The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(166)

Katya was in her eighties and just five feet two. She had curly gray hair and for her age remarkably fresh looking skin. She was dressed in a flowery summer dress. Outside it was thirty-two degrees and inside the stuffy apartment, not much cooler.

Katya instinctively put her hands up in the air when Pavel pulled out a hand gun and pointed it at her. ''I am sorry to have to do this Katya. But your son is a disgrace. He is one of the richest people in New York, and he's left you living in this hovel. I need him to come home and see what he has done, and there's only one way to do that.''

''Why are you pointing a gun at me and why are you talking so badly about my boy. He's a good boy.''

Pavel ignored her and pulled out his cellphone. When he got up and put the gun to her head, Katja closed her eyes. Pavel dialed the number and waited.

''Hello,'' Abram said.

''Abram, Abram, there's a man here and he's going to kill me. Please help me,'' Katya cried into the phone.

''Abram, you've got two days to get your ugly ass back to Sochi or your mother gets a bullet,'' he said. He put the phone down.

*****

''And what the hell do you want?'' he man said as he looked through the peephole in the wooden door.

''My name is Pavel Beljakov. I'm an old comrade of Dimitry's brother, Nikolai.''

''So what, what do you want?''

''I want to speak to him about his brother.''

''Wait,'' the man said. Pavel was standing outside what looked like a Hacienda. It had high walls on all sides, and they were finished off with red tiles. After a couple of minutes, the maroon door opened, and Pavel saw a man holding a Kalashnikov. He was just about the largest man Pavel had ever seen. ''Follow me,'' he said.

Behind the walls, there was a magnificent ranch house, with white walls, a veranda and red roof tiles. The man showed Pavel inside. They walked to a central courtyard and through a door into a sitting room. Pavel had never seen so many cushions on the giant sofa, and he had certainly never seen a stag as big as the one that hung from the wall above the fireplace.

''Mr Beljakov, please take a seat, I'm Dimitry Ilyin. You wanted to talk about my brother?'

Pavel sat down on the sofa and looked at him. He was about the same size as his brother had been, six five. He also had blonde hair and blue eyes just like Nikolai.

''I know what happened to Nikolai,'' Pavel said.

Dimitry sat down in an arm chair opposite him. ''I'm listening?''

''Before I begin can you perhaps tell me what you thought had happened to Nikolai?''

''All I know is that he didn't come back from Chechnya. His commanding officer Abram Volkov told me he had died at the hands of Chechen rebels when he'd become detached from his unit.''

''It's not true.''

''How do you know and who the hell are you?''

''I served with him in the 2nd Battalion.''

''Then tell me what happened to him?''

''Please remain calm when I tell you this.'' Dimitry nodded. ''He was shot by Abram Volkov.''

''What? How the hell do you know?'' Dimitry said as he jumped from his chair with his fists clenched.

''Nikolai was with me and some other comrades. It was the last night before we were due to leave for home. He and Abram were playing cards, and they were both pretty drunk.'' Pavel looked at Dimitry and thought he saw a tear in his eye. ''The sums they were betting were getting out of hand, and we told them to stop, but they didn't listen. Abram accused Nikolai of cheating and Nikolai got up and slugged him. He knocked him across the room, and Abram lost a tooth. Abram reached for his pistol and shot him. Just like that. No warning, nothing.''

Dimitry let out a roar that hurts Pavel's ears. ''And why did you keep silent about it for so many years?''

''We were all young and scared. Abram was well connected in the army and at home. He had some pretty powerful friends. It was brushed under the carpet, and we all went about rebuilding out lives.''

''Are you telling me, that but for Abram Volkov, my brother would have been alive today?''

''Yes, as I said it, was the evening before we were due to travel home.''

Dmitri got up and walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room. When he opened it, Pavel saw an arsenal of weapons he didn't like the look of. ''One more question before I make preparations to blow his head off. Why should I believe you?''

''Please come with me, if you would be so kind,'' Pavel said as he stood up and headed for the door. They crossed the courtyard again, and Dimitry nodded to the man to open the door. When they were on the street, Dimitry saw two men leaning against his wall. ''Alexander, Sergei, come over here,'' Pavel shouted. The two men dropped their cigarettes and stamped on them. ''Would you please tell this man who killed Nikolai.''

''Abram Volkov,'' they said in unison.

Pavel handed Dimitry a note. He looked at it. ''What is this?'' he said.

The address at which you will find Abram Volkov. He is on his way over from the USA. Please give him a day or so. And if I may make one request.'' Dimitry nodded. ''Please do not harm Katya, his mother.''