Unrequited Love

Chapter 2 - Mikhail

Pushing the door to the garage open, I made my way towards the half unconscious man that lay bloodied and beaten. The stench of blood filled my nostrils as I breathed in deeply - I was too far gone to even gag at the sight or smell of a little bit of blood. I stayed in the shadows as I watched Alexei, my second in command, taunt him with a knife to his chest. Blood was trickling down his face as a bluish purple swelt formed on his forehead, no doubt the handiwork of Alexei.

It's a shame that it had to come down to this. I usually never really enjoyed being violent with my own men - but this was an exception. I made my presence known as I emerged from the dark and my boots slapped on the concrete ground. Three heads swivelled to meet my gaze as I took out my ever loyal Glock 17 from its holster, stroking it as if it were my baby. I wasn't afraid to use it if the need arose.

The man in question, sat on the chair as his gaze dipped when he figured out that things had gone way too far and he'd have to deal with me now - the Pakhan of the Bratva. I swiftly nodded at Alexei, indicating that I'd be taking over now. He moved aside as I took his place - but not before I made eye contact with Sergio, my best friend who also happened to be the Capo of the Cosa Nostra.

Sergio looked at me with a questioning look in his eyes as I jerked my head to let him know that I had it under control. Satisfied, he turned his gaze away from me as he levelled the man in question, Ivan, with a contemptuous look. I must say though, Ivan had quite the nerve to mess with not one, but two of the most powerful and respected gangs in their respective countries. He had tried to break the alliance between the Cosa Nostra and the Bratva. Had it not been for mine and Sergio's strong bond, we would have probably been at each other's throats at this point.

"Well, well, well...look what we have here."

Ivan looked up at me with pure fear in his eyes. He had decided to go behind our backs for his own greed and a selfish motive - and now he was going to pay for it.

"Pakhan, I swear to God I didn't do anything I -

"No?" I cut him off as I stared down at him.

"You think you didn't do anything wrong when you decided to join hands with the Vorovskoy Mir huh?"

Simply saying the name made bile rise in my throat as I remembered our history together. My strong distaste for their leader made me want to punch the living shit out of him as well as the man in front of me. I pushed down the anger that was currently flowing through my veins. I had to be in control right now. And besides, the Bratva would take them down for sure - someday. There was only so much time you could waste until karma caught up to you. Until then, dealing with this bastard would have to suffice.

Ivan gulped nervously as his eyes darted between the three of us - no doubt being intimidated by the air of authority in the room. His eyes widened as I heard the click of a gun behind me. A smirk formed on my lips as I watched him quiver in fear.

"I-I uh.."

"It's a shame that someone like you did this, really. You were an asset to the Bratva, one of my most loyal men - until you ruined everything."

"Pakhan..." He looked up at me with pleading eyes as a slight sheen of sweat formed on his forehead. "I didn't want to but they blackmailed me. You have to understand me. Please."

"They blackmailed you. What, are you a little boy to be lured into their trap? But still, you had the option of coming to me and I would have dealt with them accordingly. Instead of talking with your brothers, you decided to take matters into your hands - and for that, you will have to pay Ivan."

He shook his head vigorously as he tried to convince me. He should have known better than to mess with our brotherhood - you never went behind the Bratva for your own selfish purpose. Our bond was stronger than that of anyone else's. Before any man was accepted as a brother, there would be an initiation where we would take an oath and pledge our life to the Bratva. Братья вне крови - Brothers Beyond Blood. The one thing that every Russian man in the brotherhood lived by, no matter what.