Chapter 6

“How did a woman like that even get close enough to get Nikoli’s attention?” Kosta asked Yuri.

“She brought herself to his attention three months before when she introduced herself to him at a nightclub," Yuri explained. "She told him almost right away that she wanted to be his mistress but Nikoli refused her advances. By then his wife was around five months pregnant and he was not looking for someone to fill his bed. When he told Andria that he loved his wife and wouldn’t seek another woman’s bed, she didn’t care. She figured if she wanted it bad enough, he would just sleep with her and she would become all important to his future. It got so bad that Nikoli banned her from his places of business and had her arrested on several occasions. Then she got it into her head that Nikoli wasn’t paying attention to her because of his wife. Andria attacked Bethany the night she was killed. She stabbed Bethany causing her to go into premature labor. Just after she delivered her son, Bethany died and Andria took the baby.”

“And she’s never been found?” Kosta asked.

“Like I said, she had a plan already in place before she took his son.” Yuri nodded. “Everything has been well thought out and executed on her end. We’ve found very little on her since then. Several years ago, we did find her mother but that didn’t pan out either. While questioning her she had a fatal heart attack and died before we could gain any information on the whereabouts of Andria.”

“Did the mother say anything useful?” Kosta wanted to know.

Yuri shook his head. “Nothing we could use. She did tell us she hadn’t seen her daughter for about four years and she had no idea where she was living.”

“There was no word on the boy?” Kosta asked.

“They never got the chance to ask about him,” Yuri explained. “The old woman was literally scared into a massive heart attack, almost from the moment the men went inside. She told them that she knew this would happen one day. She knew Andria would do something that would come back and bite her in the ass. While in great pain, she told Andre that she hadn’t seen her daughter in four years.”

Kosta rolled his eyes. “I can see Andre frightening an old woman. He’s not exactly a gentle man.”

Yuri flinched. “Yes, well, I sent Constantine and Hemi with him.”

Kosta chuckled. “I can understand her fear now. Those three would frighten the bravest of men, let alone an old woman.”

“They searched the house and found evidence of young children, “ Yuri informed them. “But found no one there. They had to leave in a hurry because one of the neighbors had called the police when the old lady started yelling.”

“So the boy could have been there at some point?” Stephanou asked.

Yuri shrugged. “He could have been but there was no sign of him or any other child that day.”

Kosta ran his fingers through his hair. “What a fucking mess that woman left. She deserves everything Nikoli does to her when she’s found.”

Yuri glanced over at Stephanou and motioned toward the security room. “You stay here and wait for the face of the person that lifted my wallet. Kosta and I are going to review the file and see if we can find something new.” He turned and walked toward the elevator.

As usual, Kosta was two steps behind him and when the doors closed, he commented, “Do you ready believe the boy is still alive?”

Yuri shrugged. “What can I say? For some reason I do.”

Kosta looked uneasy and wouldn’t meet his boss’ eyes.

Yuri paused, then asked, “What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” Kosta insisted.

“It is something if you are unwilling to speak about it.”

Kosta squirmed a bit under his scrutiny. “There are rumors going around about Nikoli’s state of mind.”

“What kind of rumors?” Yuri crossed his arms over his massive chest. He stood six inches over six feet and weighed in at three hundred pounds. His black hair was a prominent feature. He was a handsome man and a player as he carried the weight of his office well. People might not know he was head of the Russian Bratva outright, but they did know about the power he carried.

“There is one man who is making waves about his obsession with this woman,” Kost told him quietly. “The things he is saying are making others start to listen. It could become a problem at some point.”

“Who is this man?” Yuri demanded.

“Grigori Demencoff from New York.”

Yuri scoffed. “Grigori is hoping to step into Nikoli’s shoes. He figures if Nikoli is displaced, he will step in with no problems.”

“Could that happen?” Kosta asked nervously. Everyone in the Bratva knew Grigori’s temper and that under his rule, the essence of their organization would change drastically. Grigori was a harsh taskmaster and loved to rule his empire with fear and terror. Nikoli was a strong leader but only used fear against those who truly deserved it.

Yuri shook his head. “Russia would never let that happen. They don’t care for Grigori’s methods any more than we do.” He rubbed his hand down his face. “We have to find this woman and the boy. That will get Nikoli back on track and put Grigori out in the cold.”

“So how do we find a woman that’s been hiding for twenty years?” Kosta asked.

“We go back to the very beginning and review everything we know about her, her family, her contacts, everything.”

“And if we can’t find anything new?” Kosta asked.

“Then we go over it again until we do,” Yuri replied. “There has to be something we missed all these years. Something that will allow us to find her.”