CHAPTER 65 — ZEDEKIAH GREEN

Despite the frustration and desire to stand up and confront my father-in-law for everything he put my daughter through, a part of me, as a father, understands his irresponsible attitude of wanting to strengthen Faina.

He turned his weakness into strength!

Her words resonate in my mind.

— Alright, you can sit down. — she says, finishing enjoying the snack Noah prepared for her.

— What I can't understand is why you still doubted Dad, if everything was in that file that your daughter sent to steal from us. — Heros observes, settling into the armchair in front of the larger sofa, where Faina, her father and Noah are. — At least the majority. In the archive, Dostoevsky was confessing everything; the video Zedekiah got that night was on the flash drive.

— There was no video on the pen drive, just files with the dates of the shipments, the locations, and the quantities that existed before and after the robberies — Petrov responds.

— There really wasn't any video — Faina says.

— And where is that flash drive now? He asks her.

— It was Andrey, he, who bought one of the henchmen who guarded the house to steal the files from my room. — she turns to him. — As the pen drive was in his hand, he may have deleted the video.

— Vladimir, he must have asked his son to destroy the evidence that would incriminate him. — Noah says from behind her.

—That's why he insisted on sending Andrey after you. — Pyotr, concludes — Without proof, there is nothing that tells me the opposite of what Vladimir told me. — He stares at us.

— Yes, he has. I have a copy of the video saved on my computer — I say, getting up and going to the backpack that is in the same place I left it before running after Faina.

Bringing it back, I'm grateful that it still has battery power when I turn it on. Sitting back on the couch, I search for the video and when I find it, I turn the screen to it, turning up the volume.

The images unfold on the screen. Faina gets closer to her father, leaving between Noah's legs, and pays attention to the video. I already know everything that happened in it. We've seen him a million times.

“I know everything, Dostoevsky, I know that you are stealing the shipments I send to Pyotr.”

“And what is your evidence against me? Do you really believe that Pyotr would trust you over me? I who was raised like your older brother?”

“Big brother?”

My father laughed, infuriating Dostoevsky.

“Who inherited the right to run the mafia, you or Pyotr?”

My father laughed again.

“Shut up! Still, I'm family and you're not. And you know what? Yes, I was the one who did all this, and the best thing is that the blame will be on you!”

“Not when I have evidence that incriminates you. What do you think Pyotr will do when he finds out that the guy he considers a brother, who grew up alongside him, is stealing and sabotaging his cargo?”

“Currently, he already knows that you are responsible. You think I didn't know you sent one of your people to watch me? As soon as I found out, I had to kill him, of course, although it was too late, as he managed to give you everything.”

— He manipulated the recording he made, cutting out some parts and showing only lines that suggested that the culprit was really Christopher. — Pyotr says, looking at my laptop screen.

“I always knew you were behind all of this. So I got ahead of myself and told Pyotr that I had discovered that you were the traitor. Do you know what he answered me? So that I could take care of you because I couldn’t bear to look at your face.”

“I don't believe anything you say. I know Pyotr; If he had a problem with me, he would come and confront me in person. You won't deceive me or turn us against each other, since that's what you always wanted. He never supported my friendship with Pyotr and was against our alliance from the beginning.”

“Well, since you don’t believe me, let me show you.”

Now, Vladimir takes a second cell phone, which wasn't recording the conversation with my father, to manipulate everything for Pyotr, just as he did later. He shows another recording of the conversation he had with my father-in-law before he went after my father. In the audio, which is of poor quality, Pyotr agrees that Vladimir should go after the traitor, but does not mention that the traitor is my father. This was undoubtedly what Faina told us a few hours earlier.

— Son of a bitch! — Pyotr, run your hands through your hair — That scoundrel fooled us all. If he was still alive, I could kill him.

— The guy stabbed your pregnant daughter! The justification is more than enough for you to want to kill him if he were still alive. — Lohan says angrily.

— If I hadn't been tied to a chair, I would have done that and much more, including looking for him in hell to kill him again. — He responds with a fire in his eyes.

— Can we go back to focusing on the video? — Faina draws their attention back to the screen in front of her.

After my father's words and disappointment, the two physically confront each other, but Vladimir, like a coward, stabs my father in the stomach twice. Leaving him lying, his henchmen come in with gallons of gasoline and spread it around the place, setting it on fire with Dad still inside, fallen and alive.

These are memories and images that we would prefer not to revisit. Heros and Luther get up, walking back and forth across the room. Pyotr closes the notebook, running his hands over his face, while Faina wipes the tears that flow from her face. Noah caresses her shoulder tenderly.

— I can't believe I let myself be manipulated by a traitor all these years, I lost my best friend and I believed he was the real traitor. — I see his red, watery eyes — Christopher has always been a man of integrity, despite being a mobster. I shouldn't have doubted him so easily. I am truly sorry! — he tells us, while Faina holds his hand, squeezing it.

— Father, finally everything has come to an end. Now we know the truth. Christopher was always a good man and raised his children the same way, so it wasn't difficult to fall in love with them. The five of them may seem bad, but deep down they are good people and they love me. — she says, looking at us and smiling — And I love them too.

— I perceived. During the entire time I was with them, I noticed the affection and concern they all have for you. — he looks at her, stroking her hand — I also saw this in the warehouse during the fight; there was always one of them next to you, watching your every move in the midst of battle.

— We love her, Pyotr. And maybe that's why it was easy to let ourselves be fooled by her, because all we saw was just Faina. — I tell him, while my brothers nod from where they are.

— So, I think we should form a new alliance, since my grandchildren will have my blood and yours. — says Pyotr, and Faina jumps into his lap, hugging him tightly.

— Oh, daddy! I love you. I love you. Furthermore, I love you!!! —she exclaimed, covering him with kisses.

— But… — there had to be a “but”. That was too easy — She will come back with me to Russia and only live with you after you have a decent home. — he looks at the small cabin — And with a ring on her ring finger.

— Dad… — she tries to intervene, pointing to her already visibly rounded belly.

— And you think that pleases me? — he gives us a stern look, and we swallow hard — My daughter will not live and have her children as lovers of her babies' fathers. It's either that or there will be no alliance between us.

— I agree. — I shrug.

— Are you going to let me go? — she asks angrily.

— What are a day or two, if I can have you for life, love? — says Luther, winking at her.

—But I want to get married here because this is where I'm going to live. — she declares, fixing her gaze on her father.

— So, I will send Boris to get your mother and we will stay in a hotel until then. Until the wedding day, you will stay there with us. That's it, Faina. I don't care if you're already pregnant or not,” he states firmly.

— Two days for me to become real, Faina Green? — She bites her lip.

Fuck yes! I can't wait to make her mine again and be able to miss her.