Omerta

Chapter 67

        I ended up hanging out with some of my cousins until around dinner time when I told Mikhail I'd come home and eat with him. I remembered we didn't have a fully stocked fridge and decided I'd pop by the grocery store on the way home. As I walked in the store I called my fiance to see if he needed anything in particular. When he didn't answer I knew that meant he was still doing some business, or was home but on a call. I left him a voicemail in case he did need something and wanted to catch me before I headed out. 

"Hey babe, I'm at the store. If you need anything, call me. I got deserttt." my voice was sing-song at the end. We like those chocolate chip cookies that this grocery store bakery sells.

He didn't call back in time, which doesn't matter. I picked up what I thought we needed and made it out of the grocery store in record time. I hate those damn lines and this market seems to always have them. I was under the 12 item limit though, which meant I was able to pass through the express line. 

I almost tipped the paper bag over when some idiot cut me off in traffic. That's the one downside to living in the city. It's beautiful, but always busy. A plus, we have a private garage and I never have to look for street parking, which is a nightmare in the city.

With the grocery bag in one arm and the keys in the other, I balanced the bag while turning the lock. The lights were off which meant Mikhail wasn't actually home yet. I guess that gives me time to whip something up, because I haven't cooked anything to eat anyway. 

        I thought about learning to cook a few Russian meals. I'm great at cooking Italian food. My aunt's been teaching me since I was a kid how to cook, of course. I had texted Alexei asking if Mikhail's mom had any cookbooks. It's something I plan on surprising him with. He's always giving me things and honestly I haven't given him much, which I know makes me a bad partner. I need to step it up and I know it. 

Yes, I do find it odd that I casually have the Bratva mob leader's phone number and can text him internationally to ask something as simple as, "Does your late wife have cookbooks she's left on? I want to surprise Mikhail and learn to make some Russian recipes he likes."

        For the way our apartment is set up, the elevator leads to a short hall and then our door lets us in. The elevator doesn't go directly into our home. There is a type of foyer that you enter, but it's completely visible to the rest of the open plan apartment set up. It's almost set in a semi circle. You can see the kitchen towards the left and to the front and towards the right hand side is the large living room with all that furniture and sofas. It's luxury built for sure.

When I flicked on the lights I almost missed the sight of it, but from the corner of my eye I saw a scene play out before me that sent my grocery's straight to the ground. My keys clinked on the marble by my feet. I let out a loud scream, but the edges of my vision and memory blurred in a hazy of panic. I rushed forward, hoping I wasn't seeing what I saw. 

Just before the entry to the kitchen was a body laying flat on its back with a pool of blood beneath it. I dropped to my knees and began grabbing at it. Him. Mikhail.

"OH GOD, somebody! HELP" I screamed even though we were alone on this floor. My hands were trembling, and I got blood on them from falling to the floor beside him in that pool of blood. I felt for a pulse, even though I saw the bullet wound, which was at the center of his forehead. "Mikhail, oh my god, Mikhail," I tried lifting him. I quickly regained my senses and called Dom. You can't call the cops first when it's mob business. 

        When he answered I was a screaming mess. I didn't even realize I was screaming, but the sight of Mikhail with his eyes wide open, and a hole in his head that left blood all over the floor. It was too much. "GIA, what's going on? Gia?" I heard my cousin freaking out. "Mikhail! Mikhail, he's dead! He's dead," I shouted. "What?!" I could hear the wind almost knock out of my cousin's chest when the screams registered.