Bratva Mother

Confrontation

Mikhail looked at everyone around the conference table at James’s company. It was the only place James could think of that was private and safe for whatever Mikhail had to say. The way that Mikhail was sitting was tense and menacing. Which didn’t make James feel comfortable. Something happened and it was bothering Mikhail.

After everyone who needed to be present was sitting, Mikhail made sure everyone who wasn’t his people or a Robington left the room. Then he asked James for his laptop. Mikhail plugged in a USB drive and showed James everything he had on the Ivanof family today. As James read it all over, Mikhail told the rest of them the story. How he discovered some of his people turned traitor, they were putting sh*t in the drugs and even put a hit on his sister. Then told them that one guy talked.

Mikhail briefly shared the conversation before name-bombing them. The way George turned white and tensed up made Sophia looked confused. She never heard of the ordeal Grandma Jenn or the family went through. Mikhail didn’t care though. He came to warn the other family about a threat. Not explain the past and how it concerns them.

James, who now knows the full history about what his grandma did and how they are now on good terms with the Sokolov family, took the news to heart. He got on the phone about security measures around the family home and personal guards for each member of the family. Once that was under way, he looked to Mikhail and asked him for details. He can read some of the documents, but his Russian isn’t all that good. Having a full account from the man himself will help.

George sent away his wife and daughter to the family home with a few guards and told them to not leave the property. He too stayed to hear it all. His wife knows about the past and what happened. His daughter didn’t, George wanted to keep her in the dark.

Mikhail wasn’t going to question the fact both women left the room. It wasn’t his family and he shouldn’t have a say who stayed and listened. So he told George and James about Andrei, his words, how there was a spy in his sister's security, what he did to the hitman and the research Demitri and Maksim did to find out if the Ivanof family was truly still around. He informed them of everything from Boris down to the two kids who are suspected under the city of Moscow. This made George furious. He wants them all to fly to Moscow and search those tunnels Mikhail mentioned. Which made Mikhail annoyed.

“George, do you want to search the tunnels under New York? Do you have the people or resources to search the whole underground system for two people?” He asked.

George got red and huffed. But he can’t argue with Mikhail. The tunnels under New York are extensive and some aren’t in use. However some of those tunnels connect with still used tunnels. He doesn’t know these tunnels or underground labyrinths under Moscow. Besides, the words are all Russian and not American. He would get lost in 15 minutes if he tried.

“Well what do you suggest we do? If these kids have the same issues that Boris did, we aren't safe anymore. They aren’t following the mafia way and leaving innocent people out. My mom is dead, but what is stopping them from going after my wife or daughter? James or I, I can understand. But the women know nothing about the family business.” He was a little frantic.

Mikhail thought he was a little hypocritical. Didn’t he want Carol in on the business front but not tell her everything. Even though she figured it all out. Isn’t this why Carol left in the first place? “George, you say you don’t want the women involved, however you wanted your now ex daughter in law in the thick of it all. All without telling her what is going on? You were going to make her a target for rival families without telling her the crucial part. That is something no mafia family will be okay with. Not even myself. My sister had a choice. Follow the family business or know nothing and stay innocent.”

George isn’t used to being scolded. However, a man his son’s age was reprimanding him for how he ran his family. “Mr. Sokolov, you don’t have to agree with how I run my family. That woman isn’t here so it doesn’t matter how we were going to use her in the family in future. She took my mothers money and ran off. My son doesn’t even know where she is.”

This is when James butted in. “Dad, Carol deserved to know what would have happened if she stayed. Besides, I would have divorced her myself if she didn’t beat me to it. It is done and over with. Besides, I will still run the family business. But you know I want to create my own business and explore my own interests. Drop the subject of Carol running off with money not hers. Grandma made her will ironclad. No one can contest it.”

The conversation was interesting to Mikhail. Apparently while he was dealing with issues left and right, James was turning over a new leaf. What changed? He was determined to ask after George left. He brought the conversation back on track. “George, James, we still have business to discuss about the Ivan off siblings. You can continue this argument later. George, to your earlier question about searching the tunnels. They are too vast and have multiple entrances. My idea is a motion sensor with a camera. So when someone comes and goes we will know because the camera will catch it. We can use face recognition to figure out who the people are. We can’t interrogate until we know if they are with the siblings.”

George and James listened and collaborated with Mikhail as much as possible. They came up with a plan and ways to keep the Robington women safe. If someone in the states were working with the Ivanof family, and there was a hit on the women, they’ll know. A plan to interrogate the hitmen if tried was talked about. Many ideas and scenarios were brought up and a plan figured out. Once George left them a few hours later.

James and Mikhail sat back down to talk more about the shipment issues. Where the new shipment will get picked up from and goods having to be approved of before being shipped. Mikhail isn’t sure who to trust these days. He has to verify all men and find out if they turned on the family or not. James only being the guy who ships stuff from port to port isn’t a mafia family. No matter if his family would like to be in the inner circle of the most powerful men of the business.

Which brought up the topic of a new family who rose in rank and got support from the other national mafia families. This news didn’t hurt James like he thought it would. But it made him curious all the same. “Who is the new American mafia? Do you know?”

Mikhail leaned back in his chair and replied, “No, I haven’t had a face to face meeting with this new person. However, the other families want to make an alliance or contract with them. Their values match the basic rules of a mafia family. They don’t deal drugs, are cleaning up rough areas of cities and have gotten into the human trafficking of people. However they aren’t selling these people off. They are sending them to better futures. No one knows the symbol or phrase they use to help these people along though. The people who work for them are loyal people.”

Again James didn’t care much if his family was the next American mafia or not. He realized with the words from his now dead grandma, he wants to get into the business of a treasure hunt of sorts. He is already wealthy, he doesn’t need long lost treasure. But the idea of hunting something down. Finding things most people couldn’t find is intriguing. Or get into game making. That would be something new and fun to do. He hates to admit it, however the family business was not something he wanted to do. He took it because he was the only grandson. He will keep his word about continuing the family business but he wants to create something all of his own that he loves to do.

Mikhail figured now was a good time to finish the conversation from earlier. “What was all that earlier about your own business and defending your ex wife?”

James looked up from his coffee cup. But figured if he is continuing business with Mikhail, he needs to know. “My grandma left me a letter along with the inheritance. I forgot about it until Carol ran off. But grandma said a few things that make sense now. She didn’t believe all the Ivanof’s were gone. She said there is always one person who is well hidden away. They would come back for retribution. Then told me that Carol was a good girl, and to not trample her wants or dreams. I didn’t listen to her while she was alive. I will correct that now and follow her wants. She wants me to leave Carol alone, I will.”

Mikhail was interested in that letter. Jennifer didn’t believe all the Ivanof’s were gone? For how long did she believe this? Why not inform anyone else of her suspicions? “James, I do not mean to impose, can I see that letter? Did she say how long she suspected the Ivanof family was around? Why didn’t she tell anyone, better yet, why didn’t you inform me of what she said as soon as you read the letter?”

This made James a little ashamed. He could have given Mikhail a little heads up about the Ivanof siblings if he reached out and told him about it. But there was so much stuff going on in New York he didn’t think about it. But he went to his office to retrieve the letter from Grandma Jenn and came back to the conference room with it.

He handed it to Mikhail who started to read Jennifer’s old wounds and fears about the Ivanof’s. Reading it and thinking back, he was just a little kid. But those events haunt him to this day. He remembers what happened after. Jennifer’s husband did go mad. In that state of mind, no reason would come over him. No one can tell him differently. So not talking about her fears or concerns were legit reasons.

Jennifer was depressed for a while until she went to therapy. She stuck with the story of her son Stephen being murdered for the money in his pocket. She just needed help dealing with survivor's guilt and knowing she had to bury her own child.

He refolded the letter and handed it back to James and downed his lukewarm coffee. James started to speak after getting the letter back. “As you can read, she suspected from almost day one that this wasn’t over. Grandpa was never the same. I don’t remember much before that time. But grandpa was weird for years. I blamed dad for it all. Not knowing everything, like I do now, I regret my actions and words to my dad. As for not telling you after reading the letter. A lot was going on on my end. I forgot to say anything. I am also looking into a new business adventure. I will still do the import and export. But grandma is right. I gave up a lot for the family name.”