Bratva Mother

James Part 2 *edited

Looking around Mikhail was impressed and furious with Carol so far. He had his IT people start hacking and “happen” to find the listening app George had on Carol’s phone. So James is now aware of all conversations she had on the left behind phone. However, it became obvious he knew nothing of Carol personally besides her degrees and her family was middle class.

Other than his grandma who just passed, knew her paternal grandma. He didn’t know this woman named ‘Ray’ or how they met. They went to the Lucky Frog together, but there wasn't surveillance on the property and the waitress named Sweets only knew she came in, had pie and tea then left.

So James went to Carol's lawyers office to demand information and Mikhail did some digging into Travis, Carol’s brother and this Ray person. James was stone walled at the lawyers place and didn’t get any information besides what Carol left in the envelope. Mikhail was making a little more headway in his research.

It seems Carol is very resourceful when needed. Him being from Russia didn’t understand the meaning ‘the brotherhood of America’ until his local people told him it meant truckers. She was using truckers to travel from New York to who knows where. Turns out Travis is a trucker himself, but he knows no one who looks like Travis was at the diner that day.

Did Carol ask her brother to get her in contact with his trusted coworkers? What was with the cryptic message about a tattoo on his neck? The photos his hackers have, he has a beard and cant see the tattoo let alone know what it was. Yes, Carol was resourceful indeed.

However, this Ray person, he learned, was really Raygean McKenna. As in the f***ing McKenna princess of medicine, whos father runs and owns a prominent business, making and selling renown medical machines around the world. How did little miss Carol know and be in her inner circle? Yeah her father made his name after his stint in the army and learning traditional medicine from his wife. But he turned old into new and his daughter will be taking over soon. She came up with the idea of creating machines that would change how medicine is done.

F**k! Now their conversation about papers made sense. Raygean had papers made to change Carol’s name. Carol needed someone not affiliated with James to do this and Raygean can get this done with little fuss. One good thing to know, the McKenna family is based in Seattle Washington. If Carol needs her papers to travel by air or other legal means, she’ll have to stop in Seattle to see her friend. It is a starting point. But that doesn’t mean it is the end. No, it is just a lead.

Mikhail drank his vodka and looked at James who was sipping a whiskey drink. Comparing notes, James told Mikhail how his grandma set up her will and that Carol is now set for life with his grandma’s personal wealth. She has two degrees, one in business and the other in nursing. That she has three brothers but doesn’t know them. He met her at her university, he was visiting a friend and she came up and punched said friend. Something about hurting a friend and ruining her.

ames didn’t care to remember what was said. Just that he liked how she was strong spirited and took no one's crap. Mikhail shared his findings about Travis and Ray and the conclusion he came up with.

James wanted to put people to watch the McKenna people and their coming and going. However Mikhail informed him that Mr. McKenna was really good about staying under the radar and only letting people see/hear what he wants them to hear. That no one knew he had TWO kids until his boy was diagnosed with cancer, which caused his daughter to be brought to the spotlight. Even having them tailed he would know and within hours know who it was. McKenna can be a good ally or a dangerous enemy.

If James wanted information they had, he had to go to them and ask. The family may not be mafia, but they were up there in standing with all the mafia families.

Mikhail was reading over everything Carol wrote; the list for James' new secretary, her letter, both NDA’s and the divorce papers. He had to admit that Carol knows what she is doing and she knows a lot. From what he is reading he could tell that she is very observant and with no real complaints from James other than her mouth, she is quiet.

Putting the papers on the table in front of him he looked at James and asked “If this was a contract marriage and all that. Why go through the trouble of looking for her? It sounds like she is giving you what you want. What would you get from dragging her back?”

Which made James think, why did he want her back? Besides a drunken night he doesn’t remember he didn’t sleep with his wife. Until recently they worked together but she left and generously made a list for the new person, simultaneously making a new NDA that covered his a** from meeting his parents to her death. Whether they stayed together or not, she won't say a word. With all that in mind, why DID he want her back? They both got what they wanted from the marriage and her letter was sound.

She wants a family and he doesn't. “I don’t know why I want her back. You’re right, she settled everything legally and soundly to where she isn’t needed and I can find a more fitting bride. I think it wrangles me because she initiated it and not me. My top lawyer says this divorce decree is sound and legal. I would be a fool to turn it down. However, she asked for this before my grandma’s will was read. She didn’t know she was inheriting anything, so why ask for only her wages she earned working in the company?”

Mikhail isn’t sure if James was asking him that question or just speaking his mind. However before anything else was said or done, George came into the office and saw the two men drinking. He looked from Mikhail to his son and asked “What is going on? Did we make a lucrative deal?”

James grew annoyed but replied “No father, we were discussing something. What do you mean we? I run the company and not you. Grandpa didn’t trust you in the company after you messed up and almost had us all killed. What do you want?”

George grew red and was about to shout at his son when he noticed the papers on the table that Mikhail put down, the top one in big bold letters saying ‘divorce agreement’ and he lost his mind. “What did that little witch demand now? More money, stocks or social standing? Well I won't allow it, tell her she is getting nothing!”

This just made Mikhail annoyed FOR Carol and he coldly said “Did you not have her phone bugged? Did you not see this happening? Should you not know what was said between her and the lawyer?”

Which made George turn a little white, but he pushed through stubbornly. “That gold digging wh**e will not get anything more from this family than what she cond an old lady out of her money.”

For some reason this made Mikhail more furious with George. Why was he getting upset with George over a woman? He didn’t care and stood up and addressed him “You obviously don’t know your own daughter-in-law. That is ok, she will be well cared for by her friend. By the way, she didn’t want anything but her wages she earned while working for your son. Everything else she left. If you both will excuse me, I have a flight to catch.”

With that Mikhail strolled out of the office leaving father and son alone in the office. James didn’t want to deal with his father and kicked him out. He sat there for a long time looking at the papers Carol left him and thought about the couple years of marriage. He barely knew his wife, her interests or dislikes. Barely knew his in-laws, didn’t want to know them either.

Now that he knows his grandma had power over his inheritance and not his father made sense. He doesn’t need her to get everything, hell he doesn’t need his grandma’s wealth. Like his grandma said in her will, the Robington family money can get him by and he can always make more.

Then he remembered his grandma left him a letter too. He went over to his desk and pulled the letter out of the drawer he stuffed it in. For some reason, it made him apprehensive and nervous. Did he really want to read his grandma’s last words? The words of an old lady, did they really mean anything? Still he opened it and started reading.

Dearest James,

By the time you read this letter, I have been buried already. I know you grandson, something happened and you just remembered my letter. I bet you never really were going to read this letter. But here you are. Listen to me well my boy. Life is not always about being bigger, meaner or richer. I know your grandfather told you differently. But it isn’t true.

You used to dream of creating some wondrous things. Cracking secrets and codes like you were a pirate looking for lost treasure. Your grandfather snuffed that out of you. All because of your fathers bad choices. My boy, be angry all you want. However your father made choices because a rival family of Mr. Sokolov found out I saved his life. He wanted me to suffer. Having to watch my son go mad because both his brother and I were threatened. Yes James, I had two boys, not one. We were both taken and held in separate locations. I didn’t know until I was rescued and told everything. I thought my son was in the other room.

They left a monitor in the room I was held in so I could watch your father go mad and my youngest who just finished high school be tortured. The other family kept telling me this is what happens when I mess with the families and interfere in business. That I had to pay for the crime of saving a life of a man who wasn’t part of my family. I was held there for a long time, my boy. It was Sokolov’s father who managed to find us both. But only one of us could be saved. There weren’t many guards around me. The other family wasn’t afraid of me and figured one woman wasn’t going to give them trouble. Your uncle even being tortured fought, so most of their resources were on him. When they realized there was a raid on the building I was held at, they put a bullet in his head.

I was saved, yes. However I lost a piece of me that day I watched my son hit the floor dead. Your grandfather too lost a piece of himself too. He went a little mad once I was deemed safe and went on a mission with Sokolov’s people. He came back weeks later with no soul. He told me he got revenge on the other family, there wasn’t much left of them. For some reason I wasn’t comforted by this. There is always one survivor and that person will always carry what happened to them to their grave. The feud isn’t over, but don’t make your fathers grief harder. After your uncle was murdered he was forced to the family business. This wasn’t the life he wanted, remember that.

Now, Carol is a sweet girl. I know everything about the arranged marriage. You were clever and sneaky, but I have been in this lifestyle a long time. Nothing can be done without me knowing. I also know, she more than likely divorced you. My boy, do not trample her wants and dreams like your grandfather trampled not only your fathers but yours too. Your grandfather had his reasons and I do not fault him for it, just learn from his mistakes and not continue the cycle. Her people believe that their ancestors never truly leave them, that their spirits still roam the land. So I will take a page out of her peoples book. I will come by from time to time and check in on you, I love you my grandson.

With love,

Grandma Jenn

James put the letter down and thought long and hard about his choices. About the letter he just finished, how he has been treating his father for years. He thought for so long that it was break of dawn when he looked up. Finally, he decided after a nap he’ll call up Mr. Baker and schedule a time to meet. It is time to end the charade once and for all. Maybe even branch out and do the things he once dreamed of doing.

Maybe his grandma wasn’t so crazy after all. Maybe all of this was the wake up call they all needed.