any family resemblance to my beloved babushka.
“You speak Russian?” he asked with a pleased look on his face.
I nodded. “Babulya preferred it.” I hesitated. “She never mentioned a brother.”
He gazed at me for a moment, the planes of his face hard and unyielding.
“I stayed behind in Russia when she and nashi roditeli came to the US,” he finally said. “I followed years later but respected her decision to stay out of the family business.”
My hackles rose, and I let go of his hands. From the way he spoke, I had an inkling of the type of business he meant. Not everyone in the Russian community was a law-abiding citizen, and there was an extensive network of men who engaged in criminal activity. They considered themselves to be a brotherhood, but those on the outside called them mafia. My babushka had hinted at her father not being a good man, but I hadn’t expected this. I should have known from the way this man was dressed and how the three other men flanked him respectfully that something was off. His companions were guards, their eyes alert for any danger, which indicated that he was higher up in the Bratva. I had to be very careful here - I didn’t want to disappear.
Babulya had escaped to America with her parents in the seventies, but she left the Russian community in Brighton Beach when she got married. My grandfather had been of Russian heritage, but he was born and raised in Brighton Beach. She loved him so much that she left her world behind and made him the center of her universe. After he died, she just wasn’t the same, but she still never reached out to any family despite her loneliness. If she’d known she had a brother in the city, it must have been extreme circumstances that kept her isolated and alone.
I gave Sergei a tense smile. “Spasiba za to, shto prishli sevodnya. May I show you to her grave?”
He looked over my shoulder and toward Babulya’s final resting place. “Nyet, ni nada,” he murmured. “I would like to say my goodbyes in private.” He glanced over at the Logans. “I will respect Svetlana’s wishes not to draw you into my world. But surely a young girl needs family?”
Ice crept up my spine. If Babulya had wanted to keep me far away from him, then I knew it was for a reason. She taught me that family was everything, but I trusted her judgment where her brother was concerned. If she didn’t think it was safe for me to meet him, then I’d avoid any further contact with him.
“Babulya made sure I would be well cared for in her absence,” I assured Sergei with a wobbly smile.
I wondered if this was why she had asked for her death to remain private. Had she been afraid of me meeting this side of the family? It said a lot that she was willing to give up a traditional Russian funeral. My babushka was very old fashioned, and she was proud of our Russian heritage.
I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Very well. I will give you my contact information. Perhaps I can find you a nice Russian husband? I know quite a few good men who would be pleased to have a beautiful ballerina.”
My breath caught when he so casually mentioned ballet. Just how much did he know about me? Babulya wouldn’t have told him anything. Had he checked into me after her death? Or had he been watching both of us for longer?
“Ivan?” He motioned to one of his men, who pulled out a card and laid it in Sergei’s outstretched hand. Sergei then handed the card to me and gave me one last searching look before saying his goodbyes.
Sergei’s men trailed behind him, and I shivered as Ivan passed by me last. He had a large, ornate knife he tucked under his belt, and he fondly caressed it before tugging his jacket back in place to hide it. Creepy.
All four men had slight bulges in their coats that could only indicate weapons – these men were dangerous. I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible and never see any of them again. While the Italian Mafia might kill a man and send flowers to his wife the next day, the Russians would kill you, your spouse, your children, grandparents, and neighbors. They were brutal and didn’t hesitate to eliminate threats immediately.
I kept my posture stiff as