L Y O V
The ring of the cabin landline cuts through the silence, making me tense. I glance at Milana, who is curled up on the sofa, reading a book. She looks perfect. I know I could get used to
being like this with her all the time—like a normal couple. It’s a bad situation.
I expected the call. It’s well past morning, three-thirty in the afternoon, to be exact. Andrei demanded the photo in the morning, and I haven’t responded to him at all. Milana is blissfully unaware of the sickening request he gave me. Boss won’t be happy, which might force us both into unprecedented danger.
I stroll toward the phone, wishing it would stop ringing—Andrei is nothing but persistent, and his three attempts on my mobile, which I’ve silenced, didn’t go unnoticed. Despite not wanting to pick it up, I grab the receiver. “Hello?”
“Lyov.” The warning in his voice is unmistakable.
My heart is in my throat as I know what is coming. “Sir.”
“Don’t sir me. Where the fuck are the pictures of that bitch smacked about?”
I hate hearing him call her a bitch, and it sends a pulse of rage coursing through my veins. Gritting my teeth together, I try to control it. “I’m not giving you any,” I snap.
There’s a moment of dead silence on the other end, which feels like it will stretch forever. “What?”
“No pictures,” I say simply, unable to say more.
It cuts me to defy my pakhan—a man who has been nothing but good to me since I joined the brotherhood. He’s my leader, and I look up to him. When I fled from Russia and found myself alone in a foreign country, Andrei was there for me.
He gave me a place to belong, but Milana comes before everything. I never thought I’d have a second chance at love. She’s my second chance, even if I’m not sure I deserve it.
“Lyov, explain yourself before I send fifty men to hunt you down,” he growls, voice as cold as ice.
I clench my jaw, knowing that is the last thing I want. Andrei wouldn’t mess around. He will need to punish my betrayal. “I can’t.”
“Are you going to make me come up there myself and beat both of you?”
“Let me speak to him,” Vera says in the background.
I know Vera will understand this more than anyone. The question is whether I can risk telling her the truth? She knows more about me than any of my brothers.
We bonded in a way I never expected when Andrei revealed the truth that he has fallen for the virgin he’d purchased. A woman he intends to marry, and she’s like a little sister to me.
“Lyov, what is going on?” she asks.
I glance back at Milana, who is watching me intently. I know I’ve been tense, and she has picked up on it. “Listen, Vera. I can’t hurt her. I won’t—”
“You love her,” she interrupts.
I swallow hard, hearing her say those words. My eyes are drawn instantly to the woman I’ve been sleeping with for the past week. Is that what this is? I’d barely thought about it, but for the first time in ten years, I feel something.
Could I dare to believe I could love again? Surely my soul can’t be redeemed after everything I’ve done. I don’t deserve love.
“Lyov, listen to me,” Vera says, drawing me out of the daze I’d fallen into. “Andrei won’t accept disobedience, but I can try and convince—”
“Vera, enough,” Andrei barks. “Give me the phone.”
There’s a bit of a commotion on the other end before I hear Andrei speak into the receiver. “Lyov, you can’t disobey me. Her father doesn’t even believe we have her.” There’s a long pause. “I need a photo of her, and she needs to be in a bad way.”
“I can’t.” I pause a moment, trying to find a way to make him understand. “What would you do if it were Vera?” I ask.
There’s a long pause on the other end as Andrei thinks about my question. I can’t hurt Milana. There’s no way it’s happening.
“Fuck,” Andrei says finally. “You’ve got it bad, huh?” He laughs. “I never expected you of all people to encounter this problem.”
Some of the tension eases from my shoulders, hearing my pakhan laugh in this situation. I was expecting to have to run and hide with Milana. Andrei already mentioned sending fifty men after us, and I don’t doubt that.
Andrei can be brutal, even with his brotherhood members. I know that if it weren’t for Vera’s influence on him, we would already be running. His response gives me hope that he may be able to overlook my indiscretion.
“So, Milana is yours now?” he asks, voice apprehensive. “Yeah,” I reply.
He sighs heavily. “It puts the entire brotherhood in a difficult situation. We stole Veselov’s daughter, and we can’t give her back.” There’s a long pause on the other end. “We’re heading for war.” He utters the words I knew were coming.
My actions and my feelings for Milana mean the brotherhood has to go to war with Veselov’s brotherhood. What I have with Milana is selfish, but I can’t turn a blind eye to it, no matter how much I try to remind myself of our code. “I know. I’m sorry—”
Andrei cuts me off. “Don’t be. I’ve wanted a reason to go to war with that son of a bitch ever since he picked a fight with me at the virgin auction last year.”
I can’t help but smile at how Andrei always sees the positive in every situation. If I had defied him publicly, this might have gone a different way.
“I need you to return to New York with her, but be discreet.”
I glance at Milana. The thought of taking her to Andrei scares me. He may be saying the right things to draw us into a trap. All I can do at this moment is trust him. Otherwise, we will be running for the rest of our lives, which is not a life I want for her. “Okay, we’ll leave right away.”
“Good. I’ll see you both soon.” Andrei puts down the phone, leaving me staring at the handset in a daze. His mercy was the last thing I expected— Andrei accepting our romance.
I don’t notice Milana behind me until her hand lands on my back. “Lyov, Is everything okay?”
I wish I could tell her everything is fine, but I honestly don’t know. Andrei is brutal. He has done things many would find abhorrent, and yet, I trust him because he’s my pakhan. Vera will try to plead my case, but if he intends to turn on me, he won’t tell her. Andrei is one of the smartest men I know.
“I’m not sure,” I mutter, turning and taking her hand in mine. “Andrei wants us to meet him in New York.”
Milana’s eyes widen, and she takes a step backward. “He will kill me.”
I shake my head and grab her hand again, pulling her into my chest. “I won’t let him harm you.” I kiss her cheek. “I promise. He knows about us.”
The promise feels a little wrong, as even though I’d do anything to protect her, I can’t guarantee that Andrei isn’t leading us both into a trap.
She looks uncertain as she stares into my eyes. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
I squeeze her hand. “Andrei is nothing but honest. The only other option is to run, but we will be running for the rest of our lives.”
She nods her head, biting her bottom lip gently.
“Don’t worry. Go and get packed.” I nod toward the bedroom.
Instead, she wraps her arms around my neck and jumps into my arms, forcing me to take her weight. I groan as she presses her large, firm breasts into my chest.
“Are you trying to tempt me into fucking you first?” I ask. She bites her bottom lip and smiles. “Guilty.”
I shake my head and pull her close, kissing her hard and fast. “No matter how much I’d love to take you to bed, we haven’t got a moment to waste.” I pull away from her, holding her at arm’s length, as it’s all I can do. “Andrei is angry enough as it is. We can’t take liberties, Milana.”
The stunning smile falls from her mouth, making my chest ache. “Are you sure we are going to be okay?”
I stare into her beautiful emerald eyes, wondering how to answer. “The truth is, Milana, I don’t know.” I grab her hand. “All I know is that we will survive this together.”
She smiles weakly, nodding. I can’t help but notice the doubt in her expression. I wish that I could tell her that everything will be okay, but I don’t want to lie to her. Until we get to New York, I can’t be sure.
“Come on, grab anything you need and let’s go.”
She walks toward the bedroom. I follow her slowly, leaning against the door frame. Milana rushes around, blissfully unaware that I’m watching her gather the clothes I bought her into the bag I’d purchased.
She spins around with the bag over her shoulder and jumps. “Oh my God, Lyov, you scared me half to death.”
I raise a brow and chuckle. “Sorry, are you ready?” She tugs on the strap over her shoulder. “Yep, ready.”
I nod my head toward the exit, and she dashes past me. At least one of us is ready. I’m not sure I’m prepared to face Andrei or my brotherhood. What I’ve done will put all of us in danger. Hopefully, the rest of them are as accepting of my indiscretion as Andrei seems to be.