‘Take a seat, Tomasz.’
Burliuk did.
‘Izolda is downstairs,’ Kasakov said, taking a seat behind his desk. ‘She’s taken the assassination attempt surprisingly well, I think. She’s a strong woman, but I’ve already left her for too long with just guards for company.’
‘Take some time off,’ Burliuk said, ‘stay with Izolda. Take care of your wife, and let me take care of everything else.’
Kasakov smiled at that. ‘That’s my plan, my old friend. But tell me, Tomasz, what’s the latest with the North Koreans? I assume it’s bad news.’
‘I’m sorry to say they’ve withdrawn the MiG order and gone with the Indians.’
‘I thought they would,’ Kasakov admitted. ‘For all their bluster, those people are scared of their own shadow. It’s their loss, not mine.’
‘If only that were true. That deal was vital for us, not only in monetary terms but for our reputation. It will be a long time before we are trusted again. And who else is there to sell to? How many conflicts are fought with tanks and jets today? War has changed. This is the era of the terrorist and the guerrilla. Rifles and IEDs are their weapons.’
‘You’re right, of course,’ Kasakov agreed, ‘but I still don’t care. How much money and power is enough?’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I’m retiring.’
Burliuk struggled to respond for a moment, before asking, ‘Since when?’
‘I’ve been thinking about it for a little while, but when I found out I was going to be a father the decision was made for me.’
‘ What? ’
Kasakov stood. ‘Izolda’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. Finally.’
Burliuk’s mouth fell open. He struggled with how to respond.
‘Your manners are terrible,’ Kasakov remarked. ‘This is usually the point where you offer congratulations.’
‘Sorry, Vladimir. Congratulations. I’m just shocked, that’s all.’
He stood and they embraced. Kasakov squeezed his friend hard, but Burliuk’s return hug was limp.
‘You’ve taken me by complete surprise.’
They stepped back from each other. ‘Not as surprised as I was, or Izolda for that matter. After the attack, Izolda complained of stomach pains. You see, when the shooting started I threw her to the ground. I thought I must have hurt her. We went to a hospital and they ran some tests.’ Kasakov smiled. ‘But she wasn’t hurt at all. You should see her, Tomasz. She’s so happy, so happy. All she’s ever wanted is to be a mother. Now, she will be.’
‘She’ll make a wonderful mother.’
‘I know. And I’ll do my best as a father. I won’t treat the child any different than I would my own.’
Burliuk’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Did you not wonder why Izolda and I have been without a son or daughter for so long? We’ve never spoken of it, but I don’t believe you haven’t been curious. The reason is that I can’t father children, Tomasz. Of course, I never told anyone. Me and Izolda never even spoke of it until very recently, though she must have known for years, always afraid to bring it up for fear of my reaction.’
Burliuk was shaking his head. He used his inhaler. ‘If you’re not the father, then who is?’
‘My first thought was that it might be you.’
He coughed. ‘ Excuse me? ’
‘You should know me well enough by now to know I am no fool, my friend. I’ve seen the way you look at Izolda. The way you’ve always looked at her.’
Burliuk showed his palms. ‘Vladimir, I have never, ever — ’
Kasakov made another dismissive gesture. ‘I believe you. You’re in love with her, I know that. It was just a foolish idea, and one I dismissed quickly. I know Izolda thinks of you like a brother. She wouldn’t betray me with you. Someone else, yes. You, never.’
Burliuk’s eyes narrowed a fraction. He looked away.
‘I’m going to play along with the deception,’ Kasakov said. ‘I won’t let on I know the child isn’t mine. I don’t blame Izolda for what she’s done. If I had been strong enough to admit to my problem, we could have received help long ago. I’m doing this for Izolda. Not for me.’
‘Very noble,’ Burliuk muttered.
Kasakov stood in front of Burliuk and rubbed his friend’s arms. ‘Are you sad for me, Tomasz? Or for yourself?’
Burliuk said nothing.
‘It must hurt to have desired Izolda all these years while she shared my bed. It must hurt even more now that you know she chose another man, not you, with whom to lie. Maybe several men, for all I know.’
‘Vladimir-’
‘Don’t say anything. Let me speak. You’ve been at my side for all these years. My one true friend. You’re the only person in the entire world, besides my wife, who I could trust.’ Kasakov rubbed Burliuk’s shoulders. ‘It occurs to me that we still know nothing about who tried to kill me in Bucharest.’
‘Eltsina, surely. She said-’
Kasakov shook his head. ‘Only under the most extreme pain did she admit to hiring that sniper. However, her plan relied on you and I being discredited by the war with Ariff. Killing me before the war would not have achieved that. You would have been chosen to head the empire, not her. So, no. It wasn’t Yuliya.’ Kasakov squeezed Burliuk’s shoulders. ‘You, however, were most keen that I should personally go to Bucharest to negotiate with the North Korean broker. Why would you do that when they were willing to come to Moscow?’
Burliuk reached to again take out his inhaler. ‘Vladimir, I-’
Kasakov’s huge hands enveloped Burliuk’s neck and squeezed. Burliuk gasped and dropped the inhaler to grab at Kasakov’s wrists, pulling with all his strength. Kasakov’s hands didn’t move.
‘I spoke to your friend Danil Petrenko just before he disappeared in Barcelona,’ Kasakov said. ‘He told me about what went on in Minsk that time. About your deal with Gabir Yamout. You put him in touch with Petrenko and Yamout did you a favour. I wonder what that could have been. Maybe he put you in touch with a killer. One who could never be traced back to yourself.’
‘ No… ’ Burliuk managed to croak.
‘I know you’ve never shared Eltsina’s ambition,’ Kasakov stated, ‘so why else, I ask myself, if not to take over my empire, would you want me dead? The answer is obvious. For Izolda, of course. But I would never have believed you could do that to me, until just now. When I told you of Izolda’s affair you could not disguise the depth of your anger. Then I knew.’
Kasakov squeezed harder. The blood vessels in Burliuk’s face stood out beneath his reddening skin. He wheezed, breathless, punching desperately at Kasakov, who didn’t try to slip the blows, accepting each one as the price of forty years of friendship.
‘If only you hit like a heavyweight, Tomasz.’
Burliuk’s lips were turning blue. His eyes bulged. The toes of his shoes scratched at the floorboards.
‘In a way, I don’t blame you,’ Kasakov admitted. ‘You did see her first, all those long years ago, but for all your good looks she chose me, not you. Had that been reversed I would surely have done the same as you to make her mine. Only I, of course, would not have failed.’
Burliuk’s arms flopped to his sides, his legs slackened and his head tilted forward. Kasakov kept his own arms straight, supporting Burliuk’s weight, holding him upright for a long time after his heart stopped.
Kasakov then called his security to dispose of his best friend’s body and went downstairs to look at nursery colour schemes with his wife.
CHAPTER 57
Washington, DC, USA
Procter pulled into the parking lot of a burger joint that had seen better days. The square of cracked asphalt at the rear looked no better. Procter spotted a blue Lincoln Town Car reverse-parked at the far end and headed towards it. No other vehicles were near the car. They were all parked closer to the restaurant itself. Customers never walked further than they had to. Procter stopped his Buick alongside the Lincoln, nose to tail. The night air smelled of exhaust fumes and grease.