“up until this week I believed I was the only survivor of my family. I now know that is not true. My sister, Zoya, will be known to many of you. Many of you will have helped her escape with Avto as a child, and I know many of you have followed her to New York to continue her protection. For that you have my utmost gratitude.”
Zaal ran a hand down his face. “Many of you already know that Zoya has been taken, and as yet we have no leads as to who did this. We do, however, know there are Georgians in this city that shouldn’t be here. Right now, we suspect they have my sister, and we must get her back.”
The men began murmuring to one another, stirred by Zaal’s words. My brother glanced back at me, and I nodded my head. Mikhail talked into the communication device on his suit, preparing the byki to move in if anything went down.
“I am the Kostava Lideri. I intend to lead you once again. If you pledge your loyalty to me, there is housing waiting for you and jobs for you to take up immediately. You will no longer have to live in hiding. And you will all become rich men.”
Smiles broke out on the men’s faces, but Zaal held up his hand. “What many of you do not know, however, is that I am engaged to be married.” Zaal paused at mention of his engagement. I watched Avto, who was fiddling with this caps. I straightened, pushing my hands into my pockets, slipping the cold steel of my knuckle-dusters over my fingers. I braced, ready for trouble, should trouble arise.
“I am engaged to a female called Talia Tolstaia.” Zaal spoke my sister’s name proudly. I smiled, knowing that the brother would put her before anyone else. This time, no smiles greeted his words. Instead the men began to look at one another, many showing anger on their faces.
“Talia is the daughter of Ivan Tolstoi, granddaughter of Matvei Tolstoi, of the Russian Bratva kings. They are our long-standing enemy. I understand that many of you will not understand how I could marry the granddaughter of the man our people were conditioned to hate. But know this: the Tolstois saved me from Jakhua.” Zaal looked to me and flicked his chin. I walked forward, pulling the attention of the crowd. With my head held high, I stood by Zaal’s side.
“This is Luka Tolstoi. He is the knyaz of the Bratva, and the brother of my fiancée.” Zaal dropped his hand,and added. “He too is now my brother.” My hands curled in my pockets as some of the men shook their heads.
“Luka Tolstoi saved my life, and thus I have pledged my loyalty to the Bratva. If you pledge to me, know that you also will be pledging yourselves to the Bratva. It is they who are providing the housing at Brighton Beach, and it is they who will help us find Zoya, and bring our dis, our taken sister, safely back home.”
Zaal stepped forward. With arms folded, he said, “If you cannot join me and make peace with the fact that our grudge against the Bratva has ended, then you are not welcome here. If you cannot live under my new ways, then you can leave, right now.”
The room was silent as the men looked to one another. One by one the men knelt, showing their allegiance to Zaal. When all the men, bar two, had expressed their loyalty, Zaal stepped forward. Otto rushed forward and took the men by the arms, lining them up against the wall.
They held their heads high as Zaal stopped before them. “You will not pledge?” Zaal asked. As he finished, one of the two older men spat at his feet.
“You disgrace your father’s name marrying that Russian whore! It is because of them that your family was killed. The Bravta cast us aside and let Jakhua destroy us.” He leaned forward. “You will never be the Lideri your father was.”
Blood boiled in my veins as that fucker called Talia a whore, but just as I fought to rein in my anger Zaal lunged forward, snapping each of the men’s necks in seconds. The dead bodies fell to the floor. Breathing hard, Zaal faced the gathering. “Anyone else feel this way? Does anyone else dare to call my Talia a whore!”
The men stayed bowed on the floor, none of them moving. My muscles jumped at seeing