“Where is Joe?” he asked.

Viviana blinked, unsure of what that had anything to do with his panic. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Viviana, where is Joe?”

“Why?”

“Vine!”

“Trailing us like he always does,” she said weakly. “Anton, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you pick up your phone and whose number is this?”

“Someone’s,” he replied vaguely. “Mine must have dropped out in the other car. I hope it did, anyway. Listen to me, this is important. I’m halfway to Brighton. What road are you on right now?”

The heart in her chest that was beating out of control might as well have stopped altogether. “What?”

“I’m about fifteen minutes away from our house. How close are you? Tell Rory to keep driving, baby. Whatever you do, do not stop that car.”

“But Joe said you didn’t want us going to Brighton because—”

The choked sound that escaped Anton had Viviana’s tears welling. “You’re not on your way home?”

“No,” Viviana said in a whisper. “We’re … Rory, where are we?”

“Close to crossing over into Connecticut.”

“Did you hear that?” she asked Anton.

“Yeah, I did. Okay, keep driving. Just … keep fucking driving, Vine.”

“But—”

“And tell Rory not to pick up his phone,” he interrupted.
“Especially not for Joe.”

Finally, an understanding began to dawn on Viviana. Dread crept up her spine as the dull ache in her back increased. There would be no reason for Rory not to pick up any calls from Joe. He was her protector just as much as Rory was. Anton trusted the two men with her life—expressed that very sentiment many times.

But, had he been wrong?

It was only then that she considered the way Sergei had tipped his head in Joe’s direction as he led her out of the restaurant. She had thought the action was only meant to be respectful, a way of acknowledging the bull, but now … Viviana didn’t think it was that all at.

Oh God.

“Is it Joe? Is he the one we missed in this?”

Anton went silent over the line before he cussed severely. “Give Rory your phone.”

“Anton—”

“Give it to him!”

With shaking hands, Viviana handed the phone up to the bull. Rory placed the phone to his ear with one hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road.

“Yeah, Boss?” Viviana stayed silent, noticing how Rory’s fingers tightened their grip momentarily. “No way, I’d have
known
…”

“And you think I wouldn’t?” she heard Anton roar.

Viviana sunk into the seat, swallowing the bile threatening to rise.

“But … shit, Joe said—” Rory cut off, listening intently before his gaze in the mirror flicked up to stare out the back window. “He got shot? There weren’t supposed to be any guns inside! Goes to show Jersey was planning something, I suppose. Is he all right?”

“Who?” Viviana asked, her heart jumping into her throat.

Rory ignored her. “I can’t not answer him if he calls, Boss. He’ll know. Hell, he must know the dinner turned sour if Tatiana isn’t picking up her calls for him. How long before he puts two and two together and figures out you know, too, huh?”

If Tatiana wouldn’t be able to pick up her phone that could only mean …

Viviana shook off the thought. She wouldn’t finish it even in the privacy of her own mind. She knew what she asked for, and she more than understood what it meant. What she wouldn’t do now was overthink and fret about it. Anton wouldn’t tell her—that’s what he said. The reason was obvious: she couldn’t know for sure if it was him if he didn’t admit it. She didn’t want to know anyway.

“How far away are you?” Rory asked quietly. “Yeah, speed it up, then. Traffic isn’t too bad. We’re not far from Columbus Park. Will that work, you think?”

“Will what work?”

Again, Viviana’s question was disregarded.

“Damn it, Boss,” Rory mumbled, his gaze slipping down in the mirror to meet Viviana’s. “You know I would. You don’t even have to ask. Jen fucking loves her like nothing else and I just … yeah, okay, it’ll be fine, don’t worry. Keep driving, that’s all. And I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

Without another word, the phone was handed back. Viviana slipped it up to her ear and hid her face from Rory’s view by looking out the window. Tears had started to slip out of the corners of her eyes, snaking lines down her cheeks.

“It’s bad, right?” she asked.

Viviana swore she could hear the vehicle he was in speed up. “Not if I can help it, baby. How are you feeling?”

“I don’t think that’s
impor—”

“It is to me,” he interjected strongly. “I always tell you that you muddle me up. When I need to think, you make me go into a different place. This … It’s not even the same. Talk to me for a minute, this phone is almost dead. I need to hear you talk, that’s all.”

“I’m scared.” Anton released a shaky breath into the phone, choking off another sound. Was her husband crying? That only served to send another round of Viviana’s own tears falling. “Anton, it’s okay.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said too flippantly for it to feel true. “With Ivan and all, I just couldn’t handle it.”

Ivan? Was he the one who was hurt? “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.
Maybe, maybe not. That’s not important.”

Viviana disagreed. “It is. You talk to
me
.”

Anton sighed. “I missed it, Vine. I dropped the ball and if he dies, that’s on me. What will I tell Eva, huh? I’m sorry, but I might as well have held the gun?
Three little girls with no father. I fucked that up so bad.”

“Not you.” Viviana searched for the right words to soothe him, but she knew there weren’t any that would work.
None but the truth, anyway. “You can’t be on everyone and be everywhere all at once, Anton.”

“I should have
known
.”

“And now we’ll fix it.”

Anton fell silent.

“Anton?” Viviana asked, worried the call had cut out.

“Fix it,” he said. “But what if this is something I can’t fix, Vine?”

“You haven’t failed me yet.”

Anton didn’t refute her claim because he couldn’t. What Viviana said was absolutely true, and despite her fear over the situation and the danger she knew she was in, she had to have faith it would be okay. Even if it didn’t seem like it, and even with her mind suddenly shutting down and her heart racing out of control, she had to find that familiar trust she had always had in her husband.

“It’ll be okay,” Viviana told Anton. “It will.”

“Ivan said that, too. He’s probably choking to death on his own blood right now.”

“Stop that. That’s not what you or I need or want to hear, Anton.”

“Tell Boss I’m slowing down a little to give him a bit more time to catch up,” Rory said.

Viviana’s worry grew when Anton replied, “Heard him. Good plan.”

She hated that this was what the situation was reduced to: a plan. Not a good one, or one that may work, or even one she understood. No, just a plan. Two words Viviana didn’t have a thing to correlate them to.

Faith
, she reminded herself.

A faint beep sounded over the phone. “What was that?” Viviana asked.

Anton huffed, the sound filled with frustration. “The goddamn phone is dying. Of course it’s dying, because nothing tonight could go as it should have. Everything has to be a crapshoot in one way or another.”

His panic manifesting the way it was certainly wasn’t helping her to stay calm.

“Anton,
please
stop.”

“I’m sorry,” her husband rushed to say. “Jesus, Vine, I’m so sorry. I’m not accustomed to you being on the other end of the phone in these situations, okay? I just …” Trailing off, Anton swore and she heard the vehicle’s engine roar on the other end of the call. “I love you. I have to hang up the call, turn the phone off, and save the power. I’ll call back when I’m close enough to see Joe’s SUV.”

Again, her pulse picked up to a dangerous rate. “Please don’t hang up on me.”

Anton released a harsh breath. “I’m sorry. This won’t take long. I promise.”

“But what if something goes bad?”

“I’d say we’re already at bad. If I don’t make it in time, and Rory can’t handle it, you certainly can, Viviana.”

Yes, because the gun was still safely hidden on her thigh in its holster.

“I didn’t tell you to take it off,” Anton said.

“No,” she whispered hopelessly.

“So use it.”

Chapter Sixteen

Anton’s grip on the steering wheel rhythmically tightened and loosened as he covered miles on the highway. With the car cruising at a speed far beyond the limit, Anton wasn’t concerned in the least about being pulled over by highway patrol.

After hanging up on his wife, he’d all but turned silent again. There were no other noises he wanted to hear other than her voice, just to say she was safe, but even that couldn’t be afforded then.

With no one else traveling in the car with him, Anton was left to his own thoughts.

The tears that had fallen on his cheeks were long dried, now. The slow building rage bubbling like a rolling boil inside his stomach only grew in size and strength with every passing second. Even his skin seemed to crawl with his fury.

How fucking
dare
Joe?

How dare he betray his
Bratva, his boss, and his life like he had?

Joe’s disloyalty would go far beyond just Viviana and Anton. In effect, it would affect his entire brotherhood. It would serve as a painful reminder that while they lived in a modern world with different expectations from the old world, there were still laws the
Bratva needed to uphold.

Bratva
men lived their life by a strict code of the Vor. Raised with the code’s beliefs instilled in them, none could deny there would only be one punishment acceptable for the bull’s indiscretion and choices.

Death.

Joe was vetted Vor, just the same as Anton had been.

There was no doubt in the boss’s mind that the bull knew where this would lead. After all, it was the road he’d chosen to travel and so Joe must have chosen the consequences just as well. But how could he possibly be so goddamned stupid?

That was Anton’s question. It was one he likely wouldn’t get the chance to ask, but it was on his mind nonetheless.

Growing up, the notions of the
Vor had been repeated to Anton until the words became more of a prayer than an understanding. They were words that had shaped him, hardened him, and
made
him. Words he, like Joe, had chosen to accept and live his life by.

Show no emotion, never touch the floors with your bare hands, forsake your family for your brotherhood, and never deny your
Vor status. Own no property, marry no woman, create no children, and accept nothing from police.

Anton blinked at the streams of light coming from the front of his
car, surprised at the harshness in some of those customs he had been taught. Not all men chose to live with no wife, or children, but some did. Boris, for example, had never taken a wife, he didn’t have kids, and the brigadier didn’t own a thing that someone else would take from him. Others, like Ivan, chose to follow the code to his own advantage and disregard what didn’t benefit him.

How many of those rules had Anton broken?

How many had his grandfather and father broken?

He’d shed tears over his friend’s state, and shown his fear for his wife’s danger. It wasn’t the first time Anton had let his emotions get the best of him, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. He struggled to remember the few times he’d witnessed the same faults in
Nicoli or Daniil when he was growing up.

With
Daniil it had been rare. Locked behind closed doors when no one could see or hear, when only Sasha would listen, not speak.

With
Nicoli, it had been even rarer.

Once
, Anton thought. When Nicoli confessed who Viviana really was. He had seen his grandfather’s stony façade break only then. She had been more than just Anton’s weakness.

As the world changed, so did the strict principles of the
Vor’s code. The same things that had been expected decades ago were no longer acceptable. Marriage and family were now common occurrences with Bratva men. But, there were things that would never change in the code, too.

Loyalty.
Honor.
Respect
.

Yes, Joe would answer for his misdeeds with his life, but Anton wouldn’t grieve for the man’s blatant disregard of their thieves’ creed.

The Bratva would, however. They always did. Anton would let his men have their regret for a fallen brother. It was only proper. He didn’t care a bit about Joe, though.

Anton only wanted the bull
dead
.

*

Viviana was jerked out of her panicked thoughts by the cell phone jingling in the front seat.

Rory cussed as he plucked up the phone before his gaze slid to meet hers in the rear view mirror. “It’s Joe.”

The bull had yet to call Rory, and they’d been driving a little while. The tension only seemed to rise a little higher in the SUV at the thought of simply picking up the call. Rightfully so, as picking up the call was not only stupid, in Viviana’s opinion, but dangerous as well.

What other choice did they have?

Ignoring it might only tip Joe off.

She couldn’t help but wonder if the other bull already was, considering the time. How long could that sit down with the Jersey family really go on?
Surely not for hours. If Joe was in contact with Tatiana in some way, would he have been trying to call her all this time?

“
Gotta pick it up,” Rory said. “We’re maybe two minutes away from Columbus Park, anyway. Boss can’t be too far behind, now.”

Viviana nodded. It was all she could offer, really. She had no idea what Columbus Park had anything to do with the plan they didn’t speak about.
“Sure, whatever.”

“Keep quiet, okay?”

“Okay.”

The call rang a fourth time before Rory answered it.
“Yeah?”

Needing to do something with her hands, Viviana drummed her fingers uselessly against her stomach. The baby had been unusually quiet for the last few hours. He normally moved around like crazy. Minus the occasional twinge from her back ache, or the balling up sensation in her lower abdomen, Viviana was content to ignore the baby’s lack of movement.

It was just another sign that she could be in the early stages of labor.

Viviana didn’t even want to consider the possibility.

If she was … Oh God, if she was what would that mean?

It wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t safe.

So, Viviana settled back in the seat and purposely snubbed the warning signs.

Rory’s quiet tenor in the front seat drew in her attention. “No way, Boss hasn’t called. Jersey must be taking him for a roll or some nonsense. Fucking Sergei …”

Viviana rolled her eyes, fighting off the urge to snort. Fucking Sergei was an understatement. She sincerely hoped he liked his place in hell, if that’s where he was sent.

“I haven’t slowed down, Joe; I have no interest in driving any longer than necessary tonight. I’m tired … What in the fuck are you bitching about? No,
I didn’t … No, she’s sleeping. Probably going to wake up and need to piss soon. I don’t know! It’s a woman thing, like a pregnancy thing or some shit. It’s not like she’s real pleased about driving to Vermont tonight, okay? If she’s gotta stop to use the bathroom, I’ll let her do it.

“I told you, I’ll wake her up soon and ask,” Rory said, sounding almost bored. “Well if you’re so worried about Boss, why don’t you fucking call him, then? Jesus.”

Rory hung up the phone with no notice, tossing it to the passenger seat.

“Won’t that make him angry?” Viviana asked.

Rory shrugged. “Probably, but he’s used to me doing that. He’ll call back in thirty seconds.”

Viviana frowned, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. How far away was Anton, now? The gun at her thigh felt like it was searing into her skin. She was all too aware of its presence and the fact that she may need to use it. She hadn’t fired a gun in … years. Well before Roman had been murdered, anyway.

It didn’t matter, though, because Viviana wouldn’t ever forget how.

She could still hear her dad’s words in her ear …

“I don’t want to.”

“Stop your whining, Vine. Get a better grip on the gun, or you’ll break your damned wrist,” Roman muttered. “It’s got a mighty kickback because it’s a high calibre revolver.”

“But, Dad, I don’t need—”

“What …” her father interrupted, shooting her a pointed look, “just because you’re a girl, you can’t learn to handle a weapon? Is that it?”

“I shouldn’t have to,” Viviana argued.

“You’re
gonna learn to shoot a gun whether you like it or not. Now, hold it tight or your mother will kick my ass when she finds out I had to take you to the ER for x-rays.”

“But—”

Roman didn’t give her the chance to argue again. Before Viviana could get another word out, her father’s large hand was covering hers still holding the gun. He pulled her arm up and aimed at the glass bottles lined up on the fence. Forcing her thumb up to pull back the hammer, Viviana felt the gun click in her hand. Then, his trigger finger was pressing back on hers.

It wasn’t a hair trigger by any means. She hadn’t known what to expect. When the gun went off, it vibrated her whole body. Viviana swore her teeth rattled. The revolver recoiled hard and fast but her father’s steady, strong grip kept it from slamming back on her too hard. A noise she didn’t recognize escaped from her throat. Something unknown welled in her stomach. Fear maybe, but a little bit of excitement, too.

“Ouch.” She whined under her breath, feeling a deep ache start in her wrist.

Roman chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not going to feel real great until you get used to it. Try it again.”

Viviana didn’t have the patience to argue a second time, but she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to shoot the heavy gun again, either.

“You afraid of it?”
Roman asked.

“No.”

“Is it the girl thing, again?”

Viviana scowled. “No.”

She didn’t sound the least bit convincing.

Roman sucked air between his teeth, rocking back on his heels. “It’s real simple, baby girl. Someday you might have to know and I want you to be able to take the shot and get it right the first time. You’re going to have just the one when they come at you. Make it count. You being a
female won’t make any difference when the bullet hits them. And don’t you blink about it when it does.

“Now,” he said with a nod. “Do it again.”

She did.

Strangely, the memory of Roman helped to settle Viviana momentarily. It wasn’t that she never thought of him, because she did, but most times it brought on more grief than it did happiness.

As Rory predicted, his cell phone rang less than a minute after he’d hung it up. Once more, he allowed it to ring several times before finally answering the call.

“What, Joe? I’m busy here,” Rory said.

Viviana had to give her younger bull some credit. He didn’t break his character while speaking to Joe. Rory kept his tone the same as he always would, pretending his frustration was rising like usual, and didn’t give any hint that he knew what was really going on.

Whether or not it was working on Joe was another story.

Viviana couldn’t help but feel her fear flare up again. Her breathing turned shallow and her heart was beating out of control. Clammy, her hands were useless extremities laying lifeless in her lap. She didn’t know what, if anything, there was she could do.

She wished she could be more like Rory, capable of pretending everything was fine.

Even though it so clearly wasn’t.

“Take the lead, then,” she heard Rory say. “If I’m going to slow for you, just take it. I’m going the goddamn speed limit, man.
Precious cargo and all that jazz.” Silence was a brief passing in the car before Rory snorted. “Sure, whatever. Did you call—no? Well don’t complain, Joe. If he wanted …”

Rory trailed off as the phone sitting in Viviana’s lap started to ring with that loud, unfamiliar chime. Her wide eyes met his in the rear view mirror, panicked and unsure.
Viviana couldn’t not answer Anton’s call, but she also knew Joe thought she was sleeping, too.

“Nothing, man.
That’s not her phone,” Rory said quickly. Viviana hid the phone in her hand and bunched it up inside her fur coat. The ringing’s sound was muffled slightly, but given the way her bull’s lips were drawn thin and tight, his hand grasping tighter to the steering wheel, she knew Joe didn’t believe him. “Do you hear anything? I sure don’t … Nah, I told you that she’s fucking sleeping. Why would she call him? What are you so concerned about, anyway? Fuck this, Joe, I’m calling—”

“No!”

The shout was so loud Viviana flinched inwardly. Rory held the phone away from his ear, shock and anger flitting over his features. They could still hear Joe’s irate voice buzzing in the phone’s speaker.

Viviana swallowed the lump forming in her throat. The phone in
her own hand had stopped ringing.

Please call back
, she begged hopelessly.