Chapter 4: Russian oligarchs
1753 Words
Chapter 4
Sirens
New York, USA – October 2nd, 2020
“Why are you pretending like you don’t know her, Matteo?”
The question sends a shockwave through my body.
“I-“
“Is she not the girl who stayed over in May?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Then you know, that’s her family.”
“I didn’t know-“
“Didn’t you see her with Romeo at the theatre?”
“I did.”
“So when I asked you why you want to know who the man is, you lied.”
“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you that I also I wanted to know because she’s her father.”
“Why do you care if he’s her father? That doesn’t change who he is.”
“Who is he then?”
My dad hesitates. “He works with the Russians.”
“Does he work for them?”
“No, he works with them.”
“Is he their boss?”
“Looks like it. It’s either him or the guy next to him.”
I look at the screen. “He wasn’t at the gala.”
“That’s Boris Levin, his brother. We don’t know who the boss, but it’s definitely one of them.”
“Do you think they ordered those guys to go into Francesco’s store?”
“I don’t know, but it’s certainly possible.”
I suddenly get a flashback from January, when Valentina rode with us in the car after the airport.
“Someone who worked for them got killed. But the weird part is that I think they’re trying to keep it secret.”
That’s what she said then.
“Do you think she knows?” I ask him.
“I think you can answer that question better than me.”
He looks at me with a stern look on his face, as if he’s trying to read my mind.
“I don’t think she knows what he does, she told me her father was a businessman when I asked her.”
“Why did you ask her what her father does?”
“She mentioned that someone who worked for him got killed and that she thinks they’re trying to keep it a secret.”
“When was this?”
“January this year.”
“Hm. I don’t think she knows anything; at least, she didn’t know anything back then, otherwise she wouldn’t have talked about it, especially not with you.”
He goes back to being my dad once the meeting is over, telling me to attend class even if it’s online.
“And keep an eye out on the girl.” He adds when I’m at the door.
“How am I supposed to do that?”
He shrugs. “If she says anything else about her family, let me know.”
I feel weird about it, because I’m not sure whether I like the thought lingering in the back of my mind, but I just nod before leaving the room.
Once I’m back at my apartment, I take a seat on the couch and google Boris Levin. I only find some news articles in Russian and his LinkedIn page. After translating some articles, I realize that they all only have good things to say about him; how he helped fund some hospitals and churches, his non-profit organizations on top of his successful conglomerates, and so on.
His LinkedIn page shows his photo; he’s a man about my father’s age who looks serious. He’s the CFO of PJSC Levin Industries, a joint-stock company in Russia with over nine billion dollars in revenue.
After researching the company, I find out that Kiryl Levin is the CEO.
He’s her dad
I don’t find anything suspicious about them, so I decide to play video games instead.
But then again, you can’t find anything suspicious related to my dad’s name either.
***
New York, USA - October 14th, 2020
I’ve had ten different jobs in the past eight days, and I’m f*****g exhausted. I’ve had four hours of sleep in the past three days, and I would have long passed out if it weren’t for the cocaine I did with Luca last night.
We have another job tonight, somewhere at a private villa on the outskirts of New York. It’s classified as a high-end security job, which has always been code for ‘spying on people we don’t trust’.
The guests had already arrived by the time we got there, and I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect a swinger’s party.
At some point during the evening, Luca and I go outside for a smoke.
“Why are we here? This seems…private.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I’ve never been to a swinger’s party. Why are you not surprised to see people f*****g each other in front of other people?”
He smiles in a demeaning way. “You’re new to this.”
“This is our third event this week.”
“You’re new to this type of wealth.”
“How is this any different from the Russian gala last week? Those people were uber-rich. Billionaires, even.”
“Those were nine figures. We’re talking twelve and up in this place.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Imagine having more money than entire countries put together.”
The thought of someone having so much power seems dangerous.
“Still, what’s the difference?”
“These people can do anything they can think of. They can literally control people with that much money; they can own everything they desire. Can you imagine that? Being able to do anything that crosses your mind, with no punishment whatsoever?”
“Sounds like a happy life.”
“You haven’t even seen the beginning of it.”
“Why do they even need security?”
“The owner thought there might be some people attending who could potentially be dangerous.”
“Do we have names?”
“No, he didn’t give any names. He said it’s just a hunch, and that it’s better to be safe than sorry. And he asked for discretion.”
“We have something on the host that would get him in trouble with some dangerous people.
We walk back inside after finishing our cigarettes. Not much is happening, but there are naked people walking around and there’s a foursome going on in a room with no doors.
“The guy in the far-left corner of the room is Arnold Hicks.” Luca starts.
I can barely make out his features, because the main room is the size of a ballroom.
“He’s the billionaire who hosts these kinds of parties for the disgusting filthy rich people of New York, once a month.”
“Swinging is not disgusting though.”
“I’ve been on some of his yacht parties, in the middle of nowhere.”
“How do you know all this?”
“My boss always tells me these things.”
“Our boss?”
He looks at me sideways. “We don’t have the same boss.”
“What do you mean?”
“You work for your dad. I work for Eric.”
“Who is Eric?”
“The Capo based in New York. He attended your initiation.”
“Oh.”
It must’ve been one of the men I didn’t know.
My eyes drift around the room. Another couple is naked now, and I recognize the man instantly.
It’s Boris Levin, Valentina’s uncle.
He’s a big guy, bigger than I assumed from the image, and his body is covered in tattoos, which also didn’t show on his suit-covered body in the profile picture. One of the articles mentioned that he’s still a bachelor, so I know that’s not his wife. Maybe someone else’s.
“Who’s that?” I ask, wanting to see if he knows.
“Boris Levin.”
“Who is he?”
(LUCA later: you pretended not to know them, which only aroused my suspicions.)
“He’s a Russian oligarch.”
“Why is he in New York?”
“He owns a few businesses and hotels along the East Coast.”
We both look at him.
“He’s Valentina Levin’s uncle.”
The fact that he knows the information makes me feel uneasy.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I think he was involved in Romeo’s murder.”
“Why?”
“He was there. I watched the tapes.”
The uneasy feeling turns into adrenaline, spreading through my body.
“What tapes?”
My stomach is on the floor.
“I know someone who works at the door of the theatre, and he sent me the tapes from the front entrance.”
“Why are you-“
“Romeo arrived with them. He got out of the same car with them, and the girl also knows him personally, because they were laughing together. She must’ve been with him when he got shot.”
“What are you planning on doing with the information?”
“I don’t know yet, but I think this guy is a good place to start.”
“Did you know he’d be here tonight?”
“I think he’s the guy who could cause trouble. It’s a funny coincidence.”
Boris pulls out of the woman and walks over to a marble round table with high legs. I watch him do a line of coke before wiping his nose and turning to look at me.
I don’t even have time to reach because he’s walking over, not a care in the world about the fact that his d**k is swinging around.
“You’ve been watching me.” He states, Russian accent heavy on his tongue.
Luca and I exchange glances, as if to decide who takes this one.
“We’re here to supervise that everything is under control.” I answer.
“These parties can go on for hours, you look tired.”
“I’m alright.”
He points over to the table where the cocaine tray is placed.
“Would you like a bump?”
Luca and I exchange glances again.
The coke is right there, and I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours.
“Sure.”
---
I was at a festival last week so i didn't get to write...ANYWAY I hope you enjoyed!
I will probably get the next part up by the end of the week!
- Writer
