Chapter 3: No.2 Pencil

Alexander dipped his head in understanding before snapping his fingers toward Rowan. “Down boy.” Volkov said with a half-amused smirk and Rowan folded his arms across his chest as he stepped back behind his boss. “Good boy.” Vic mused through pursed lips and Volkov tsked at her quip. “Careful Miss Bura, Rowan will top you in rank.” he finished, and Rowan rolled his shoulders with a primal lust in his eyes. “Gimme half an excuse to pull rank on you sweet ass, I promise you will be begging for-,” Volkov snapped his fingers, and Rowan instantly clapped his lips shut but never took his predatory stare from Vic. 

                Vic tipped her head to the side with a lazy expression. “His threats don’t bother me Mr. Volkov, men have been threatening to do far more creative things to me since I was about thirteen, your lap dog doesn't scare me.” she finished and watched interest spark in all three men’s eyes. “I like your direct approach and unwillingness to be intimidated by my standings Miss Bura.” Alexander stated and Vic rose from the desktop before motioning toward the large overstuffed burgundy chair. “I'm pretty sure the boss sits over here, and please, don't call me Miss Bura, Vic is more than acceptable.” she said and moved to the side as Alexander slowly walked toward the plush leather throne of the Bura empire and deposited himself into it.

Vic watched silently as Alexander ran his thick olive tone fingers over the decadent surface of the desk. “Doesn’t it bother you that your father wasted his money on fancy office trinkets instead of sending his daughter for a proper education?” the brute name Rocco chimed in, and Vic only answered him by rolling her eyes while letting her top lip curl in disgust.   Rocco approached Vic quickly, but she never took her eyes off Alexander, who continued to silently inspect the desk and its contents.  “How is it you plan to procure my services now that my father is gone Mr. Volkov? I assure you the promise of continuing in the family business holds no appeal to this dumb country pig farmer.” she said with a bit of sarcastic venom to her voice. As Alexander slowly looked toward her, Vic flexed the taught muscles in her biceps and forearms as Rocco’s frame tried to crowd her space. Although Vic’s body went stiff and she straightened her spine she did not move or give Rocco even the pleasure of her attention, once more eliciting the interested eyebrow of Alexander Volkov.

Volkov waited a few minutes before he spoke. “Vic tell me honestly; how well do you think your brother will do here once my family takes over?” he asked and waited for Vic’s eyes to dilate with the unsung threat he was issuing. Vic swallowed hard and shook her head slightly, attempting to shake off the building anxiety.               It wasn’t that Vic thought she owed her father or her brother any sort of protection but her mother’s dying wish had been for her to watch out for her younger brother and protect him anyway she could. Vic rolled the ever-tightening muscles in her neck and shoulders before sucking her tongue against her teeth in an audible act of irritation. “My brother is a big boy, Mr. Volkov. He can take care of himself.” she stated and was met immediately with laughter flowing from all three bodies. “You mean the uptight twerp we just met right? Not some other brother you have stashed away some place?” Rowan cackled but Vic did not respond. She kept her eyes locked on Volkov who met her stone-cold gaze with his own.

“Vic,” he purred slowly, “you know better than any of us ever will how your brother is going to take the news of his legacy being pulled right out from under him.” Volkov tilted his head to the side, mocking her, but Vic kept her composure. “I plan to offer him a place in Volkova Security. How does he fare with a blade?” Alexander’s dark eyes shone bright while he taunted the strong stoic woman standing above him. “Of course, he will need training to gain entry and there is a chance he could have a tragic accident during one of our more vigorous expeditions.” Volkov let the weight of his words hang in the air as he watched Vic’s shoulders fold in on themselves ever so slightly as she exhaled. 

Vic tried not to let her panic show as her heart began to hammer against her ribcage. Sure, her brother knew what went on behind the scenes of being a family of Polish immigrants who went from simple pig farmers to the only cleaning company the extremely wealthy and dangerously powerful would do business with. But Phillip had never had the stomach for any work outside of an office and had never held anything more dangerous than a number two pencil.  Vic clasped her hands together in front of herself and tilted her chin upward defiantly. “Mr. Volkov, if my brother's dead body was worth anything to you, as you said yourself, that could have been taken care of from the comfort of your own home.” she quipped and watched as the fiery interest in Alexander Volkov’s eyes began to turn into more than a slight annoyance. 

Vic’s heart pounded in her head as she watched a slight tick form in Volkov’s jaw. The man placed his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together as he closed his eyes. He sat in complete silence for what Vic would have sworn was an hour, but the ticking clock only moved a handful of seconds before he spoke. “Rocco, bring me the very green junior Bura.” he quipped, like asking for a stapler. Before Vic could open her mouth, Rocco was jogging down the hall. “He’s wasting his time. Phillip is long gone-” Vic’s statement died in the back of her throat as the sound of screeching tires followed by broken glass. The shrill melody of her brother begging whispered into the silent office building. Vic stood as stoic and unmoving as possible while she watched Rocco drag her brother down the hallway like a wet puppy, while the grown man embarrassed himself by kicking and screaming the entire time. 

“Does he always look like a wet rat playing dress up?” Rowan blurted. Vic found herself choking on a laugh despite the seriousness of the situation. “Since the day he was born.” Vic mumbled, surprising both Volkov and Rowan. “Here ya go boss.” Rocco almost chirped as he dropped Phillip in front of the desk, causing the younger man to grunt as his body folded to the floor. Vic closed her eyes and begged her brother with her mind to just stand up and agree with whatever Volkov wanted. She knew her brother too well though and as anticipated, the moment Phillips' lips started moving, he started digging a deeper hole. 

As Phillip pulled himself from the ground, he dusted off his suit and straightened his thin frail looking shoulders. “Mr. Volkov, I have several meetings that must be met for my father’s business to continue, and your bodyguard here needs to be taught a few lessons in manners.” he chirped without looking toward Rocco or even acknowledging his presence.  Alexander sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he exhaled. “Mr. Bura I am going to say this to you once and then, if need be, Rocco will repeat it for me.” Volkov motioned toward Rocco and as Phillip turned to look at the man who had retrieved him, Rocco simply let a lazy smile play at the side of his mouth as he nodded in Phillip’s direction. 

Phillip took a sidestep away from Rocco and almost ran into Rowan, who tilted his head to the side with a vicious gleam in his eye. “Mr. Bura, if you had waited a few more minutes to make your hasty retreat, you would have learned what your sister just has.” Alexander said with no humor lacing his tone. Phillip spun in a circle, almost panting with anxiety as he waited for someone to speak. Vic licked her lips trying not to chew on them. Her younger brother had never done well under pressure. Unfortunately, their father had indulged Phillips' childish behavior, turning what could have been a stoic asset with nerves of steel into a shivering chihuahua barking and whimpering every time he didn't get his way. “Flip, chill.” Vic blurted, unable to manage the amount of fidgeting and stuttering her brother was currently doing. 

Alexander was surprised enough by her outburst that his shoulders jolted at her sudden bark, but he said nothing, so Vic began to exhale as her brother settled into an annoyed calm.

“You are excused Victoria.” Phillip ground out. Vic rolled her eyes and began to move Volkov raised an open palm toward Vic, causing her to halt as intended. “Mr. Bura, you are no longer in a position to make such demands.” Volkov declared. Vic did her best to hide the glee she suddenly felt as she watched the wheels in her brother's head grind to a stop. “I’m sorry Mr. Volkov, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Phillip managed to squeeze out between nervous laughs as his eyes darted around the room. Alexander leaned back in his chair but kept his posture so straight it looked almost unnatural. “Have you bothered to look over any of your fathers last wishes, or speak to his attorney?” Volkov asked. Although Phillip began stuttering through his answer, Vic already knew it to be a resounding “No”. She had asked him the very same thing. At the time, Phillip had laughed in her face, telling her that neither of them needed to worry about it because everything in their father’s life had revolved around them, so the technicalities of his death wouldn't be something they needed to worry about. 

Vic rolled her eyes and shifted her weight from one foot to the other as Phillip tripped over himself attempting to talk his way out of a situation. He barely had any cognitive comprehension of. “Just fucking tell him no Phil, for fuck’s sake.” she almost grunted and earned an almost pleasing smirk from Rocco as her brother’s mouth stopped wagging. Vic looked at Alexander Volkov and bowed her head slightly. “I apologize Mr. Volkov, my brother had a slight stammer when we were younger, and it rears its little head when he is nervous.” she explained. Even though she could feel the Mafia leader's disinterest in her brother's personal life, she hoped to buy Phillip a little more time to come to his senses.  Alexander turned the enormous chair he sat in to face Vic and rested his elbows on the overstuffed arms with his fingertips touching, covering his mouth and nose, giving just the illusion of his piercing brown gaze. “Your father owed me a substantial amount of money, Mr. Bura.” Volkov began and to Vic’s absolute horror her brother barked back. “I’m sure that's a matter for accounting to take care of. I don’t see what that has to do with-.” Phillip did not finish his sentence. As Alexander snapped his fingers, Rocco immediately dropped low to the floor and swept his leg in an outward motion, pulling the whining young man’s legs out from under him and dropping him to the floor.  Vic watched with hooded interest as Rocco’s large, almost too bulky frame moved with the grace of a rattlesnake, coiled, and waiting to strike at the slightest movement.

“How fucking dare you, do you know who-” Phillip began and again, Volkov snapped his fingers. Rocco reached out with an open hand and slapped the man still sitting on the floor across the face with enough force to cause small droplets of blood and drool to pepper the freshly polished white floor. Vic’s thigh muscles noticeably flexed along with the ribboned muscles in her forearms as she fought her own instincts to jump to her brother's aid. Vic swallowed as she watched both her brother and Alexander with slow but consistent shifting of her eyes. She exhaled a little louder than she wanted to as Phillip seemed to catch the hint and just closed his now bloody mouth as he sat there on the floor, suddenly unsure of what it is he should or shouldn't do. 

Volkov looked toward Phillip with the same displeasure a father might look at their son after watching them throw themselves on the ground in a fit. “If you had spoken to your fathers executor, or to my attorneys when they contacted you after his memorial service, you would be well aware of the circumstances surrounding your father’s death and the ownership status of the Bura Brothers Cleaning Service, along with the family swine facilities.” he said accusingly and Phillip didn't move. He continued to sit on the floor with his head between his knees, bleeding and sniveling incoherently. Vic’s irritation at her brother was slowly growing into a heated rage and as she squeezed her arms together over her chest, resembling a coiling snake she spoke as calmly as possible to the man in charge of the entire environment. “May I speak to my brother?” she almost hissed and was slightly surprised to find a smirk cross Volkov’s statuesque features before he waved an open offering hand toward Phillip.

Vic grunted her appreciation and clenched her hands into fists before dropping her arms to her sides and marching toward her brother, who still sat whimpering on the floor. As she approached Phillip looked up at her with a hopeful look in his eye and the last thread popped holding Vic’s composure into place. The well-built female grabbed the lipstick red silk tie her brother was wearing and hauled him from the ground with one hand before she proceeded to punch him in the face twice then dropped him to the floor. Vic exhaled her rage with a few forced ragged breaths, “You stupid little shit. We could have known this entire time that the Volkov family now owns dad’s legacy. We could have been long gone by the time they got here but you thought what? Was talking to the lawyer beneath you? What about me Phil? What about what I’m supposed to do now? Did you ever think about anyone but you?” Vic was almost screaming at her brother who was only weeping pathetically while he held his face. “You knocked out my teeth,” he whimpered and showed Vic a handful of blood with a few little white bits floating in the center of his hand. Vic only snorted her disgust before she turned away from her brother and was met with the very interested stare of not just Volkov but the undivided more than predatory stare of Rowan and Rocco. 

Alexander Volkov stood and silently walked around the desk until he stood next to Vic, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. “I left my number for you at the front desk. My offer is this- you will either employ your services to me or I will take them from your brother. Either I will turn him into an obedient dog, or you will come when called.”  Vic’s only answer was to tuck her chin against the center of her chest as Volkov and his two goons calmly walked past her, out of the office, and toward the exit. Vic let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and looked down at her brother. Phillip looked up at her, still holding his blood-soaked teeth in his hand. “Help me.” he mumbled, and Vic squeezed her eyes shut as the nausea of the decision she was about to make gnawed its way through the last of her willpower and she took off running. She ran out of the office and down the hall to reception where a pretty young woman she had never seen before sat typing with an almost possessed feverishness. “Do you have a number for me?” Vic asked and without even looking her way the young women slid a folded sheet of paper over the desk in her direction and smiled, never taking her eyes from the computer screen. “Welcome to Volkova Ms. Bura, the boss will be pleased to hear from you.” she chirped and as Vic tucked the paper into her pocket, she headed back upstairs toward the gym she was going to miss more than air.