by Bianca Cole
I take it warily, glancing at Lyov as I do.
He gives me a slight nod, despite his muscles tense and coiled. Andrei watches both of us with a similar intensity as we move toward the door. “Don’t go too far,” Andrei warns.
Vera rolls her eyes and walks out of the door, saying nothing.
I admire her boldness, especially with a pakhan. Her disobedience to her fiance wouldn’t be taken if she were in the Miami brotherhood. “Do you want some tea?” she asks, glancing at me briefly.
“Sure,” I say.
She leads the way down a long hallway and into a large, modern kitchen. “Take a seat,” she says, nodding at the island in the center.
I can’t deny that I’m on edge. As it stands, I’m an enemy to these people — the daughter of a man who wants to overthrow Andrei, this woman’s fiancé. We remain in silence, as the bubbling of the kettle is all that fills the air. Vera grabs a set of teacups out of the cupboard.
I’m unsure whether to be thankful that she saved me from facing the New York brotherhood or not. I’m not sure what her motivations are. She returns with two cups of Russian tea and passes me one. “Thank you.”
She smiles at me and takes a seat at the island. “You may wonder why I insisted on you staying with me during the meeting.”
I nod in response.
“Those meetings are boring, and you wouldn’t have been comfortable. The brotherhood has a way of making outsiders feel uncomfortable.” She sounds as if she is speaking from personal experience.
“Were you an outsider?” I ask.
She smiles softly. “Yes, my story is more complicated than you can imagine.” She clears her throat. “I want to know more about the woman who has tamed Lyov.” She chuckles.
Heat pulses through my veins and floods my cheeks. “There’s not much to know.”
She shakes her head. “That can’t be true.” She takes a sip of her tea. “How did he kidnap you?”
I bite my bottom lip, remembering the moment our eyes met over that dance floor. “He asked me to dance at my dad’s club.”
“And?” she asks.
“I asked him if he wanted to get out of there.”
She chuckles. “A woman who likes to take charge.”
“Then he drugged me and flung me in the back of a van.” I shrug. “Not the most romantic meeting.”
Vera’s expression turns serious. “There’s nothing romantic about the world of the bratva. Nothing.”
This woman can’t be much older than me, but she appears older than her years. I wonder what she’s been through to make her that way. “No, I’m well acquainted with the ways of the bratva.” I sigh heavily. “I’ve always wanted to escape it. Ironic that I’d end up falling for a member.”
Vera grabs my hand, squeezing gently. “Lyov is special. He will protect you with his life.” She smiles kindly. “If there is one thing that is certain, bratva men are very protective of their women.”
It’s a strange notion, considering my father has never been protective of me. He didn’t protect my mother, either. She died when I was only three years old. Anytime I asked him about her, he was closed off and dismissive. I don’t even know how she died. “Not all of them are.”
“No, not all, but Lyov is much like Andrei. He may be brutal at times, but he has a heart beneath all that vicious persona.”
I nod my head, realizing I couldn’t put it better myself. There are many sick and twisted bratva men, like my dad and brother, but not all of them are the same. Lyov is broken, but he’s not a lost cause. I take a long sip of the delicious tea Vera prepared for me, relaxing in her company.
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to about this,” I say.
She smiles. “Likewise.”
We fall into a comfortable conversation as we drink tea, waiting to be reunited with our men. All I can do is hope the meeting goes well. Lyov is everything to me. The last thing I want is to be torn away from him.
We may have only known each other for a week, but I know him more deeply than anyone I’ve known before.
17
Lyov
It kills me to watch Milana leave me, but I can’t fight Vera. I trust her. I’m not sure I trust Andrei. He hasn’t given me any reason to believe he intends to turn on me, but it could all change once we get in front of the brotherhood.
“Come on, time to face the music,” Andrei says, nodding toward the door.
I swallow hard. Suddenly, my shirt feels too tight around my neck. I hate wearing shirts, but you have to be presentable when meeting with your pakhan.
Andrei’s upbringing in this world has put him out of touch with morality. He has more good in him than most, even if he keeps up his brutal and vicious persona.
Don’t get me wrong. Andrei is not a good guy by all accounts—none of us are. He’s just better than a lot of them. We’re all murderers in the brotherhood—even Vera helped murder her uncle. She quickly became one of us, despite the reluctance of many of Andrei’s men to accept her in that way.
It goes against the bratva way of life to take orders from a woman. Andrei has insisted that she rules by his side. She has as much power as him. A lot of the men despise it.
“What are you waiting for?” Andrei asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Sorry, sir.” I bow my head and walk out of the room. It’s time to find out if I made a mistake bringing Milana here. When we walked through the front door, it felt like I’d walked a lamb into the lion’s den—my lamb. The way my brothers looked at her riled me.
Alexi is standing in the hallway. “Lyov,” He calls, smiling widely. He has no idea what is going on yet, which is surprising. Alexi is Andrei’s sovietnik. They are closer than I can comprehend, as close as if they were a real family.
“Alexi,” I say, struggling to mask the worry in my voice.
“What’s up with you?” he asks.
Andrei clears his throat behind me. “You’re about to find out.”
Alexi glances between Andrei and me a few times. His brow furrowed in confusion. “Don’t you wish to enlighten me before we meet with the brotherhood?”
“No,” Andrei says simply. “Enter,” he orders.
Alexi is a powerful, large man who you wouldn’t expect to take orders from anyone. The moment Andrei utters the order, his head bows in obedience. “Sir.”
At times, it’s awe-inspiring to see how much power Andrei holds. Andrei’s hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me from following Alexi. His voice drops. “Make no mistake. Vera is the reason I’m going easy on you. I will be telling the men the reason we’re going to war with Veselov. The brotherhood won’t be happy.”
I feel a shiver pulse down my spine. I swallow hard. “Sir.”
“Walk forward,” he orders.
I force one foot in front of the other, despite the weakness spreading through my limbs. Andrei’s warning reminds me of how dangerous this situation is. Milana is the daughter of our enemy—a man we’re about to enter a war with. I’ve walked her into real danger.
If the brotherhood kicks off when Andrei tells them the truth, it will be hard to protect her. In Andrei’s home, I’m duty-bound to keep my mouth shut since Milana was never mine to claim anyway—not really.
Andrei ordered me to capture her. He owns her as my pakhan—as the man that runs this outfit. The moment that thought passes through my mind, my conscience repeats one phrase over and over again.
She’s mine.
I know it, and she knows it, but what about everyone else?
The brotherhood members are gathered in the room, chatting among themselves. Andrei’s presence sends a tremor through the room, and the voices are quickly hushed.
I watch as he walks to the end of the table, clapping his hands. The men are silent and focused on their pakhan. “Brothers.” His eyes meet mine, and the intensity of his gazes makes my stomach churn. There’s a spark of something in his eyes, but I can’t work out what it is. He shifts his eyes across the rest of th
e room, freeing me. “I’ve called this meeting because we have some urgent news.”
A few of the men glance at each other but don’t dare whisper. Andrei hates it when anyone talks while he is addressing the brotherhood like this.
“What you may or may not know is that Veselov has been overstepping onto our territory.” He grits his teeth together. “He isn’t backing down despite extensive attacks on his operations.”
Alexi crosses his arms over his chest, making eye contact with me. There’s a questioning look in his eyes. He knew I was going to snatch Milana, but he can’t anticipate what Andrei is about to reveal.
“Lyov was instructed to snatch his daughter.” Andrei looks at me again, and so does the rest of the room. “He can’t part with her, which means our only option is to go to war with the Miami brotherhood.”
Hushed whispers break out between every man in the room.
“Enough,” Andrei barks. “I won’t have any disorder in my meeting. We’re not a bunch of gossiping sissies. Lyov has claimed Georgy’s daughter, but that means nothing,” he growls.
Everyone is stunned by the ferocity in his voice as he cracks his neck. “Veselov has disrespected us too many times. He doesn’t deserve our attempts to agree to peace. We will take the full force of the New York bratva to Miami and blow them out of the damn water.”
A lot of the men turn their attention on me, glaring at me with a hatred that cuts me to the core. I know they won’t thank me for forcing war on them. It’s what I expected, but it makes this place even more hostile for Milana. I’m thankful now that Vera saved her from experiencing this.
“We are going to war. It’s simple,” Andrei finishes.
I’ve actively kept my gaze away from Alexi, out of fear of what I will see. He has been the closest to me over the years — the only man here I truly trust with my life.
“As you can all imagine, Veselov won’t be happy,” Andrei says. “As such, we need to reach out first and find out if he wishes to agree to peace. If not, we go in full force.” The likelihood of Veselov reaching an agreement is slim to none. He’s a brutal, power-hungry son of a bitch who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
My snatching of his daughter and then bedding her will be seen as the ultimate insult. Even though it has nothing to do with him, neither of us could control the connection between us. It’s otherworldly.
I know I would have been the last of all of us anyone would expect to fall for a woman. I’ve always been a sensible, unemotional member. I do what needs to be done and detach my emotions from my actions sometimes too easily. Then, Milana came along and turned me into an emotional wreck. When it comes to her, I will do anything to keep her safe.
If she wanted me to free her and let her home, I’d do it in a heartbeat–even if it would kill me to do so. Thankfully, she feels this connection between us too. It would have been heartbreaking to let the only woman I’ve felt anything for in ten years go. I would have done it, though, if it’s what she wanted.
“Now, that matter has been discussed. Does anyone have any other business we need to attend to.” Andrei glances at Alexi, who steps forward, clearing his throat.
“Yes, we all need to be on guard with the NYPD. Unfortunately, the detective doesn’t seem to want to back off the charity case.” He shakes his head, and there’s a real concern in his eyes. “Everyone needs to keep a wide birth from all police contacts for the foreseeable future. At least until we get her off our backs.”
One man, Nikov, claps his hands. “Man up, Alexi. Surely you can deal with some dumb bimbo.”
There’s a flash of something dangerous in Alexi’s eyes as he charges forward, fists clenched. It’s unlike Alexi to get wound up by an asshole like Nikov. Usually, he’s the most chilled out guy here.
Nikov’s smirk is wiped clean off his face as Alexi grabs him by the collar, dragging him to his feet.
“Say that again, Nikov,” he dares.
Nikov’s knees shake as Alexi towers over him. He has no idea what to do with himself. No one has ever seen Alexi snap like that—ever.
“Enough,” Andrei orders. “Nikov, keep your mouth shut. That’s my sovietnik you are speaking to.”
Alexi removes his hands from Nikov’s shirt, turning away from him.
Nikov breathes a sigh of relief. “Sorry, sir,” he replies, bowing his head.
The guy is a cowardly snake. Unfortunately, a few of our brotherhood doesn’t deserve to be part of this outfit. They don’t respect the men who are far superior to them.
I get the feeling my rank in the brotherhood may have dropped significantly. Most certainly, Andrei’s opinion of me is lower. I can see it in the way he looks at me.
He insists he wanted a reason to go to war with Georgy, but I’m not sure I believe that. It’s his only way to justify the war. He can’t tell the men he’s going to war with him because I’m in love with Milana—that’s too soft. It’s also not the reason.
Vera is the reason. She wouldn’t have let him harm me, because we’ve become surprisingly close ever since the morning of Andrei’s surgery. All I want right now is to reunite with my woman.
“Very good, anything else?” Andrei asks.
There’s a deafening silence as no one else speaks. “Back to work, then. Until next time.” Andrei dismisses them and heads for the door, not looking at me again.
I swallow hard, wondering where Vera has taken Milana. A panic grips at me as I charge out of the room and into the hallway, knowing Andrei will lead me to them. He doesn’t notice as I follow him down the corridor toward the kitchen.
Vera’s voice carries from the kitchen, and I quicken my footsteps. As I turn the corner, Andrei is standing behind Vera with his hands on her shoulders. “How are you two getting on?”
I walk in and move to stand behind Milana, finding my rightful place by her. Andrei doesn’t react to my appearance, even though it’s a protective move.
“I will ask the staff to prepare the spare room for the both of you,” Andrei says.
I shake my head. “There’s no need—”
“Lyov, you’ve tested my patience enough. It’s not a question but an order. Until we can ensure Milana’s safety, you will both remain under this roof.”
I clench my jaw, knowing that I can not speak out of turn again. Andrei’s patience is wearing thin. He’s not happy that I’ve forced his hand with my indiscretion with Milana.
I nod my head instead, keeping it bowed slightly.
Andrei claps his hands, making Milana jump. “Good, it’s settled.” He walks out of the kitchen without another word.
Vera rolls her eyes once his footsteps have disappeared into the distance. “Ignore him. He’s used to calling all the shots.”
Milana smiles, but I can’t find it in myself to join in—not yet. She may feel safe with Vera, but her persuasion only stretches so far. We need to be on guard while under Andrei’s roof.
18
Milana
Lyov returns to the guest room Andrei has allowed us. It’s quite a privilege for any of the brotherhood members to stay here—other than Alexi, who resides here.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
He looks distracted as he turns his attention to me. “I’m not sure.”
I watch him as he marches toward me, muscles tense. “What is it?”
He runs a hand through his dark hair. “Your father has agreed to meet to discuss terms.”
My brow furrows. “It’s a trap,” I say simply. My dad doesn’t discuss anything. He’s a hothead. If he wants to meet with Andrei, then he has a plan.
He nods his head. “That’s what worries me. He wants both of us to accompany Andrei for the discussion.”
What the hell is my dad playing at?
He sighs heavily. “We have to leave for the airport, now.”
I bite my bottom lip, trying to figure out my dad’s plan. If anyone here knows him, it’s me. The only problem is he never discusses work with me. Instead, he c
onfides only in Dima, my brother. He has taken after my father, but he’s worse — a disgraceful excuse of a man. We never got on, even less so as he grew up.
“I’ll pack a bag,” Lyov says, walking toward the walk-in closet in the room. Andrei has been generous to both of us in the past three days, supplying us with anything we need. Despite him insisting he is repaying Lyov for his years of service, I get a sense Vera has something to do with it.
I was sure we were heading straight for war. My dad never negotiates. His thirst for blood is never-ending, and he has been at war with the Los Angeles brotherhood for years. Lyov and his brotherhood will be in the same situation if they can’t agree to peace, which seems impossible. I know my dad.
It’s either enter a war with my dad or let him take me back. I can’t go back. It may be selfish, but now I’ve found Lyov, I don’t intend to let him go.
When our eyes met over that dance floor, I knew my life as I knew it had changed. Deep down, a part of me recognized this man as the man I’m destined to spend my life with. A sixth sense that drew me to him like a moth to a flame.
Lyov returns with a small overnight bag. “I’ve got all we need. Andrei is waiting for us downstairs.”
“Does he suspect this is a trap?”
He walks toward me and sets the bag down by his feet, grabbing my hips and pulling me into his chest. “Andrei is one of the smartest men I know. He’s well aware of your father’s temperament.”
I rest my hand on his hard chest, wishing we could stay here. New York is safe. It feels like my dad can’t touch me here, but the thought of going anywhere near Miami makes me uneasy.
The last thing I want to do is bring harm to Lyov. A man I’ve not know for long but love more than anyone. He’s everything to me.
The first person to make me long for a better life. A life with love and happiness, even if we belong to the bloody world of the bratva. We can endure this world together, stronger side by side.