I conceal the fact that I’m impressed he could read the most discreet of movements so well.
Cami sits tall, not cowering in the presence of this man who has the ability to change our lives forever.
“Hello, Aleksei. I’m Puck Kelly.”
Aleksei leans back in his seat with a smile. “Please, call me Alek. Aleksei is so…formal. And I know who you are, Puck Kelly. Your temper is just as notorious as mine.”
I’m about to show him what my temper can do by ruining his spotless white shirt with the pint Austin holds. But refrain when he adds, “As is your honor, something I admire and respect in a man. I want you to know that.”
“You seem to know a lot about me, but I hardly know a thing about you.”
“Ask away,” Alek says, gesturing the floor is mine.
Our eyes have never strayed, which shows a mutual respect between us. But before I agree to anything, I need to know just who I’m selling my soul to.
“How do I know my enemies didn’t send ya? How do I know yer goin’ to work with me, not against me?”
Alek nods, appearing to weigh over my questions carefully. “Your father, Sean Kelly, is not a man I would ever work with,” he states with conviction. “He is a coward, and from what I understand, he kidnapped your girl, blackmailing you into doing his dirty work on the proviso he would return her to you once you did what he wanted?”
I nod slowly.
Alek’s lip curls in disgust. “I can assure you, I would never do business with a мудак such as him. He is indiscreet, and he is almost, what it appears to be…rather stupid.”
An amused chuckle gets caught in Babydoll’s throat.
“Ten years is a long time, and the fact he needs you to regain his throne, well, I believe he should just stop embarrassing himself in his fruitless quest.”
It takes me a long while to actually like anyone, but Alek is the first person I’ve liked in a very long time.
“But you see, his failure, his inadequacy to get things done shows me who the real leader is. That’s you,” he states in his composed Russian accent. “Sean is a Kelly, a name which is feared among many, yet he can’t get his affairs in order without blackmailing, extorting, and hiding in the shadows like a little pussy while you run this country and beyond.
“He doesn’t deserve to breathe. He is a disgrace to any man who calls himself a leader.”
To hear this Russian kingpin speak this way about Sean has me basking in something I didn’t have five seconds ago, and that is hope.
“As for Liam Doyle…” His voice trails off into an entertained chuckle. “He needs to stop walking in the shoes of his father, which are ten sizes too big. Brody was a little more intelligent than Sean, but he’s not sitting at this table with me, is he?”
Austin sips his pint quietly, but it’s clear he respects Alek immensely, and I can see why. Alek makes it his business to know who his friends and foes are, and I suspect he’s had business in Northern Ireland and Ireland for a long time.
“So ye worked with Liam?” I ask, never breaking eye contact with Alek.
That arrogant grin returns. “He worked for me, Puck. They all do. I never knew Connor Kelly, but he sounds to be a true leader, one which I believe you are too.”
I don’t sense any sarcasm behind his words.
“And by the way your красавица is sitting proudly by your side, I think she agrees. But this is not for me to decide. That decision is one you must come to on your own. I want to be honest with you, Puck. I’d rather work with you.
“You know this business better than anyone. And for it to succeed, I need someone like you. No offense, Austin.”
Austin raises his half-empty pint in a mock salute.
“This world has taken so much from me,” I explain, not wanting sympathy but rather wishing to express why I’ve chosen to opt out. “It started with revenge, and my vengeance will be had when I’m holdin’ my father’s severed head in my hands.
“That’s all I want. It takes a monster to fight a monster, and I’m prepared to fight. Once it’s done, I just want to live a life I choose. Not one forced onto me. Not one where I fear for my fiancée’s or my son’s lives.”
It’s the first time I’ve said those words aloud.
Alek breaks eye contact to look at Cami closely. I’m thankful I trust her with my life and know she doesn’t look at Alek with stars in her eyes like the rest of the women and men in here.
“I have a son too,” Alek shares. “And three young daughters.”
I can’t mask my grin. “God help their future boyfriends.”
Alek opens his mouth, primed on saying something, but instead, a laugh escapes him. “This is true. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll stay away.”
And just like that, the mood settles—two villains speaking about wains.
“I understand your choice, and I respect it. But for this to work, I need to know you want to give it up, all of it. There are no second chances in our world—you know that. If this is what you want, then I will help you. You will get your revenge on those who wronged you, and then…you will get your freedom.”
My breaths are measured because this is the first time in my life where I know I can win. Alek is the man I need to avenge my ma and to set me free.
It’s everything I ever wanted; so why do I feel this heaviness press down onto my chest?
“But think very carefully because once you agree and we shake hands, there are no takebacks. You can’t change your mind because I will not trust you. I do not trust men who go back on their word. And I will be forced to kill you.”
Cami stiffens beside me while Austin nurses his pint. Me? I burst into laughter.
“Ye can try, aul’ lad,” I playfully tease, not intimidated by him in the slightest as I stand my ground.
A cane is propped up against the wall. I wonder why Alek needs it. He notices me looking at it and answers my silent question.
“Courtesy of my half-brother,” he states, his anger lapping at the calmness. “But it’s a small price to pay for what I did to him.”
“And what did ye do?”
“I cut off his cock and fed it to him.”
I know he means this in the literal sense. I wonder what he did to deserve that. Whatever it was, it has me liking Alek all the more.
I understand his stance on this, on why he wants me to decide. He is giving me a choice, something which I shared was never given to me. If I go back on my word, I will be seen as untrustworthy. If I turn my back on Belfast, only to change my mind, Alek would see that as a challenge, and there is room for only one leader.
This is how our world works. It doesn’t make sense to most, but if the roles were reversed, I would be doing the same thing.
“My brother, Ethan, he deserves to rule. Not me, for he is Connor’s true son.”
But Alek shakes his head as this seems personal to him. “Blood matters not when it comes to matters of the heart, and you, Puck Kelly, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Take your time to think about my offer.”
“I don’t need time,” I firmly state. “Ye help me publicly shame my father before I kill him, and kill him slow, ensure killin’ Liam Doyle goes down smoothly, and look after the men who were good to me and Connor…then y’ve got yerself a deal. The drugs, everythin’…it’s yers.”