The Devil's Moon (Finished)

Chapter 18

I walked into the dank and dark bar trying my hardest not to choke on the massive amount of smoke that filled the air. I looked around once scanning the room until my eyes landed on one of the two people I was looking for. I walked over and sat down next to blonde grouch who was sitting alone drinking his scotch.

"So...where's your brother?" I asked him as I watch his fingers tighten slightly around his glass before he finished the rest of the liquid in his glass.

"If you're trying to make me jealous you have succeeded." He responded in his thick Russian accent.

He had always been jealous of every man I talked to, but for some reason, he was especially jealous of his brother.

"Oh please, you know you're my favorite Ranskahov," I responded back as I turned to face him with a smile.

He responded by placing the glass down a little too rough causing it to shatter on the bar. A few people looked over to see what was happening.

 "What are you all looking at!" He yelled in Russian causing everyone to look away.

Once all eyes were off of us he finally turned to look at me, unfortunately, he did not look happy to see me.

"Don't be like that Vladimir," I said to him as I reached over the bar to grab a bottle and two glasses pouring us each a drink.

I took the cup up to my lips and took a small sip. All the while I could feel his eyes burning a howl into me.

"Don't be like what?" He asked me very much annoyed at my presence.

"Angry," I said to him then finished the rest of my drink.

"You act like I have no reason to be angry!" He snapped at me.

"It been months you still can't be mad," I said in hopes this conversation might take a turn for the better.

"It's been two and a half years since I heard from you." He said in a softer tone but somehow sounded even angrier than when he was yelling.

"Exactly two years is too long, I've missed you," I told him as I leaned in closer to where he was sitting. 

"You left, in the middle of the night. Packed your shit and left. You did not even have the decency to face me. You don't get to come in here and claim to miss me." He hissed at me before downing the drink I had poured for him.

"That doesn't change the fact that I do," I told him as I placed my hand on his thigh.

He instantly became tense under my touch. His eyes quickly shot from the spot behind the bar he had been staring at as he tried to ignore me to my hand. He looked at it for a few seconds before finally making real eye contact.

"What do you want?" He asked me again in Russian.

"What makes you think I want anything?" I responded to his question with one of my own.

"You always want something." He answered as he pulled he leg out from underneath my hand.

"Business or pleaser?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Well, I guess that would depend," I responded as I bit down on my lip worried about the turn this conversation was taking.

"On what?" He asked through a very locked jaw.

"Are you still running the human traffic trade on the east coast?" I asked him, causing his eyes to shoot back to mine.

"Get up." He said and walked out of the bar and into a back room that was filled with men and money, drugs, and guns.

"Out!" He yelled at the men in the room in Russian, everybody stopped what they were doing and quickly left the room.

Once the door was closed Vlad grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the wall.

"Why the hell are you here?" He asked me.

"You didn't answer my question." I reminded him as I stayed as calm as possible, letting him know he did not intimidate me.

"You know damn well how I make my money." He responded as he let me go.

"Well, then I guess this is just a business call," I told him.

"I never understood why you had a problem with that but not the drugs, weapons, and murder." He said to me.

"There are just somethings that course a line," I told him not wanting to have this fight again.

"Why are you here?" He asked again.

"I have this friend, and she has gotten herself into some trouble," I told him.

"What kind of trouble?" He asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me. She used to work for this company. Union Allied. She found out they were doing some bad shit, money laundering mostly. Then she's framed for murder and almost killed in her jail cell. I was hoping you could tell me who put out the hit on her life." I said to him.

He looked a little nervous as if my words made him feel uneasy for some reason.

"Does this friend have a name?" He asked me.

"Page, Karen Page," I answered him.

"I know you're not going to listen to me but you need to leave this alone." He said to me which was very unusual for him he never had a problem with getting into the thick of things.

"What do you know?" I asked him now more curious than ever.

"Look I wouldn't be telling you to leave it if it wasn't important. You need to walk away from this." He told me again.

"You know that's not possible. I'm calling in my favor, tell me who put a hit on my friend." I said to him this time letting him know I was not asking.

He started pacing the room as if he was internally struggling with himself.

"I cant give you a name. All I can say is he's very dangerous and you need to back off." He told me in a very stern voice.

"You're really not going to give me a name?" I snapped at him.

"I can't." He responded and something in the tone of his voice made me truly believe what he was saying.