“And, what of it, boss?” Andrei asked.
Vasily picked up a mail opener from the desk, and fiddled with the dull knife. He spun the tip against the pad of his index finger as he spoke again. “You have to understand the way the Italians work, especially one like Alberto Gallucci. A man like him understands the value and weight of a proper apology.”
Kaz’s irritation jumped a notch.
His father seemed entirely unfazed by what had happened to Ruslan the night before as he set the letter opener down, and picked up his phone. Swiping at the screen, Vasily passed it a look before turning it off and setting it back down with a nod.
“And while I would usually send out a message of my own after something like this happens, I have chosen not to this time,” Vasily said, eyeing each man, but lingering a little while longer on Kaz when he finally came to him.
It was like his father knew the rebuttal was right on the tip of his tongue.
“Do you have an opinion on that, Kazimir?” Vasily asked.
Kaz kept his cool demeanor firmly in place. “I have an opinion on my brother being attacked, yes.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
That was the only answer Kaz was willing to offer.
His nonresponse to his father stretched on for a long while until Vasily let out a heavy, annoyed breath and rested back in his large chair.
“I have reason to believe the attack was misguided, and appropriate action will be taken,” Vasily informed.
“By whom?” Kaz dared to ask.
Vasily smiled. “Men who understand the value and weight of an apology. Only if I do not receive what I want, then I will revisit this discussion and Ruslan’s attack again.”
Kaz didn’t like that statement at all, but what could he say?
His father made the calls.
And if, after everything was said and done, and nothing happened to Ruslan’s attackers, Kaz could always handle the issue himself. If he felt the punishment he might receive for doing so would be worth the reward in the end.
Vasily drummed his fingers to the desk and said, “For the next little while, I want everyone to be careful and quiet about business. Be mindful of the territory we have, as there is no need to begin pushing against someone else’s lines when we are perfectly capable of working within our own. At least until the dust settles, and I have gotten what I wanted.”
Kaz cocked a single brow. “And what is that?”
Vasily didn’t answer.
No one else seemed to want to question the Pakhan on his decisions, or what was really going on. Kaz was left to the task.
“What exactly are we waiting for?” Kaz asked.
Picking his phone up again, Vasily turned the screen on and checked it. He then placed it back to the desk before clasping his hands together and looking straight up at his son.
“A message.”
Violet hugged her bomber jacket a little tighter when the wind picked up. She usually enjoyed walking around her parents’ large property because it was so quiet and calm. Over the years, her father had several different landscapers come in and add pathways, small bridges, and seating areas throughout the many acres of wooded property behind the mansion.
It was the peaceful place in her otherwise hectic life. There were no rushing cars, beeping horns, or hordes of people all around when she strolled through the woods.
Just her, the trees, and rustling leaves.
She could remember being maybe seven or eight before her father finally allowed her to walk the pathways by herself without someone supervising her. But even then, Violet knew there had been someone watching. Alberto never let his young children go unattended for very long, not with who he was and his position.
“Come back here, Olly!” Violet shouted as a flash of beige hair disappeared around a turn.
A few seconds later, the dog trotted right back like he had been told. It was one of the only things the Golden Retriever had going for him—he listened. Olly was Carmine’s dog, and while Violet mostly tried to avoid her brother, she did like Olly a lot. He was a good companion to walk with, but today he was restless and kept running ahead of Violet.
That wasn’t like the dog.
Usually, he would stay right at her side, no matter what.
It was one of the many demands Alberto had made when Carmine got the dog just after his twenty-first birthday. Their father made it clear that if the dog was going to come and go from his home when Carmine was busy or out of town, then Olly needed training, and he needed to listen to commands.
Carmine agreed. Alberto allowed Olly to come and go from the Gallucci mansion after one year of constant training with a professional dog trainer.
Violet took a seat on a wicker bench, keeping a hold on Olly’s collar as his head lifted high and he sniffed the air again. She didn’t want him bolting off. God knew if he did and didn’t come back, Carmine would blame her.
It wasn’t even her responsibility to look after his damn dog.