While I planned this all night long, executing it is complicated.
I might have escaped Sergei’s wrath the other time, barely, but this one is entirely different.
He’s not the only one involved.
There’s also Lazlo, and judging by the way he made Lia do the rounds of meeting his family members, I have no doubt that he’ll soon announce to the world that she’s his daughter. The only reason he’s pulling back is because she probably asked him to. However, Lazlo Luciano was never a patient man, especially when it comes to things he considers his right.
He’s known to be brutal and unforgiving when it comes to family matters. And for that alone, I don’t have time to waste.
So as soon as we finish dinner, I stand. Lia stares up at me with those huge imploring eyes. She’s so beautiful, it physically aches sometimes.
Like right now.
I spent the entire dinner observing her every movement; the flutter of her long lashes, the twitch of her lips when she talked or ate. I even let Damien address her just so I could hear the tenor of her voice and the newly-found spark in her words.
My Lenochka has been slowly but surely evolving, and I don’t want to miss any second of it.
Is this a new form of an obsession? Possibly. I have no doubt that just like her character, my obsession with her will keep growing to match it.
Lia gracefully gets to her feet and slips her hand through my arm. Usually, she wouldn’t touch me in public—or in private, until recently—but my Lenochka is changing.
It’s not only about how she went to her father and faced that part of her life or how she put her foot down to protect my men and Winter. She’s been slowly integrating herself into the criminal aspects of my life, which she used to abhor. It’s like she’s finally accepting her role as my wife without my having to force her.
If anything, she’s the one who’s been demanding things.
“What are you doing?” she murmurs, flattening her small frame to my side.
The scent of roses fills my nostrils and I breathe her in, engraving her to memory. She’ll always be my lone rose—the resilient rose that I’d pluck from the side of the road over and over again, even if her thorns caused me to bleed.
She’s my rose.
Her thorns as well as her exotic scent are mine and mine alone.
After taking my fill of her scent, I say, “I need to talk to Sergei, Lenochka.”
She shakes her head, her delicate throat bobbing with a swallow. “Not yet. He’ll kill you.”
“Do you have such little faith in me? Hmm. It seems that I haven’t punished you thoroughly enough lately.”
Her cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson. “Stop it. And you did last night.”
“Not enough apparently.” I stroke her hand that’s looped in my arm. “I’ll be fine.”
“I want to go with you.”
“No. Sergei doesn’t react well to you.”
“Rai told me it’s an act and that he appreciates how you showed loyalty to me.”
I raise a brow. Seems that Rai genuinely likes Lia if she went out of her way to placate her. But then again, she wouldn’t have gone against me and risked my wrath to help Lia escape if that wasn’t the case.
“He appreciates my loyalty, not yours, Lenochka. I don’t want you there when he learns who you are.”
She pouts. “Because I’m a woman and my existence doesn’t matter?”
“Because you’re my wife and I’d rather die a thousand times over than put you in danger.”
I can tell she’s not convinced, but she doesn’t press the matter. However, she hesitates before she releases my arm.
Grabbing her cheeks with both hands, I turn her slightly and brush my lips against her temple. I’m well aware of the onlookers, just like earlier when we danced. They’re all shocked by how close I am to Lia tonight compared to all of the other gatherings. Damien and Kirill even asked me about the sudden change.
It’s simple.
I’m done treating my wife like a stranger when she’s always been the only person who mattered in a room full of people.
The only person I see.
I reluctantly release her and go to Sergei’s side. He’s been watching me, too, though he’s remained quiet about it.
After making sure Lia is in Yan’s direct view, I stop beside our Vor. “A word, Pakhan.”
“Why?”
“It’s of interest to you.” I stare at Vladimir who’s been observing me all night, no doubt waiting for me to slip up. “You, too.”
Kirill slides to our side with quiet steps and readjusts his glasses. “What about me?”
“Me, too.” Damien jumps in with less finesse. “Why does everyone leave me out?”
“Not today.” I motion at Kirill with a tilt of my head, and he thankfully takes the hint and drags a protesting Damien away.
Vladimir and I follow Sergei into his office while Igor, Mikhail, and even Lazlo and his men stare at us.
Actually, Lazlo’s attention is on me. I ignored him as much as possible the past week, and if I don’t do something about it, he’ll do things his way.
But I need to take care of my own before extending it to outsiders.
At soon as we’re in the office, Sergei sits in the lounge area and Vladimir and I join him.
“What is it?” The Pakhan leans on his fist. “I assume it has to do with the wife, whom you once mentioned means nothing?”
“Yes. There’s something about her you should know.”
“What, pray tell, might that be?”
“She’s Lazlo Luciano’s daughter.”
“What?”
“What the fuck?” Vladimir says at the same time as Sergei.
The Vor straightens but doesn’t release his fist. “Is this a distasteful joke, Volkov?”
“No, Pakhan. In fact, she’s the reason Lazlo Luciano demanded to only work with me. I’m his son-in-law.”
“What is this insolence?” Sergei’s voice hardens. “You’ve been playing me for fool all along?”
“No.”
“Then do you deny knowing who she was before you married her?” Vladimir asks.
“No. I knew since the beginning. Lazlo and Lia, however, found out only recently.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Sergei hisses.
“I have no interest in lying to you. If I did, I would’ve kept this a secret.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Unlike what you think, I dislike keeping secrets from you, Pakhan.”
“You don’t seem to when it comes to your precious wife.”
“I did that to protect her from this life. Until recently, she didn’t even know how tightly she’s related to our world.”
Silence fills the office, but it’s neither uncomfortable nor stifling. Vladimir is deep in thought, probably considering ways to finish me off, while Sergei continues sizing me up before he speaks. “When did you figure out her connection to Lazlo?”
“Before I married her. I intended to use her against him.”
“Let me guess, you changed your mind?”
“No. I still intend to use Lazlo for the brotherhood’s benefit. He has a knack with the South American cartels and that will help us in the long run. My loyalty lies with the Bratva, not him.”
“But he’s your father-in-law.”
“That makes him an ally, not the boss of me.”
“Killing Richard doesn’t support your theory,” Vladimir grunts.
“I already told you why I did that. Stop nagging like an old woman, Vladimir.”
He glares. “And now what? You expect us to let this go, too?”
“That’s what I hoped for.” I meet Sergei’s gaze.
“Pakhan,” Vladimir tightens his hand into a fist. “You can’t possibly forgive the bastard for his disrespect two times in a row.”
Sergei remains silent but doesn’t break eye contact with me. I’m fully aware that he doesn’t want to lose me, and while I haven’t revealed my in-law relations with the Lucianos to not involve Lia, Sergei—and even the fucker, Vladimir—know that it would benefit the brotherhood. Especially with how closed off Lazlo and his people can be.
However, Sergei is old-fashioned, and Vladimir is closed off. They wouldn’t let me off the hook, no matter how valuable I am, for the sole reason that they don’t want to set a precedent.
Countless men were killed for lesser than this and if I’m forgiven easily, it’d reflect badly on Sergei’s power and the brotherhood’s codes of honor.
It seems that the Pakhan needs an incentive, so I say, “All you have to do is turn a blind eye to it like I’m turning a blind eye to the fact that your daughter embezzled money from V Corp and fled.”
Both Sergei and Vladimir stare at me with wide eyes. The way they underestimate me is somewhat insulting. Did they really think I wouldn’t figure out that Sergei’s soft daughter, Anastasia, isn’t, in fact, continuing her studies in Russia like they lied about to everyone?
I was the one who investigated the case of embezzlement from V Corp. However, when I was getting closer to revealing the culprit, Rai figured out a way to return the funds with the help of her granduncle and Vladimir. The three of them thought they could fool me, but they must not know how my system works.
Anastasia Sokolov was too sheltered, too submissive, that she never looked the men in their eyes, but she was smart. For a whole year, during her internship with V Corp, she managed to send small amounts of money to a foreign bank account.
She didn’t only manage to fool her father, but also Rai and Vladimir, who made it their mission to shelter her even more than she already was.
However, she was never able to fool me.
Vladimir masks his shock. “What the fuck are you talking about, Volkov?”
“I have proof. Documented.”
Sergei’s face turns red. “Are you threatening me?”
“If I were to threaten you, I would turn the word upside down, find Anastasia, then bring her to her knees in front of the brotherhood so that she pays for her sin. Betrayal’s punishment is death—per your words, Pakhan.”
Vladimir springs up, pulling out his gun and pointing it at me.
I don’t even flinch. “Killing me will only bring Anastasia’s funeral forward. My men will make it their mission to find and make sure she disappears once and for all.”
“Not if I kill them all.”
“What makes you think all of my men are here, Vladimir? Maybe a few of them are on Anastasia’s tail as we speak.”
“Why now?” Sergei asks. “Why didn’t you play this card before?”
“Because I get to use it for two purposes now.” And it’s my last card against him, Vladimir, and Rai. If the three of them are by my side, the others will fall in line, too.
Igor would follow Sergei’s lead. Mikhail usually goes with the flow. Kirill and I already exchange information and he’s my ally, especially with the secret I’m holding over his head.
That only leaves Damien, but I’ll find a way to rein that wild horse in sooner or later.
“He deserves death for threatening you.” Vladimir presses his gun against my temple. “Let me kill him, Pakhan.”
“I’m not threatening my Pakhan. I’m suggesting a deal. If you want me to find Anastasia while keeping it under the radar, I will.”
“You can?” he asks slowly.
“Yes. All you have to do is give the order.”
I see the exact moment Sergei decides that I’m worth more than the stupid rules, that my system and my existence is one of the brotherhood’s greatest assets.
I see the exact moment he trusts me again, even though he would never admit it aloud.
He just motions at Vladimir with a hand. “Sit down. Adrian is talking.”
By the time I leave Sergei’s office and Vladimir’s vexing presence, a weight has been lifted off my chest.
It’ll take time, but the rest of the brotherhood will go back to being the chess pieces on my board. They’ll continue to be part of my system as they have been from the beginning.
As I’m walking down the hall, my feet come to a halt when I perceive movement in my peripheral vision. In a heartbeat, I’m surrounded by Lazlo, his underboss, Nicolo, and a few of their guards.
Nicolo points his weapon at my stomach. Isn’t it the day of being held at gunpoint?
Lazlo glares at me. “A word, Volkov.”
