“Is it hard?” I ask. “Seeing him that way?”
“I’ve gotten used to it. But in the beginning, yes, it was hard.”
“What was he like when he was… before?” I ask, stumbling over my words.
“He was a bully,” Aleks says bluntly.
I raise my eyebrows. “To you?”
“To everyone. But then again, being the don of a Bratva, you have to be.”
“Does that mean you’re a bully?”
I look back at the lake. “Seems like I’ve been surrounded by bullies my entire life.”
“You know the only language bullies understand or respect?”
“Thousand bucks says you’re gonna say, ‘Strength.’”
“What makes you think I have any of that?” I say bitterly.
“You survived the funeral, didn’t you?”
I feel my sense of calm start to vaporize. “Did I?” I ask. “There are moments when I feel like I did and there are moments, like righ
