Kira started spewing out Russian at me, punching my shoulder. She asked many different questions. Where had I been? How was I? Did I have any artificially replaced body parts? I wanted to answer all but she spoke so fast, I had to stop her.

"God Kira. Slow down, da?"

My sister smiled. "Da. I'm just so happy to see you again."

"As am I. I hope everything's been ok. How's school?"

"Good. I think I might consider going more into music like mom had," she revealed. My mother had done opera at some point. My sister was fascinated by her covers. Kira was 3 years old when she passed and then, I was her age, Slavik pulling it at 17. It just reminded me how young she was.

"Kira, I came to share something with you. Maybe we can go to the drawing room," I suggested and she nodded but her gaze slipped past me.

"Kto etot?" My sister asked, wondering who Peach was. I stepped back a little and to the side, waving Peach over.

"This is a friend of mine," I stated simply.

"Friend?" my sister asked incredulously.

"Yes. Workmate too if things go well. She will be my consigliere," I informed my sister. She turned and looked at Peach with a new light. Peach stayed still and emotionless under her gaze.

"It's nice to meet you Kira," Peach greeted, trying to put more mirth in her tone."Viktor speaks fondly of you."

My little sister snorted. "My brother sharing more than his name with you is already crossing a line though I'm sure the two of you have... how do I say it... gotten past friendly acquaintanceship."

"First of all, that would be none of your business," I stated coldly, trying not glare at my sister. "Second, she is my employee not a fuck toy."

Kira rolled her eyes and huffed. "Whatever. Come, there was something you wanted to tell me, da?"

I let my sister drag me to the drawing room and heard Peach trail behind hesitantly, her eyes roaming around the house. The inside was all shiny marble with beige coloured walls. There were a few paintings here and there, most some of my sister's work. She took the artistic side of the family whilst my brother and I adopted the more psychotic side.

The drawing room was quite big with three large light brown couches facing each other in the centre, short glass tables beneath them. There was a bookshelf on the far wall and a long study desk by the open window. The view below showed the gardens that looked quite beautiful, especially in the fall.

I sat down and Kira sat next to me. Peach entered the room and immediately went for the shelf of books, browsing with her back to my sister and I, offering us as much privacy as she could whilst staying where I could see her.

"So, brother. What is it you want to tell me?" she asked eagerly and when I looked into her blue eyes, I just couldn't find it in me to talk about Markov first.

"I want to know what you've been up to before I spill my secrets," I teased and playfully brushed my fingers across her cheek. "How is school? Any trouble?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she said confidently. "I like the Academy. Not only does it have people who fall more in line with what we do but, I've made friends with the Prime Minister's niece. Even though she's like thrice removed, I hear that she's really close with the guy."

"That's good," I smiled. "But... I'm more interested how school's treating you psychologically."

"Oh..." something in my sister seemed to crack. "I don't... what do you mean?"

"I mean," I begun. "Do you feel safe in school? Does that place make you happy? Would you like to change? Do you have any real friends and not just acquaintances? Do your teachers treat you well? Is there anything I can do to make sure school's more tolerable?"

Kira watched me with something similar to wonder and fear in her eyes but I didn't understand what it meant. "You'd let me leave the school? You'd help change some rules for me?"

"Of course," I revealed with a frown. "I'm your big brother and I'm supposed to take care of you no matter what. Flesh, blood, bone and blade. Plot', krov', kosti i lezviye. It is our motto as a Makarovich and a member of the Bratva."

I hated to think of Kira as a part of the work I did but I had to because it would be easier to accept her transition into this world. She had a lot of training to do, which she would start after her sixteenth birthday. She already knew how to shoot and basic self defense but a weapon needed to be made out of her as it was made out of me.

Kira smiled, the look that confused me fading away as she shook her head. "There are somethings we could discuss about my school. Maybe later, before you decide to leave for months on end again."

I sighed and rubbed my temple at the malice in my sister's voice. She had a bone to pick with me. "Forgive me Kira. I should've been there for you these past few months but I've been busy."

"Busy?" she scoffed. "Too caught up in your own ass to come out and see whether your sister is breathing."

"I've been doing my best to keep tabs on you—"

"Yeah your little spies aren't as inconspicuous as they thought," Kira grumbled.

"I wanted to be there for you but sometimes, keeping you safe means hiding you from the world. I won't apologize for that," I pressed. Couldn't she see that there was no way I was losing her? There had been too many deaths so far. I would not be putting her name on a gravestone.

Kira huffed angrily, crossing her arms across her chest as a number of emotions expressed themselves in her features. I couldn't pin one down but the anger was there, I could see it in the flush of her cheeks and the slight narrowing of her eyes but her defense mechanism, crossing her arms, told me she was feeling vulnerable somehow.

"Just say what you came to Viktor. I don't have all day," she sighed.

"You made plans knowing I was coming?" I asked slowly, wondering if Kira even wanted to see me. Maybe Markov was right. She did seem like a brat.

Kira waved away my question. "We are just hanging out in the evening at a little café for the school. If you want to, come. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

"I don't think now is the best time for me to get involved with that kind of politics," I confessed, knowing all Kira's friends had parents who worked close with the government. Her school was for only the elite in society, including children of men like my late father's. Sons and daughters of Capos, Dons, billionaires and even heirs to miniature thrones around the world.

Most of these kids lived around here, others stayed in the school's five star hotel, their rooms rented by their parents though once they got a break, it was off to their little mansions where they spewed all they had learnt to their parents to help them dominate more in the world. I didn't need more people knowing my mafia was ripping at the seams.

"Why not? That stuff always seemed to interest you when you were there," Kira pointed out, reminding me of the junior year I tried to spend at her academy, quickly being expelled for violence and such. I worked better with private teachers because then, I could make them disappear and everyone would be none the wiser.

"You know father took me there to try to get with the President's younger cousin," I droned, leaning back in the seat, quickly growing bored with Kira's questions. My eyes found Peach who had pulled a book off the shelf and was browsing through it.

She seemed at peace, slipping the book back and going over to the desk in the corner where she pushed a few papers around. Her hand stopped at a particular white sheet of paper and narrowed before sliding it away like it didn't matter.

"... hello. Viktor!"

I snapped my attention back to my sister and she watched me with an ugly look, eyes moving between Peach and I.

"You are fucking her aren't you?" she asked and I glared at her.

"Again Kira, none of your business."

My sister rubbed her forehead, over the stress lines that had built there. Looking close, I realised her make-up was thick, especially around her eyes, probably hiding the dark circles I sported like a champ.

"Say what you came here to Viktor. I know this isn't a friendly visit. What business do you have with me?"

I softened at the hurt in my sisters voice and sat up, turning to give her all my attention. Jesus, she was just 15. She'd already lost her whole family and would soon lose more if I didn't find my doppelgänger and stop him.

"It's about Markov," I said slowly, making sure she heard all I said. Behind me, I heard Peach make her way out of the drawing room, giving Kira and I privacy, something I was grateful for. Kira noticed the action as well, her eyes following the hacker out of the room with a frown.

"What about the old man?" she asked turning her sapphire eyes to me. Her features were soft, a lot like my mother's. A heart shaped face with small cupid's bow lips that were set in a natural pucker. Her skin was paler than mine, letting her honey blonde hair stand out.

"There's been a stir in the Bratva and I'm working on getting it fixed."

"I know," Kira stated confidently and when I gave her an odd look she rolled her eyes. "I don't live under a rock Viktor. The guards have started whispering."

I didn't believe a word she said because the guards were on strict orders not to come a certain distance in my sister's presence unless they had to protect her. I knew for a fact the men on these grounds didn't gossip so what was my sister's angle? I did appreciate that she was somehow in the loop because it made protecting her easier. I had to accept that she wasn't going to be a kid forever. I just hoped her source wasn't getting overly friendly with her. They were just signing a death certificate.

"Markov was killed. Sniper," I revealed.

Kira's features dropped and her face went pale. "W-what?"

"We were attacked in one of our headquarters and... he got too close to a window. He's gone."

Tears gathered in my sister's eyes but didn't fall. She seemed genuinely confused and angry, shaking her head and standing up. "That can't be right."

"I saw it happen," I revealed and she turned to me with a glare.

"And you didn't do anything?!"

"Kira," I scolded in a soft but warning tone. She of all people should know there were some things you just couldn't predict or save a person from.

"Aren't you some kind of famous mass murderer?! You have some serious fighting skills and abilities that father and Slavik helped you hone! Shouldn't you know the danger of going near windows or something! No one was supposed to die!"

"You can't be angry at me for Markov's death f—"

"Then who can I be angry at! It's your fault! What happened to 'we are not losing anymore of our family'?!" Kira spat.

"Many forces are working against us," I stated keeping my tone calm despite my sister's shouting. "Death is inevitable whether it comes today, tomorrow or next year. Nothing can stop it. You know that I could die at any moment. The threat we are dealing with isn't your everyday rogue hitman. Things are serious Kira."

My sister turned from me, not letting me see her face and I sighed. "I was thinking of taking you to a secret safe house tomorrow—"

"No," my sister stated her tone cold. She turned to me and her face was clear of any emotion. The only sign of her hurt and confusion were her tear filled eyes. Yet... the tears still didn't fall. "You came, you said your piece now, I kindly ask you to leave. I'm staying in this house."

With that, my sister marched out of the room and I didn't stop her, deciding to give her time to think everything through. Change had always been difficult for her and Slavik had been closer to her than I ever would. In fact, most of my family had been close. I had always been an odd duckling and that had never bothered me until this moment when I had no idea what to do to make my little sister feel better.

I needed to set things right and kill the people responsible for so much chaos in my Bratva.