Mob Boss Series Book #1: The Russian Heir

Chapter 1: I Was Wrong

Bryce's POV
When I was a boy, I was given a family tree assignment in school. At that age, it was easy. My family was my mom, my dad and my little brother. I drew it up real quick and I submitted it before the end if that school day so that I don't have to take any homework for the weekend. It was a thing for Brody and I to finish all our homework in school. When we got home, we spent that time gaming and fooling around. Life was just that simple.

The teacher told me that the assignment goes beyond the immediate family. It made little sense then but I went home and asked dad to help me out. Dad is the one who helped out with homework. Mom made it clear it wasn't her department. She sucked in math just like me. We relied on dad to save the day when algebra and calculus attacked. My dad is a cool geek even if he denies it. Brody inherited his brilliant mind. I'm not sure what I got from him but it's not academic brilliance. We are so different in so many ways.

Back to the assignment, his side of the family is just his mother and father. Done. My mother's side is limitless. We easily went back five generations. My mom comes from an Italian/Greek family where family is more than just a shared name and bloodline. I have lost track of the number of dinners and parties I have attended hosted by mom's family.

When I asked dad why his side of the family is as brief as my grandmother and grandfather, he simply said it's just like that. I was a kid then and I didn't understand why he kept it that simple. Now I do.

I grew up easily identifying with both sides of the family. The time I spent with my grandmother was fun. We hiked, we went to shooting ranges and we engaged in a lot of adrenaline spiking activities. She is adventurous just like me. We love fun and good food. I love my grandmother Katya. She's easy to be around. Dad says she was the most laid back parent. Of the two of them, his dad was uptight.

On my mom's side or was fun too because all my cousins are from that side of the family. My mom has eight siblings, one is an identical twin. I have 26 immediate cousins from my mom's siblings. I have five aunts and three uncles. It was never a dull moment with them. I think everything was pretty normal until we moved to Russia.

I was still young then when mom and dad started arguing one night and as much as Brody and I tried to listen in we only got bits and pieces. A few days later, dad told us to pack a bag each and that everything else will follow. We moved to Russia and at first, my brother and I were sad. We tried to keep in touch with our cousins and it worked for the first few weeks before the distance out a strain on everything. We realized that we only have each other.

We became inseparable. We couldn't go anywhere without each other. It was always almost a given that if I was somewhere, Brody was close by. We were together in good times and bad times. Through mischief -which was part of our lives and as necessary as breathing- we had each other's backs. It was mostly me. Brody was just caught up in it because he happened to be there.

Mom always threw a fit. She always tried to fix it before it got to dad. Back then I just thought she was over controlling. But that's not it. I have come to understand that the reason she never wanted it to get to dad is because he is not like me or Brody or mom. Mom is wayward. She is unruly and defiant. Dad is a stickler for rules. He wants things done in a specific way and with great attention to detail. When he sets rules, they will be enforced and each rule broken has consequences. Something notable about dad is that he never goes back on his word. When he states a consequence it will be so. He will move heaven and earth to stick to it.

Mom was the first line of discipline. Dad was the last resort and when things got to dad, it was bad. Really bad. The consequences, just as bad. I mostly covered up for Brody so I was the constant black sheep. If anything went wrong it's my name that came up first.