The First Billion

"How dare you even look me in the eye?" he went on. "Look away. Look at the ground. Out the window. Just don't set your eyes on me." He stalked to the window, threw back the curtains, then turned on her again. "Here is my darling daughter returned from America with her new name and new boyfriend. Have you any idea the shame you bring to my house? The disgust I feel showing you to the men who work for me? I brought you into this world. I cared for you in difficult times. I gave you an education worthy of a princess. And how do you repay it? First by sending your weak-spined boyfriend to the police with some ludicrous accusations that I was fixing the market for aluminum. I'll never forget that boy. That Kalugin. He lasted five minutes before spilling his guts, sobbing that you put him up to it. You should thank me for relieving you of his company. It was a favor, believe me."

Aghast, Cate stared at her father. He was no longer just a corrupt businessman, no longer merely a killer even. He'd become a monster. Inhuman. A beast. "Stop it," she said, her voice a whisper.

But Kirov went right on, trampling over her words as he had always trampled over her wishes, her desires, her opinions. "And now," he said, "after I allow you to make a new start, you dare to use all your resources to destroy the greatest professional achievement of my life. You conspire with the prosecutor general's office, you feed that sick-minded day trader rumors, you turn my partner against me-"

"Stop it!" she shouted. "Stop your lying! You can lie to Jett. You can lie to Baranov, to your adoring public. But you will not lie to me. I am your daughter, though the word scalds my tongue. With me you will speak the truth." Cate stood and pushed her way past him.

"The truth?" Kirov spun, following her, his expression saying he found her suggestion murderously amusing. "Oh, it's the truth you want, is it? You are a big girl now. A grown woman. I suppose I can tell you the truth. The truth is simple: We are building a new country. We are raising a phoenix from the ashes. What you may consider extreme is in fact mundane."

"I'm all for building a new country," she said through tears. "But legitimately."

"Legitimately?" Kirov jumped on the term. "The word is not in the Russian vocabulary. How can there be legitimacy when no one knows how to define it? You think everything must be done the American way. It is easy for them. They draw upon a tradition of common law dating back a thousand years. A thousand years ago Moscow was a swamp. Huns, Goths, Tatars… we had them all at one time or another, riding pell-mell across our territories. Law was whoever had the faster horse, the sharper sword. 'Kleptocracy' is hardly a recent term. Only this time it's the businessmen doing the heavy lifting, not the government. Have you any idea what it took to bring Mercury this far? What it costs to bribe the Czech communications minister? The going rate to secure cable construction permits in Kiev? Do you? So what if we're not up to Western standards of transparency? We're starting from so far back it's a miracle we've gotten this far. If we'd kept to the letter of the law, Mercury would consist of two cans and a string. Be reasonable, my love. We are only asking for a chance."

"But you cheat. You lie. You kill. Ten people, Father. Why? Just to disguise the murder of one?"

"What are the lives of ten people to insure the prosperity, the education, the livelihood, of thousands? I would have killed a hundred if necessary. A thousand, if the Rodina demanded it."

"Another lie. You didn't kill Ray Luca and the others for the Rodina. You killed them to help yourself. To take Mercury public. To steal your billion dollars and make yourself rich."

Kirov approached her slowly, reaching out and taking her face in his hands. "But, Katya, don't you see? I had no other choice. As Mercury goes, so goes the country. I am the Rodina."

Cate grasped her father's wrists and took his hands from her face. She felt sickened, her soul nauseated. "No," she said. "You are not the Rodina. You are one man. You are greedy and desperate and you will fail. Oh, Father, you will fail. You cannot build a country on evil. If anyone should know it, it is we Russians. Hasn't our history taught you anything?"

"Yes," he said, suddenly thoughtful, sliding his hands into his pockets, pursing his lips. "It has taught me that perhaps we weren't ruthless enough. I, for one, will not repeat the mistake."

"You won't succeed. We won't allow you to. Not I, and not Jett."

Kirov laughed softly. "The defiant ones. A pity, really."

Cate looked at her father, wondering for the thousandth time how she could share his blood, carry his genes. "I'm the one who is ashamed. I am not your daughter. Not anymore."

Kirov's smile disappeared, and an ugly resolve settled about his face. "Be thankful you are, Katya. Be thankful you are."

His eyes said the rest.

Or you would be dead, too.

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