I sit in a booth at the Russian restaurant "Alexei's". I drink my mint tea and play witness to a scene. I hear the quick spoken Russian of the elderly couple. The pink in the woman's blouse matches the tulips that rest in a vase before her. Brusquely, a man clad in a black suit, with silver slicked back hair walks in. He orders a glass of wine and fish. Nothing unusual. He too seems very interested in the elderly couple, as his blue-grey eyes can be noticed secretly and intently watching them. It all seems a very common scene until you see the startled faces of the couple reflected in the windows. The two suddenly go from speaking loudly, to a near whisper as they murmur "tatuirovki" and "vory." They nervously shift in the chairs, as if in physical pain almost. The man with the silver hair, blue-grey eyes, salmon filled mouth, and red wine stained lips seems to have noticed their fright. He gains this look of wicked satisfaction, and guilt that coats his face. He quickly finishes his meal, and wipes his face with the emerald colored napkin. It is not until he holds the door open when I notice his fingers that I see why the couple was so frightened. The black ink figures that mark his pale peach hands are no average tattoos, but signify the "Vory V Zakone,"one of the more well-known and feared gangs of Russia.