Chapter 6

"The dark brought into the light"

Niko was relatively calm as he explained his story to me. He started almost to the day he was born. He explained to me that his father and Roman's father were drunken abusers who abused both of them and their wives. He had a younger brother who died in the war, and during his time in the war, he has seen and was subected to harsh conditions that no young man should see. Upon the war's ending, he had to take up illegal activities for work because he wasn't able to find regular work. He revealed that Roman came to America in 1998, and he came to America in 2008. Niko was promised that Roman had 'made it big' in America, but much to Niko's dismay, he found out that he fabricated a story to get Niko out of Europe. That really didn't detour him that much. After all, he learned that the man he was chasing was in America. While in the young months in America, he had worked for the Russian Mobs and a few other men that were willing to pay Niko to get rid of some competition for the mob. He told me he solved all his criminal issues by killing off all those who wanted his services. I wonder how he is still getting these phone calls, and why he still agrees to those terms. Perhaps he really doesn't have a choice.

Niko continued on with him only having one potentially serious relationship with a girl named Kate McCreary, who unfortunately was the one Niko could not save at Roman's wedding. He informed me that he is the reason she died. He was supposed to work with the Russians to smuggle cocaine to various locations. Niko chose not to work with the Russians because the Russian mob leader, Dimitri Rascalov, and Niko had a bad history. In the end, an Italian mafia leader, Jimmy Pegorino, sought out to kill Niko because the deal with the Russians was supposed to save him from going belly up. Jimmy missed Niko and fatally shot Kate. Niko's other girlfriends were from dating sites, but the women he met was mostly for fun. The dating site proved to be unsuccessful to Niko to help him find a more serious relationship.

After a long and tiring discussion about himself, he paused to let me absorb all his information. To my suprise, and his too, I still remained by his side. He waited for a barrage of questions from me, but everything he explained was so thorough. There was no room for questions, except one.

"Then why are you still getting these calls? And still going after these guys?"

"I still get calls from time to time. It isn't with anyone involved with the mafia or the Russian gangs. I mentioned before I still get work from the government to see off those who the police department can't find. It has nothing to do with organized crime. The people I kill were just destined to either have the taxpayers pay their way through the rest of their life in prison, or they were eventually headed to prison to be put to death by injection. I promise you this."

I recall all of his phone calls, and they all were from the same caller.

"But I am tired of killing people. I am tired of the government holding me by my balls. I can't settle down and have a family or anything. I need you to help me."

"You're going to marry me just so you can become legal in this country!?"

"No! It's not like that. I wouldn't use you to give myself gain." He took a breath and regained his composure. "I never knew what it was like to have a happy family. And I only had a small taste to know what it felt like to actually have someone love me. I didn't have to tell a lie for a girl to love me and live the rest of my life as a lie."

"What if the government finds you out? What will happen to me? If you stop doing these favors, didn't you say they could deport you?"

"I stopped once. For a while, I told them I want out. I told them I was done doing these contracts. They did stop calling me for about a year. Then they called again. I was bent over a barrel, and they threatened me if I didn't start helping them again, I would be deported. I had no choice but to help them again."

"Do these people have a location, so you can talk to them?"

"Yes. I was there before."

"You can't go to them?"

"I could. I could tell them again that I am not working for them anymore. But they would ship me back home. I suppose I could work out a deal with them, and see if they can make me legal." He looked like he was formulating a plan. "But they have been known to be tough. My ex-girlfriend, Karen, whose alias was Michelle, works for the government. They gave her life back. But she is an American citizen and I'm not. I'm not sure how much pull these guys have."

"There's only one way to find out, Niko. Go ask them. Remind them that you had unbending loyalty to them, and you never questioned their orders. See if you can finally be free."

He seemed to like that 'free' word. He formed a small smile as he thought of what it was like to have that.

"I can go talk to them Monday. I need you to promise me something before I do."

"What's that?"

"If they do deport me, I want you to come with me back home."

"Niko, I can't! I have family here!"

He stood up and made no other actions. I'm not sure if he just stood up to realize his body went numb from my response, or if he was going to plead with me.

He grabbed me and stood me up. There was absolutely no space between us. He swung his arms around my body and held me almost like a child clinging to his mother.

"I suppose this is it then. We can't be together. It was never meant to be." His voice broke even my heart.

"Goodbye, Sharon. I want to wish you luck. Remember me, will you, and what we could have had?"

"Niko," I had no clue what to say. I just screwed up the one potentially good thing in my life. "Niko, I'm sorry. You must understand that this is totally out of my control. I can promise you that when you come back, I will be there. I cannot promise you to be there when you don't come back. You have to be assertive in this deal process. I'll go with you." I said completely forgetting I have to work Monday.

"How can you persuade them? They have no claim over you."

"I'll fight for you. I will refuse to leave the office until they give you what you want."

"You'll fight for me?"

"Yes. There has to be something you can agree to."

"He would probably allow me to get what I want if I do one last big favor for them."

"Kill one more man to be free? Do you think you can do it?"

"One more man to finally be free and be happy and have you? I can do that. It all depends on what they want me to do. One man could mean me going after a group of bodyguards to get to one."

"I think you should take it."

"You actually agree that I kill someone?"

"If you wanted my help, I am offering it. I can take Monday off too. Unless you're okay with doing this yourself."

"I prefer you to be with me. At all times, wherever I go, whatever I do. I need you."

"Then I will be there."