The Only Way is Up

Part Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Yuri sat opposite him, a knowing look on his face, tinged with sympathy.

"You're involved with Russian mafia? You Yuri? What would my grandfather think?"

The old man sighed, "he knew that to survive we often have to do things that we don't like, don't agree with. That is life, that is how we avoid extinction."

Extinction, Max felt the bile rise to his throat; he couldn't believe that everything was spiralling out of control.

"So that makes you as bad as the rest?"

He shook his head, "no, it makes me as safe as I can be. And it means that I can get access to information."

He pulled out a huge wad of papers, "I know that your grandfather's will had a clause that whichever of his sons out lived the other would inherit a potential large contract for oil drilling in the Kara Sea. You're father is seeing dollar signs as this deal is about as lucrative as they get."

Money, it was always going to be about money. "So where do I fit in?"

"Your grandfather in his wisdom would only pass the deal onto his son if he had his family sorted. He wanted you back in the fold; he never imagined that his own son would manipulate that so horrendously." He sighed, "the drilling rights have been a hot commodity for years, and the company that your grandfather set up is about to take control of one of the biggest seams of oil that the world has discovered in decades. It'll take maybe two or three years to come good, but you have to be onside for all that time. He needs you for at least that long. That's his plan."

Max slumped forward, dropping his head onto his folded arms, and stayed like that until he felt a hand on his arm.

"Maxim, there are ways to get out of this."

He lifted his head, "are there? Really?" he shook his head, "I've just found stability, I've got a woman that I love. It's never happened to me before; the very moment I finally find happiness he RUINS it. Like he ruined MY career. Did you know that?"

Yuri's mouth fell open, "your fighting?"

Max nodded, "not an accident with a drunk driver, an accident with a guy who owed my father a LOT of money. Deliberate."

Yuri ran his hand over his chin, "I didn't think he'd hurt you."

"He says he won't...again. But he'll hurt Nicole. I know that."

Standing, Yuri crossed the bar and reached for a bottle of vodka from behind the bar. Then sat down again, filling two tumblers.

"There's only one way, only one thing that you can do." He took a slug from his glass, "but you won't like it."

Max reached for his own glass and took a long drink himself, before staring at Yuri, "what are you suggesting?"

The older man turned and called out, "Franklin?"

At that moment the door from the kitchen opened and a man appeared and crossed the room to them. Max stared at him for a moment, thinning hair, gaunt expression, dressed in a nondescript suit, dark eyes beady, almost rodent like. He looked like a police officer; he was no way involved with any of the other branches of the Bratva.

"What's this Yuri? Have you been playing me?" Suddenly Max felt sick, this was way, WAY over his head.

Yuri shrugged, "no, but as I always tell you, I keep myself a step ahead of everything else. There's no way that any other of the big players here will take on or defeat your father, there's not enough in it for them, but this here is Special Agent Franklin, FBI. Your father has been integral in far too many crimes in the States that they want him, they can put him away for a long, LONG time. That could solve all your problems."