Chapter 18 18

Chapter 18 18

The moment he stepped out of Katerina’s room, Dimitri headed straight for Ivan’s study room. After receiving permission from the guards, he walked in.

Ivan was tucking away the mini portrait back into a drawer when he entered.

“Uncle” he called out.

“Ivan, how are you holding up” Dimitri said, noting the faint scars that were beginning to fade.

“I am doing well. Just need a few more days and I’d be back on my feet” Ivan responded.

“Alright. So, I come back and there’s another hit”

“These recent attack has become very suspicious,”

“You must also agre that it comes with the territory” Dimitri asserted.

“Agreed, but we need to tighten security. We don’t want to be perceived as weak or afraid” Ivan said.

Rising to join his uncle, Ivan said “Not just that Uncle…not just that. We are going to hit back.”

“Hit back?“

“Yes,they’ve gotten away with several hits, this time, we send a message, we hit them back and they wouldn’t see it coming” Ivan replied sternly.

Dimitri paced around a bit then stopped, folding his hand at the back. “ That’s dangerous talk. Your father never answered with blood. He tightened security, replaced men when necessary and kept the peace”

“And where did that get him? Ivan snapped.
“He is lying in his grave while a large number of his enemies still breathe just because he was too scared to fight back”

“Your father was a lot of things, but definitely not scared. He just was patient and strategic” Dimitri replied almost immediately.

“Well I am not my father. I wouldn’t wait until there’s a knife at my throat before i strike back. Or…wait…there was actually a gun to my head a few days ago” Ivan said.

“Uncle, I would have been gone. In the same house that my father was killed and do nothing about it? No…no!. About tightening security, yes, we need to do that. But that’s just won’t do at all”

“So what are you going to do” Dimitri asked.

“We’d hire more men from CSA, trained and efficient men. We’d also get some men from Roderigo. The whole estate would be fully protected by these men.”

“I’d contact Roderigo” Dimitri said

“Yes, that would be perfect. We’d also double up on CCTV, sweep the perimeter for blind spots, and put rotating patrols on twenty four hour shifts. I’ll go to see Dominic in a few days. We will make arrangements, then we send a message” He pressed his hand on the table. “This is war and anyone who dares cross into our lines would be taken care of.”

“We also have to be careful, considering we have family here, Yelena… your wife “

“Katerina” he corrected.

Dimitri smiled.

“I must warn you Ivan, rebelling against attacks isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s way complicated”

“And hiding isn’t? Uncle, you’ve seen these attacks. You’ve seen how brutal our enemies can get. What if the next time, it’s Yelena they come for “

Dimitri sat up, his statement making him visibly uncomfortable.

“We sure can’t let that happen. We can’t let our guards down this time. We’ve gotta do better.”

Dimitri finally nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the study door opened and the head of guards walked in.

“Boss” He saluted.

“Summon all the guards to the meeting room.”

“Right away Boss” He said gently

“Now!” Ivan ordered. He hurried out.

“About the attack, were you able to gather anything on them?” Dimitri asked.

“No, it was reported that the man Katerina knocked out, took his own life right after an interrogation. They couldn’t even get anything from him, not a name, not a lead. Too bad I wasn’t fit, I’d have beaten the truth out of him myself.”

“Getting them to talk can be pretty hard”

“Thinking about it, I remember seeing something on the one I shot, a tattoo on his right arm.”

“What tatoo?” Dimitri asked.

“Some snake inside a woman’s mouth” Ivan replied.

Dimitri shifted uneasily and Ivan noticed the change in his expression.

“Have you ever seen that tatoo somewhere ” Ivan couldn’t help but ask.

Dimitri shook his head “Never seen it”

“We should go check it out,“ Ivan said. “I asked Felix to bring out the bodies so we could take a look at it, hopefully get a clue.

“Was that tatoo on the other man’s arm? Dimitri questioned.

“There’s only one way to find out Uncle,” Ivan said.

Ivan grabbed his dark shades and Dimitri accompanied him. They went outside of the house and walked to a secluded area of the estate, an abandoned space. Ivan dialed a number as they approached. A young man with tattooed body and a cigarettes hanging from his lip opened the metal door.

“Felix” Ivan greeted. “We want to see the bodies”

“All prepared for you to see,” Felix said leading them in, his Russian accent thick.

Ivan and Dimitri walked in. It was an abandoned place, with several tools and weapons lined on the table and wall. It was dimly lit, reeking of antiseptic and death. It was somewhat a mortuary. Felix pulled the covers up. Dimitri’s eyes widened as though he had seen something familiar but Ivan didn’t notice.

“There.. ” Ivan pointed to the tatoo “That’s it, the tattoo” Ivan paying close attention to the bodies. He leaned closer, the second body had the same mark, matching tattoos but on different spots.

“Matching tattoos, same boss” Ivan said.

“Yes” Dimitri managed to speak after being stunned for minutes.

“Fake IDs, absolutely nothing on them, it’s like they never existed.Felix said.

Ivan signaled for the covers to be put back on as they turned to leave.

“Boss” Felix called out exhaling a cloud of smoke.“Can I have a word?”

“Uncle, I’d be right with you shortly” Ivan said.

Dimitri nodded and stepped aside.

Felix lowered his voice “I saw the way he looked at the bodies, he recognized the tattoos” Felix said.

“What? No! My uncle? I doubt that”

“I watched him while you were looking at the bodies”

Ivan was shocked and tried to make sense of what Felix was saying.

“Just be careful and alert, in this world no one is your friend. Just looking out for you” Felix said.

“Thanks man” they exchanged handshakes.
“So what to do with the bodies now?” Felix asked.

“Burn them” Ivan said on his way out



The place was full of guards, all in their uniforms and wearing hard, serious faces. They stood alert, waiting to be addressed by Ivan.

Ivan moved through the midst of them, the men greeted in unison. He got to the front, his footsteps echoing in the large room.

“Good day everyone “

“Good day sir”

“I am well aware of your selfless service to the Morozov‘s. I know some of you have served here for decades and some of you joined recently.“ he paused letting his words settle.

The room was dead silent.

“The legacy of the Morozov stands because people like you have devoted your life and your time to ensuring that we are protected and guarded. “

Another pause, he scanned the room.

“In the current days, the attacks on the estate have escalated with the spacing of the timeframe lesser than usual. Hence war has been declared.”

“War has been declared” They all echoed.

“As you all know, I was attacked a few days ago. These men killed some of our guards, your brothers. We cannot afford to sit back doing nothing, we cannot afford to let their lives go to waste, hence we are going to fight back”

They all echoed “We are going to fight back”

“We’d have more men join the team, some of you would be transferred to other Morozov’s locations. What this means is, if you as much smell a rat that doesn't bear the Morozov's name, trying to sneak in, what do you do?”

“Kill it?”

“What do you do?”

“Kill it! “

He let the affirmation fill the room for a bit.
“Loyalty will be rewarded. Higher pay, better quarters and leave granted only when I say.

The men rejoiced.
“We’re also upgrading surveillance: cameras, doubled night patrols. For the rest of you that will remain here, we’d bring in a new team to train you. This is not to say that you are not good enough. Rather this is to prepare you all for the war that’s coming” Ivan paused.

“ Starting tomorrow,you'll all train with the new teams at dawn. Bring your kit, report to the east gate at 0500.” Ivan said sternly.
Ivan’s gaze swept the room again.

“You represent the Morozov’s, it’s time to start acting like it. From this moment, there’s no room for weakness, no space for hesitation. You stand for a legacy built in blood and loyalty. Anyone who crosses that line…” he paused, his voice cold, “won’t live to regret it. If there’s a traitor among us, I want him found before he finds us.”

“Yes sir” they all screamed with determination…