ANDREI
The ringing in my ears subsides as my eyes flicker open. For a moment, I’m stunned and unsure where I am. Then, the pain
registers and the wetness beneath me makes my heart rate speed up.
I bring my hand up to my face, finding it coated in blood—my blood. I shouldn’t be alive, but then I see Alexi kneeling by my side. He’s got Lyov with him, standing a little way away. And Roman, our brotherhood doctor, kneeling next to him.
“Andrei, can you hear us?” he says, putting pressure on the second wound I took to my chest.
I nod my head, trying to sit up.
He pins me down to the floor. “Don’t move. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Panic hits me. “Vera, where is she?”
Alexi and Roman exchange glances. “They’ve taken her.”
A flood of adrenaline takes the pain away and I sit bolt upright, attempting to get to my feet. I have to find her. Vera is everything to me. I can’t let them take her.
As I get to my feet, my head swims and Alexi grabs my arm, steadying me.
“Chill out, brat. Where do you think you are going?”
I shake my head. “I need to find her.”
Alexi glances at Lyov. “First, we need to get your back to base and treated. Lyov has information he can give to you once we’re there.”
I clench my jaw, wishing I could fight against my sovietnik, but at the moment, I haven’t got the energy. They are right. The blood loss has drained me and trying to go after her now would be a suicide mission.
If I were to find them, I’d pass out. I glance back at where I’d been lying, grimacing at the puddle of blood. “What brought you guys out here?”
Lyov steps closer. “I found out some troubling information, and we were on our way to tell you it, when Alexi got a call from Yakov saying you were being ambushed.” He pauses a moment.
“Where is Yakov?” I scan the area.
He swallows hard. “Dead.”
I’m numb hearing my trusted driver and close friend is dead. He held a low rank in our brotherhood, but he was one man I trusted above all. A man who I’d kept close to my side through the eight years since I took control. He was the driver for my father too, when I was a kid. His loss will be felt for a while, but in the Bratva there is no time to mourn him.
Even in front of my brothers. It would be seen as weak. I nod instead, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Let’s get going, then.”
ALEXI AND ROMAN help me to the car, getting me inside. I rest my head back against the headrest, shutting my eyes. The moment they’re shut, I see her. Vera Popov. The woman who tried to kill me, the woman I crave, and the woman who I’ll walk through fire to get back—no matter the consequences.
* * *
Roman finishes giving me my fluids and IV treatment, pulling the needle out of me. I wince as the site stings, but nowhere near as much as my shoulder hurts. He has patched that up and the wound to my chest, without painkillers. I need to be alert if I’m going to get Vera back, and pain meds won’t help.
Lyov has been lingering by the doorway, eager to speak with me. I can see it on his face. He steps closer to the bed as Roman walks away. “We’ve found out who made the attempt on your life.”
I shift in the bed, wincing at the pain radiating through my shoulder. It may be a flesh wound, but it hurts like a bitch. Not as much as it hurts being parted from Vera.
“Who the fuck are they?” I sit up straighter in my chair.
His brow furrows, stepping closer. “The woman you had purchased from the virgin auction is called Vera Popov… As in, Ivan Popov’s daughter.”
I nod my head. “Yes, I know, she told me.”
His mouth falls open for a second, before he clears his throat. “Igor Popov is the man behind your attempted murder, according to him he has evidence you murdered his brother. He’s her uncle.”
“I know, they said I killed her family, which is impossible since I was here in America when it happened.” I run a hand across my beard. “They sent Vera to kill me, but she believed me when I told her the truth. She never told me her uncle put her up to it.”
He shakes his head. “What don’t you know?”
“Where she is,” I say
His eyes narrow. “Why does it matter where she is?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, wishing I hadn’t spoken. Lyov is my spy. We’ve known each other for years, but I’m uncertain I can trust him with the truth. “No one takes from me,” I say, keeping my eyes cold. He can’t know how much she means to me—no one can.
“We have the proof Igor Popov killed his brother.” He dips his hand into a briefcase, pulling out some photos.
They show a man standing over the bodies of four people. He’s covered in blood. I wonder if these were the photos they manipulated to show to Vera. “He is trying to expand his power into America.” He places the photos in my hand. “We believe he has had you and your father in his sights ever since he killed Ivan and his family.”
“Why us?” I ask.
HE SHRUGS. “The New York brotherhood is the largest outfit in North America. We’re the richest, and greed drives Igor.”
“The best plan of action?” I ask.
He sets his hand on the gun on his belt. “Find him and kill him.”
I nod. “Sounds good.” I stand from the edge of the bed and walk toward my wardrobe, grabbing a shirt out.
I wince as I shrug it on, before turning and walking toward the bedroom door. Lyov steps into my patch, placing his hand on my good shoulder. “Where the fuck are you going, sir?”
“I will find and kill that bastard,” I growl.
He flinches but keeps his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been shot twice, less than two hours ago. Let us handle it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Get the fuck out of my way.” If this were any normal situation, not involving Vera, I wouldn’t insist on going. I need to be there when they find her, otherwise, she might get caught in the crossfire. I won’t allow that to happen.
“You aren’t in a fit state to accompany us in something so dangerous.” He squares his shoulders, trying to assert his dominance. He is walking a fine line with me right now. If he’s not careful I’ll pummel him for his insolence, even with one arm out of action.
“Out of my way,” I command, voice turning dangerous. I bump him with my good shoulder. “Don’t get too cocky for your own good, Lyov,” I warn, marching out of the room.
“I’ve located her, sir,” Alexi says, as I walk out of the bedroom straight into the hallway.
“Vera?” I ask.
He nods, and I glance back at Lyov who is leaning against the door. “Where is she?”
Alexi shrugs and steps to one side, and I feel the blood pumping harder through my veins. Vera is standing in front of me. “Demetri found her, wandering through a nearby park. She said she escaped from them and found her way back to the city.”
Vera’s eyes meet mine, and I know something is wrong. It’s as if she’s trying to warn me. Either she has convinced her uncle she’s still working for him, or maybe she is still working for him.
Although, once she sees the proof that I didn’t kill her family, I’m certain her allegiances with switch for good.
The only thing I can hope is that she trusts me after this. Otherwise, it may end in both our deaths. If she were to stand against me, I’d be in an impossible situation.
As pakhan of the New York brotherhood, I have to make sure I punish anyone who tries to undermine my power. Death is the only acceptable punishment. I’ve got a feeling that no matter what, I wouldn’t be able to allow her death.