Chapter One
Nikolai’s POV
Age 8
My stupid brothers Alexei, Vladimir, and Eduard were playing football on the front lawn while I had to sit with my six-year-old brother Dimitri on the pavement, colouring with chalk. I would much rather be in the kitchen with Mum and Mikhaïl than this crap.
But mum says I’m not allowed to play football as I’m too young.
Vladimir is only two years older than me!
“Do you like my car, Nikky?” Dimitri asks.
“Don’t call me that,” I say annoyed. “And it looks fine.”
“I made it red, because that’s my favourite colour,” Dimitri says.
“Score!” Eduard yells and throws the football down onto the ground.
“Score!” I mimic in a high voice.
Dimitri looks over my shoulder and frowns. “Hey, Nikky isn’t that your bike?”
I spin fast and see an older boy, I bet Alexei’s age of fifteen trying to snap my bike lock off my bike.
I get up from the pavement and run over to him. “Hey!” I bark at him.
He sees me and snorts. “Do what’s best for you, kid and fuck off,” he says.
I see fucking red.
He grunts as I jump on his neck and punch him across the head. We fall to the ground, and I just keep punching and punching this guy, till someone actually drags me off.
“What the hell, Nikolai?” Alexei snaps. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Let go of me!” I roar and swing my elbow back in Alexei’s face.
He drops me and I take one more kick at the guy on the ground. I spin on my feet and storm back inside, catching my dad watching from the window.
“Nikolai,” he says. “You my little gem, I am going to make you useful.”
“I don’t care,” I snap.
“Be ready at 8pm tonight,” Dad says. “I’m taking you somewhere.”
“Fine,” I mutter. I head to the kitchen to find Mum, and she gasps at the sight of me.
“Nikolai, whose blood is that?” She asks.
“He tried to steal my bike,” I argue.
“Your knuckles!” She gasps. “Baby, go grab the first aid kit from the bathroom.”
“Yes Mum,” Mikhail says and rushes past me upstairs.
“Up on the counter,” mum says. I walk into the kitchen and sit up on the counter. She wipes some paper towels and dabs at my knuckles. “You shouldn’t hit people,” she scolds me. “It’s not nice.”
“He was trying to steal my bike,” I argue.
Alexei comes walking into the kitchen holding his nose up which was gushing blood. “Mum, I think Nikolai broke my nose!”
Mum glares at me. “He tried to stop me,” I say.
His fault not mine.
I follow Dad down this sketchy alleyway along with three other men who look dangerous. We walk down some stairs and then Dad unlocks a door and turns the light on.
This guy, I’d say about 40-ish was tied to a chair. He was already pretty beaten and when he saw all of us his life flashed before his eyes.
“Oh Wyatt,” Dad drawls. “You really shouldn’t have disobeyed me.”
“I wanted out, Boris,” Wyatt cries. “I don’t want to sell drugs anymore.”
“Nikolai,” Dad snaps. “Grab that pocketknife on the bench over there.” I do as he says and open it up. “Now stab him.”
“He’s a child!” Wyatt yells. “You fucking sick fuck.”
“Come on, Nikolai,” Dad taunts. “I saw that monster today. This guy has turned on the family, and he needs to pay.”
I was still unsure.
Dad grabs me by the front of the throat. “You have one skill in life Nikolai and that’s to kill. That anger you feel inside, fucking embrace it, abuse it and kill this motherfucker.” He searches my eyes for something. “Your mother will never love you like your other brothers,” he taunts. “You’re not normal, she doesn’t even let you play with your other brothers because she doesn’t want you rubbing off on them.”
He hit the sore spot, and I see fucking red. Gripping the knife in my hand, I charge at the guy. The knife goes through his throat first and then I stab his chest.
I do that till all the anger in me disappears and it sets in on what I had done.
I just killed this guy.
“Good job, son,” Dad says. “I can’t believe you had it in you.”
“I don’t want to do that,” I say.
“Keep the pocketknife,” Dad says. “It’s all yours.”
