“Da,” he replies.
“If there are any issues, you can call me,” I state before I start my car and pull away. The men don’t usually phone me unless absolutely necessary. Because of my function within the Bratva, everyone tends to stay away from me. When Alexey placed me as Jade’s bodyguard, everyone was surprised, including me. I was unsure of my capability to protect her, but Alexey insisted that I was the right man for the job and that he would have no one else.
When I think of what Jade has gone through since meeting Alexey, I worry about bringing Raven and Luke into this life, but they will be better off next to me than away from me. I tried keeping her away to protect her from my world, but it turns out that was the wrong thing to do. My woman should be living like a queen, not in some tiny dump of a flat with hardly any furniture and clearly struggling financially.
When I get back home, I will speak to Alexey and arrange for Raven and Luke to move in with me. I know that Alexey is weary in bringing anyone new into our fold, but he will have to accept Raven and Luke, because there is no way in hell I will let them carry on living the way they are.
To think that if I hadn’t bumped into Raven today, she would continue to struggle with my son because of a stupid decision I made makes me slap the steering wheel again to rid myself of some of the frustration choking me. I will never be able to bring back the years that I lost with them, but I sure as hell will do everything in my power to make the upcoming years good ones for them.
Parking the car in the basement of the building that the Bratva use as a base, I climb out of the Mustang and make my way to the lifts, my eyes automatically going to all the areas where the guards are supposed to be. I see everyone is in place as I step into the lift. When I finally make it to my apartment, I open the door and step in. Closing the door behind me, I stand still, looking around.
I don’t usually pay attention to my apartment; it’s just a place to sleep. It has the bare essentials and looks like no one lives here. I wonder what Raven will think when she sees it. She will be able to buy anything she wants to furnish the place. I have an abundance of money, as I use very little of my money on my day to day.
The first thing I will do is buy Raven a reliable and safe car, which she will be able to use to get around. I would still prefer her to have a guard with her, but knowing my woman, she will fight me on that. Once she’s here in safety, I will convince her that it’s the safest option for Luke. My phone beeps. Looking down, I see it’s Alexey asking me to go to his apartment. Turning, I exit my flat and make my way upstairs to Alexey’s place.
Andrei is outside the door. When he sees me, he punches in the code and opens the door so that I can enter. I hear Jade talking in the kitchen but know that Alexey won’t be there, as I see the light shining from his study. I make my way there and knock on the door before stepping in. I notice Vlad standing by the window while Alexey is sitting behind his desk.
“Nik, take a seat. We are just waiting for Dimitry,” Alexey says as I walk in. Vlad looks over at me and inclines his head in greeting. Going by Vlad’s tense features, there is trouble brewing. Vlad has been by Alexey’s side since they arrived in South Africa. He is faithful to his brother without fault. It is a pleasure to serve these men. Alexey might be the Bratva boss here in South Africa, but he has his norms and values firmly in place. No women or children are harmed unless there isn’t a way around it.
Hearing a noise behind me, I turn my head to see Dimitry walking in. “Close the door,” Alexey states. Once the door is closed and Dimitry is sitting, Alexey stands and walks around his desk until he’s leaning against the front of his desk. “Dimitry, tell everyone what you told me this morning.”
“The Catalonians have a new boss. His name is Alexandro but that isn’t the interesting news. They have joined forces with Bjorn.” At his words, my stomach tightens. Is it possible that Bjorn knows I’m here? When I left Russia years ago, Alexey and Vlad’s father, the Bratva Boss, was trying to protect me by sending me here. I was asked to kill Bjorn’s son as a warning, and Bjorn has sworn to take out his revenge on me and everyone I hold dear. That is also why I kept away from Raven, and now that I found her again and my son, it looks like Bjorn has finally found me.
“Does he know Nik is here?” Vlad asks as he approaches us.
“I don’t think so. I think this is just a way of them getting into Africa,” Dimitry suggests.
“Nik, what all did that asshole say when you tortured him?” Vlad asks as he rubs his face with his hand.
“The only information he gave the Catalonians was our pickup dates and who is transporting for us,” I state. “I do think there is someone else involved, that he wasn’t the only one.”
“Why do you say that?” Alexey asks with a frown, his hands fisting in anger.
“I went back to check, and the last date they attacked us, he didn’t know where the pickup was, as he was in Cape Town with Vlad. Therefore, someone has a loose tongue, or we have another spy among us.”
Alexey turns slightly, picks up the paperweight on his desk, and throws it against the wall. The crystal weight shatters into pieces, flying all over as it hits the wall and then the floor. One thing Alexey hates is having to punish his own men, and since the war with the Catalonians, we have found a handful of rats among us. The three of us don’t move at Alexey’s show of temper. He doesn’t ever show emotion before our men, but sometimes among us, he lets his anger show.
I know that Alexey trusts no one except Vlad and Jade, but I also know that he has a special fondness for Dimitry and me. We practically grew up together. After their father took me in to be part of the Bratva, it was always assumed that Dimitry and I would stand next to Alexey and Vlad whenever needed.
“Motherfuckers,” Alexey grunts angrily as the office door flies open and Jade stands there with a worried look on her face, one hand over her protruding stomach and the other over her heart.
“Alexey . . . what happened?” Before my eyes, a calmness comes over the boss. His features soften when he looks at his wife.
“Don’t worry, detka, all is fine,” he states as he walks towards her. Placing his hand over her stomach, he lowers his head to kiss her tenderly on the lips.
“Alexey?” she asks with a raised brow when he lifts his head, but he strokes her cheek with his thumb as his other hand gently rubs her stomach.
“It was just the paperweight. Everything is fine.”
Jade nods, but I can see that she doesn’t believe him. “Will you all be having dinner with us?” she asks as she looks at me and then Dimitry and finally Vlad.
“Yes, detka. If you would like that, they will,” Alexey suggests, which makes her slap him lightly on the chest.
“You don’t order them. You have to ask them, Alexey,” she quips, and then looks at all of us. “Would you like to have dinner with us?” I see Alexey shake his head in amusement at her show of bossiness.
“You can count me in,” Vlad says with a grin.
“Da,” I answer, and she grins. Jade has taken to mothering me. She has decided that I need saving and that she is going to help save me. It will be interesting to see when she gets to know Raven. I hope the two of them can become friends.
“Thank you, Jade. That would be nice,” Dimitry replies with a wink. At first, Dimitry was suspicious of Jade, but as time passed and he saw the love the boss and she have for each other, he relaxed around her, and now actually goes out of his way to please her.
“Great, see you when you’re ready,” she says as she lifts on her toes and kisses the boss. Before she leaves, she says something softly to him that we don’t hear, and then she’s closing the door behind her. I see Alexey squeeze his eyes tightly shut, and then slowly open them before he turns towards us again.
“What you said makes sense. Dimitry, look into it,” Alexey says. “Vlad, change the pickups. Talk to the supplier and the Elementals.” Vlad nods in confirmation. “Nik, needless to say that with Bjorn involved, I want you
to keep a low profile until we know if he has any idea that you are here or not.” At my nod, he walks back towards his desk and leans against it. “Is there anything else I must know before we go to dinner?”
“Da,” I say, and see his eyes snap to mine. “I need to bring my woman and my son to live with me.”
“What the . . .?” Vlad says.
“Since when do you have a woman and a son?” Dimitry asks with a frown. Dimitry doesn’t like not knowing about things. Usually he knows everything there is to know about everyone’s life.
“I knew her about three years ago but broke it off to protect her from our life. She didn’t tell me she was pregnant when we broke up. I saw her again this morning when Jade went to the doctor, and found out that I have a son. His name is Luke, and there is no doubt he is mine,” I say, knowing the questions that will be asked.
“We can look after her and your son without you having to live with her,” Alexey says with a raised brow.
“I want them with me. The only reason I left before was for her protection,” I state clearly so that they know that Raven is mine because I want it, not because she had my son.
“Does she want this?” Vlad asks.
“She will.”
“If she wants to come live with you, and if you think that is the right thing to do, then I give you permission to bring her,” Alexey says. “This is going to make my woman happy. She has been trying to find you a good woman, as she says, since she met you.” I nod in thanks and breathe out in relief when I think that I don’t have to try to dodge all the women Jade has been throwing at me.
Vlad slaps my back. “Congratulations, Papa.” He grins. “I now have two kids to teach how to box.” I raise my eyebrows at him. I doubt Raven will be pleased if she knows that Vlad is teaching my son how to box. “What? It’s better than you teaching him torture,” he teases, but the truth is, he is right. How will I be able to protect my son from our life? How will he be raised away from all the violence?
“Don’t worry about it. He’s still young,” Alexey says. Looking over at him, I see understanding in his eyes and know that my worry has plagued him too.
“Well, I think this calls for a drink,” Dimitry says as he stands and walks towards where Alexey keeps the vodka and glasses. Bringing the glasses and bottle, he hands each of us a glass before he pours the vodka.
Lifting the glass in the air, Alexey says, “Zazdarovje.” We all repeat it before swallowing back the drink.
“Let’s go eat,” Vlad says as he places the glass on the table and starts to make his way to the door. I see Alexey’s mouth curve up in amusement at his brother. We all love Jade’s food, but if Vlad could eat at their home every day, which he nearly does, he would. I remember Raven making me dinner and how she would go out of her way to make the things I liked.
The thought of having her and my son here where I know they will be protected calms the knots that I had in my stomach since the minute I stepped out of my car at her place. They will be fine. Now I just need to convince her that this is the right thing to do.
RAVEN 4
I smile as I hear Luke babbling away to himself from his cot. Yesterday, I thought I would never fall asleep after I saw Nik, but to my surprise, when I came to bed, I instantly fell asleep. Thinking about yesterday, I feel my heart thump when I think of the man I used to love, whom I still love, and how he used to own me. He owned me body and soul, and that’s why I can’t let him get too close. I will allow him to take Luke for the day once Luke gets to know him, but I can’t let him get close to me again.
“Mama, Mama, Mama,” Luke says excitedly when he sees me moving in bed, his chubby little hands holding the bars of the cot as he moves happily.
“Good morning, Luke,” I say as I sit up in bed and smile at my little boy. Once again, the resemblance to his father astounds me. His dimple flashes at me as he lifts his arms so I can pick him up.
“Mama, up.” Getting out of bed, I pick up Luke and snuggle him close to me. I bury my face in his neck, breathing in his baby smell that has many times calmed me when I didn’t know what to do with my life. Blowing on his neck, I smile when he starts to laugh. “More,” he says when I lift my head.
“More, is it?” I tease as I blow on his neck. Laying him on the bed, I continue blowing and kissing him as he laughs. “You are a little rascal; do you know that?” I say playfully as I start to change him.
“Rascal,” he copies as he looks at me with his naughty grin.
“Yes, rascal,” I repeat. When he is finally dressed, I place him back in his cot while I get dressed.
“Aerial.”
“You want cereal?” I ask as he nods at me. “You don’t want eggs?” Luke loves scrambled eggs.
“Aerial and egg.”
“Nope, you can only have one or the other. Which one do you want?” I ask as I put him on the floor so he can follow me to the kitchen.
“Want aerial and egg,” he says as he juts out his chin in determination.
“I’ll tell you what, I will make you cereal and myself scrambled eggs, and you can have some of mine. How does that sound?” Before he can reply, there is a knock on the door.
“Door,” he screams as he runs towards it and starts to hit with his little fists on the door.
“Luke, stop it,” I mumble as I take his hand and pull him back. “Who is it?”
“Open up, Raven.” My heart summersaults when I hear Nik’s voice. I unlock the door and open it back to see Nik standing on the other side, dressed immaculately like always. His eyes travel the length of me before moving to Luke, who is standing next to me, looking up at him. “Morning.” His voice is gruff as he greets us.
“What are you doing here, Nik?” I ask.
“I came to take the two of you out for breakfast,” he states. The thought of going out with him again makes me want to scream yes, but the knowledge that all he wants is to make sure that his son is fine keeps me from making a fool of myself.
“Thank you, but that isn’t necessary. I was just about to make Luke his cereal.”
“Egg,” Luke suddenly interrupts as he continues to look up at Nik in wonder. I see Nik’s lips quirk at his son’s comment.
“I think he would rather have eggs,” he says as he looks back at me. “We need to talk. Don’t be stubborn, Raven. I would like to do this for you and for Luke.” Hearing his name, Luke decides that he has been ignored long enough.
“Hello,” he says as he takes a step closer to Nik. Nik looks down and then squats so that he’s nearly at eye level with Luke.
“Hi, Luke.” I can feel the tears fill my eyes when I see the two most important people in my life looking at each other. “Would you like to go out and have eggs?”
At his underhandedness, I glare at him tearfully. “That’s a dirty move.”
“Eat egg,” Luke says, and then gives Nik one of his grins. “Mama eat egg.” He turns back to me. “Up, Mama.” Before I can bend over, Nik picks him up. A surprised Luke stares at his father before he places his hand on Nik’s cheek. “Man,” he says in wonder as he looks at Nik.
A tear slips down my cheek when I see the love on Nik’s face. “This is your daddy,” I say, and feel Nik’s finger stroke away the tear on my cheek.
“Don’t cry, angel,” he says huskily.
“Mama cry,” Luke says, looking at me with a frown. “Luke kiss betta.” He stretches his arms towards me. I take him from Nik, and his chubby little arms wrap around my neck as he kisses my cheeks like I do to him when he cries. “Mama betta,” he says as he looks at me and then back at Nik as if he has solved a great problem.
“Yes, baby, I’m better. Thank you,” I say as I kiss his cheek. “Do you want to go with your daddy for breakfast?” At my question, he looks over at Nik and then back at me, and then he nods.
“I guess we’ll be going to breakfast,” I grumble as I walk towards where I keep a bag with what I need for Luke when going out. When I walk back to Nik with the bag over my sho
ulder, he instantly takes Luke and then the bag. If I weren’t so nervous, I would laugh at someone who looks so badass carrying a baby bag with little elephants on it, but Nik, being the imposing presence he is, detracts from anything and everything except for his masculine magnetism.
He waits for me at the door as I lock up and then walks towards a black Mustang. I can just imagine how much a car like this must cost. When he opens the back door to the car, my eyebrows rise in question, and then I look over to my car parked in front of the flat.
“How did you get Luke’s seat from my car?” I ask suspiciously.
“Your car is very easy to break into. The only reason it hasn’t been stolen yet is because it’s a death trap,” he mutters as he places Luke in the seat as if he has been doing this every day of his life.
“What if I had said no?” I ask, knowing that when Nik puts his mind to something, no one says no to him. He raises his brow at me before he closes Luke’s door and then opens mine. Getting in, I glare at his presumptuous look. “My car isn’t that bad,” I mutter when he gets into the driver’s side.
“I’m surprised it hasn’t left you on the side of the road,” he grunts as he starts the car. I don’t tell him that, in fact, it has left me stranded a time or two. Therefore, I cross my arms and look out the window, trying not to look at his strong hands handling the car. Even though I try to ignore him, it is nearly impossible not to feel the pull this man has to me.
“I’m not judging you, Raven. I think you have done a great job of raising our son. He is lucky to have a mother like you. I can see that you have done the best you can with what you have.”
TURMOIL: Bratva Fury (book 2) Page 3