Hating the Bratva

by K. D Clark

  I spot Katya at the pool table with Luka, and I slap him on the back as I pass by. Gavril’s office is off to the side of the main living space. I knock, but there’s no answer. Fuck, I was hoping he’d already be up and working. I’ll have to visit him at his place. The Pakhan has always lived at the compound. It’s a tradition. He’s the biggest target in our organization, which means he needs 24/7 protection. When I become Pakhan, I have no plans to stay at the clubhouse. The old traditions are outdated, and although they’ve served their purpose, we’re overdue for some change.

  I walk down one of the long hallways to the second building. This building is more like a hotel with rooms on both sides of me. There are enough rooms for every member of the brotherhood, just in case shit hits the fan. Gavril’s apartment is at the very end of the hallway. It’s the most oversized room in the compound with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and everything else they’d need never to have to come out.

  Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door. I shove my hands in my pocket as I wait. A moment later, Nina, Gavril’s wife, opens the door. Nina’s a petite woman with long black hair. She’s ten years younger than Gavril, and from my understanding, the Bratva arranged their marriage.

  “Hey, Alek. Early isn’t it?” she asks.

  I plaster on a fake smile. “Sorry to interrupt your morning, Nina. Is Gavril around? I need to discuss something with him.”

  She opens the door wide enough for me to step inside. Their apartment is cozy with new carpet and the smell of baked goods lingering in the air.

  “Take a seat. I’ll grab him.”

  I sit down at the kitchen table while Nina disappears down the hallway. A moment later, Gavril pulls out the seat across from me.

  “This better be good. It’s nine in the fucking morning,” Gavril says, switching to Russian at the end of his sentence. The gray in his beard seems more prominent this morning, as well as the wrinkles around his eyes.

  “We got hit this morning at Rick’s. Emptied the safety deposit box.”

  His eyes darken from the slight annoyance at me, interrupting his morning to full-on rage. “You’re shitting me.”

  I shake my head. He slams his fist on the table.

  “Rick’s replacing everything, but whoever took the money is good. They were able to hack into the system and not only get into the bank but also shut off the security cameras for fifteen minutes while they did it.”

  “Fifteen minutes?” Gavril asks, his jaw twitching.

  I nod.

  His hands ball into fists on top of the table.

  “It has to be one of his employees. Who else-“

  “Miami?”

  Gavril leans back in his chair as if thinking it over.

  “Heard, through the grapevine that Ivan-“

  Gavril waves a hand, cutting me off. “I’m taking care of that.”

  “How?” It isn’t like Gavril to cut me out of a decision, especially one so important as this.

  “I’ll let you know when I want you to know.”

  I grind my teeth together to stop myself from saying what I want to say. Whatever Gavril has planned, it must be something I’m not going to like. I have respect for Gavril, but he needs to hand the torch over to me already. He’s gotten weak. If what Mikhail told me is true, Gavril should have immediately killed Ivan and stopped any potential issues with the Miami brotherhood. He should have made an example out of Ivan so no one else would dare do something as fucking stupid and reckless as sleeping with a married Bratva woman.

  “How am I supposed to do my job if there are things I don’t know in my organization.”

  Gavril leans forward and puts his elbows on the table. “You’ll know soon enough. For now, keep your ear to the ground. Stay away from Miami. I don’t want them to know we’re sniffing around.”

  “Why would they care? Unless they’re the ones who stole our shit.”

  “The situation is tense. I don’t want to stir the pot. Drop it, Alek. Leave Miami for me to deal with.”

  Delaney

  Nicolai opens the door for me and offers his hand. Tattoos coat his knuckles. They run up his arms covered by the dark suit. I ignore his offer and step out onto the fresh grass.

  "I'll be back to pick you up at two," Nicolai says even though I know he's not leaving. My bodyguard is never far from me. Dad makes sure that Nicolai is always breathing down my neck. I understand the need for a bodyguard. I'm not entirely oblivious to the danger that is always lurking, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

  "2 o'clock," I repeat. Nicolai nods his bald head and gets back into the car. As if I don't know, he's just going to circle the block and then park in a shaded area at the back of the student parking lot so he can scan for danger. Danger. That's the world I live in.

  I grab the pack out of cigarettes from my bookbag and the lighter that I stuffed into a side pocket. There's no smoking allowed on campus, so I head towards an area behind the science building that's hidden enough, so cameras don't reach. As I turn the corner, I see that Robin is already there. She's sitting on the grass with her back pressed against the building.

  "Hey," she says as I sit down next to her on the grass. She's wearing shorts today, and her dark legs rest against the grass.

  "You're going to get itchy," I say, nodding at her legs.

  "Yeah, I didn't think about that. I'm just trying to soak up the good weather before winter hits."

  "Touché." I light my cigarette and inhale.

  I've known Robin since middle school, and if there's anyone I can trust in this world, it's her. Although we couldn't look more different with my pale skin next to her dark and my long wavy black hair next to her short curly hair, I still considered her a sister I never had. She knows bits and pieces about my family and the Bratva, but there is only one thing she's fascinated about; Alek.

  "So... you're seeing Alek tonight?" She asks. I exhale the smoke I've been holding.

  "I'm just going to see his new house. He wants my opinion on a few things."

  She raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, he wants your opinion on what room he'll be climbing on top of you every night."

  My cheeks flare-up. "Oh my god, can you not? Now you're making me nervous."

  She lets out a laugh and plucks the cigarette from my hand before taking a drag herself.

  "I'm just saying, it sounds to me like he's expecting this marriage to happen soon. I mean, he bought a house!"

  I shrug. "Maybe. How's your brother doing?"

  She passed the cigarette back to me. "Not good. They removed what they could of the tumor, but his recovery hasn't been easy."

  Robin's brother has been fighting cancer since I've known her. He spent a few years in remission, but it came back worse the second time.

  "I'll try to stop by this weekend and visit for a little bit," I offer. Although I've never been good friends with Joshua, her brother, I'm close to all of Robin's family. Sister's remember?

  "Good, you can keep him entertained for a while. He's been bitching and moaning because mom's forcing him to take it easy."

  I laugh. "Sounds like Joshua." I glance down at my phone. "Shit, I've got to go. See you at lunch?"

  "See ya."

  I stomp out the last of my cigarette and make my way across campus.

  *****

  "How was class?" Nicolai asks as I get in the car.

  "Fine," I mumble. He acts like I just had my first day at elementary school. He pulls out of the parking lot and onto the street. I look out the window as we drive. I've lived in Boston my whole life, and I've traveled to other parts of the world. Paris for my eighteenth birthday, Italy for a summer vacation, but Boston has always felt like home. There's something about the city that I always take comfort in. It's the reason I didn't fight Dad about going to college locally. Nicolai turns away from the city towards my parent's home.

  It's not long before we pull up to the large colonial house located in the suburbs. Mom said that we lived in a townhouse in the city when I wa
s a baby, but once I was old enough to go to school, she demanded that my dad buy something in the suburbs. The house blends in with all the others on the street. Large, perfect, looks brand new, just like a house that a US senator would live in. Nicolai parks and starts to get out of the car to open my door, but I don't wait for him. Butterflies take flight in my stomach as I remember that I have something to get ready for. It's not a date, but it's close enough. I open the front door and immediately go to my bedroom and close the door. I already know my parents aren't home. Dad's always at work, and my mom keeps busy during the day with various fundraising and charity events.

  My phone vibrates, and I take it out to look at the screen.

  Alek: Done with school?

  Delaney: Just got home.

  I throw my bookbag on the bed and fling open my closet doors. I'm ridiculous. This is not a date. Alek just wants to get my opinion on some stuff for his house. I pick out a pair of blue jeans and a tank top. Casual. My phone vibrates again, and I check the screen.

  Give me an hour, and I'll be there.

  I put the phone back down and walk into my ensuite bathroom. Damn, I should take a shower. I probably smell like cigarettes and the chemicals from my chemistry class. Striping off my clothes, I jump in the shower. I wash up quickly and put on the clothes I picked out, but now my hair is wet. I check the time. I have just enough to blow-dry and straighten my hair. I pause and look in the mirror. Why the hell do I care how I look? What's wrong with me? It's not like it matters. When my father tells me I'll be marrying Alek; it will happen. It won't matter how I looked when I went to his house to help pick out cabinets or whatever the fuck else he wants my opinion on. Maybe a small part of me is scared that the Bratva might pick someone else to marry Alek. It's stupid for me to worry about that. I'm the only woman who is of age and unmarried. Who else would they pick? I'm overthinking this. I grab my blow dryer and get to work.

  *****

  I watch out my upstairs window as Alek's sleek black BMW pulls up in front of the house. I expect him just to send me a text to come down, so I'm surprised when he steps out of the car. He's dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt that stretches across his muscular arms. All his tattoos are on full display. I've seen them up close before. He has his mother and sisters' names on his left arm. They're still back in Russia, and from what he's told me, they have no desire to move here. He runs a hand through his short, blonde hair, and I wonder if he's nervous like I am. That's silly. A man like Alek wouldn't be worried about something so trivial. I'm sure he's dealt with a lot worse things today then picking me up. The doorbell rings, and I grab a light jacket from my desk chair before walking down the steps. I meet my mom coming down the hallway. She must have come home while I was blow-drying my hair.

  "I got it," I exclaim, cutting her off and opening the door. Alek stands there with one side of his lip twisted up in one of those half-grins.

  "Hey," he says.

  "Hey."

  I don't miss the way his eyes drop to my cleavage before coming back to meet my eyes.

  "Hello Alek," my mom says, coming around me. "I didn't know we were expecting company."

  "I was just coming to pick up Delaney. I talked with Denis earlier this week."

  My mom looks hesitant. If she hadn't pumped her face with so much botox, she might even frown. Bratva women don't date. We don't go places alone with men. We got married and spent the rest of our lives being good mothers and housekeepers. The thought nearly makes me vomit.

  "I'll be back," I say, ready to end the awkwardness. If I didn't feel like a child before, I feel like one now. Alek is thirty years old, and he has to get permission from my dad so that I can see his new house. I walk past him and over to his car. I hear him say something to my mom before he joins me.

  "Ready?"

  I nod, and he unlocks the car. I slid into the black leather seat.

  "Is this new?" I ask. The new car smell lingers in the air.

  He presses a button, and the car comes to life. "Yeah, I thought I could use an upgrade."

  I let out a laugh. "You barely used your last car."

  He shrugs. "Yeah, yeah."

  He uses one hand to steer and the other one to shift gears. We turn onto the busy street heading further away from the city.

  "So, where is this big fancy house?" I ask.

  "It's further out than I'm used to, but I like the privacy."

  Privacy could be dangerous in the Bratva; sometimes, it's better to be closer to the other men.

  "What about when you become Pakhan? What are you going to do with the house?"

  His eyes flicker to me before moving back to the road. "You're pretty confident I'll be the next Pakhan, huh?"

  I shrug. "Well, who else?"

  "A lot of people want that spot."

  "But most people aren't qualified."

  He nods in agreement. "You eavesdrop too much, Bunny."

  Bunny. I'm not sure where the nickname came from, but it always sounds so good rolling off his tongue.

  "The walls are thin in my house."

  He laughs. "I doubt that."

  "Well, it's not like anybody tells me anything."

  "Because you aren't supposed to know anything," he argues.

  "Why the hell not? Don't you think I should know about what's going on with the people I love?"

  He shifts gears as we turn onto another road that leads up a steep hill.

  "Sometimes, not knowing is safer."

  "Bullshit," I mumble, turning to watch the trees pass by. They thicken the further we rise.

  I look in the side mirror to see that there aren't any other cars behind us. After a few minutes, the tree's clear. In front of me is a mansion similar to what I pictured in my head. It reminds me of a modern-day castle. Whitestone brick surrounds the outside. A connecting three-car garage is just to the left of the house. Alek pulls around the circle drive and shifts the car into park.

  "Holy shit."

  "Nice, isn't it?"

  All I can do is nod. Alek gets out of the car, and I follow behind him. We walk through the tall wooden double doors and step into a foyer. I can barely tell it's a foyer because white sheets are hanging all over the place. A thin layer of dust coats every inch of the entrance, but even in the chaos, I can see the potential.

  "The house was vacant for a long time. The original owner went to a nursing home, and he wouldn't let his family sell it until he died."

  "This is amazing," I say.

  He gives me one of those half-smiles, and those piercing green eyes momentarily catch me off guard.

  "Come on. I'll show you the rest of the house. Watch your step."

  I follow behind him, taking in the original charm that the home still holds. He leads me to the kitchen area that is pretty much destroyed besides one small place where it looks like Alek has designated for coffee. He stands next to what I assume will be the island. It's covered by one of those white sheets. He grabs two pieces of tile and holds them up.

  "They're putting in flooring in the next few weeks. I've narrowed it down to these two.”

  I can't imagine a man like Alek cares about the tile that goes on his kitchen floor, but I find it cute that he made an effort. I grab them from his hand. One is a plain cream color, and the other has a checkered design. I hold up the cream-colored one.

  "This one. I don't want to get dizzy from looking at the floor." The words slip out of my mouth before I can catch them. I'm making assumptions that I have no business making. Alek steps closer to me, and I swallow. His clean, woodsy scent fills my nostrils, and I swallow. He plucks the tile from my hand.

  "Cream it is."

  The butterflies are back in my stomach when he says the word cream. Get your mind out of the gutter, Delaney. All he asked was what kind of tile I prefer. He reaches across me, so close that I'd bump into him if I move. From behind me, he grabs a few samples of the backsplash.

  "I like the silver," he says.

  I take them
from his hand, relieved to have something else to concentrate on.

  "I agree. I like silver."

  He nods, and his tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip. The movement is like a direct line to my libido. I need to get it together. I'm acting as I've never been alone in a house with a man before, although I haven't, besides my family.

  "I'll let the designer know."

  He walks toward the big glass doors that take up the entire wall of the kitchen. I put the samples down and follow him. He opens the doors and steps outside. As expected, the yard is gigantic. The lawn is perfectly mowed, and it seems to stretch on for miles.

  "I'm having a pool installed over there," he says, pointing to the side of the yard. "There will be a jacuzzi next to it, but I want to leave the rest of the space open."

  I could see myself here after working all day at the hospital, enjoying the night in the hot tub with a glass of wine. I can picture Alek shirtless next to me in the water. I shake my head, trying to clear that image from my mind.

  "It will be beautiful," I settle on saying. He stares at me as if knowing what I'm thinking.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  "Nothing."

  "You're lying."

  I turn to look out at the lawn. The wind blows gently, making the blades of grass move with it.

  "You bought this house for us, didn't you?" I ask.

  He has to know as much as I do that the clock is counting down. I hear him take a deep breath, and I turn again to face him. He shoves his hands into his jean pockets, and it gives him almost a boyish look.

  "Nothing has been decided-"

  "But that's what you'd had in mind, right?"

  He comes so close to me that he can probably hear my heart rate pick up. He removes one hand from his pocket and grips my chin between two fingers. He tilts my head up, so I'm looking at his face. His sharp jawline seems more prominent from this angle, and I can see his 5 o'clock shadow coming in.

  "I don't know what will happen in the future. But, if somehow we do end up in this house, I want you to have a say."