"Never, Pakhan. I would never do anything to hurt you or the organization. You have my loyalty and respect, always."
Glazov relaxed back in his chair, nodding his approval. "Good … then you will indulge your lust for the flames on the jobs I give you. If you get the itch, then take a trip out to the fire pit. I'm not fucking around, Bazarnik. I will be watching you. Do not disappoint me."
Glazov turned his attention to the other man. "Viggo, you are here because my usual cleaner, my daughter-in-law, is pregnant with my first grandchild and will be otherwise occupied for the foreseeable future. I have selected you to fill in for her because I cannot afford to sacrifice quality for such important work. Also, you are adept at flying under the radar. This is good. Bazarnik would do well to take a lesson from you in that regard."
Novak chuckled from his usual seat next to Glazov's desk. Bazarnik was one of the few people he liked but that didn't mean he was going to cut him any slack. Right now, Bazarnik was looking at Glazov to ensure the Pakhan knew he had his full attention. Looking away when the Pakhan was speaking was a sign of disrespect and Glazov was one of the few people Bazarnik feared. It didn't mean he wouldn't be thinking of ways to burn shit up though. Stopping his pyromaniac ways wasn't an option. It would just take some planning to do it in a way he wouldn't get his ass kicked or killed by the Pakhan.
Glazov cleared his throat and directed his attention to his laptop with a vague wave of his hand. "That is all. Go unpack and get settled in. You'll both be staying in the guest wing." All the better to keep an eye on you …
Novak waited until both men were out of the office and the door was closed before he spoke. "You really think Bazarnik will be able to control his need to burn shit up?"
"He'll control it but not stop completely. He'll just find a way to do it that's acceptable. He looks tough but he is scared of me."
"Everybody's fucking scared of you."
"As well they should be. Anyway … we have other situations that need attention." He smiled to himself as he thought of the scene in his office earlier that day, when he had encountered a very sexy, very tipsy Kathleen rummaging through the contents of the safe.
In hindsight, his impulse to test the rarely-used security cameras in his private suite of rooms had certainly yielded unexpected rewards. He was still reeling from a heady sense of déjà vu when she blew a kiss at the camera. The sight of her curvy ass in the air as she reached for one stack of documents after another had been too hard to resist. She still fascinated him and kept him guessing.
"Do I even want to ask?" Novak sighed, recognizing the obsessive look that always came over Glazov at the thought of his wife.
"Well, it does bring me to my next point. Today I came home to the singular view of my wife going through my safe."
Novak laughed out loud at that. "I swear, she and Katrina are cut from the same cloth. Nosey as hell."
"Your wife's a reporter, she's supposed to be nosey. Anyway," he continued with a smirk, "when I … inquired … "
Another guffaw from Novak, who proceeded to rest his elbow on the arm of his chair and shake his head as he tapped a finger on his bottom lip. "Have I ever told you how much I love the fact that you ended up with a woman who never stops fucking with you? Let's face it, somebody needs to do it. I cannot wait to hear this."
"Yes, well, I was shocked to find out she was looking for information on our family-mainly, my father."
"I hope you told her what an asshole the guy was."
"It came up in conversation. The possibility that I might have a brother came up, too."
"That son of a bitch isn't your brother. I'm more of a brother than he is." Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Novak was a little territorial when it came to Glazov. They had been through a lot. He knew Glazov needed someone he could trust without question, and he had paid the price to be the Pakhan's right-hand man. No one was going to take that from him. They'd have to step over his cold, dead body because he would never let their bond of brotherhood be severed any other way.
"You are my only brother, Novak. No matter how many illegitimate children my father may have sired, nothing will change that fact. He's the reason I don't tolerate my men fucking around on their wives. The single men can fuck the whores as much as they want, as long as they protect themselves and aren't stupid about it. But marriage is sacred; affairs or trysts never lead to anything but trouble and betrayal. Because this is what happens," he said bitterly as he jabbed his index finger on the desk. "A ghost from the past comes back to haunt me, all because my father couldn't keep his dick in his pants. This is some fucked-up timing for this to be happening."