Mikhail
“We’re nothing like the people you know, Maria,” I tell her. “The Bratva is a society that exists beyond what ordinary people comprehend. We have our own rules and laws based on a hierarchy of power that protects all our members. Pakhans succeed so our families thrive-no matter the cost. Outsiders might consider us criminals, but we’re not concerned with their judgment. Our only concern is the survival of our legacies.”
I wait for a reaction, but nothing is in her solemn countenance.
“I must be ruthless if I am to lead my Bratva.” My words are quiet. “There is too much danger and too many people looking to take me down. There are worse monsters out there than me. And I can’t lose any more people close to me.”
“Is that what you really believe?” she asks. “That you’re the best of the worst? That’s not the truth, is it? You want to be pakhan because it allows you to do these terrible things.” She takes a deep breath before she continues. “Dad had the same look in his eyes whenever he talked about Mom. I thought he was still angry over her death. But it’s not anger, is it?”
My heart clenches at her words because they’re true. I don’t want to relish in anger.
I want revenge.
“Maria, I-” I start, but she places a finger gently on my lips, silencing me.
“Just think on it, Mikhail,” she insists. “I know I can’t convince you otherwise.”
I nod, unable to find the words to respond. Her arms slip from my shoulders, leaving an emptiness as she floats away. I know the answer in my heart, but saying it feels like an insurmountable labor to confess.
“I want revenge,” I whisper, voice barely audible. “But I can’t abandon my other responsibilities. The Bratva depends on me, Maria. My father’s legacy …”
“Isn’t yours,” she finishes the sentence for me. “Just like I shouldn’t have to pay for the sins my father committed-real or imagined.”
I swim over to her. “Maria, I’ll find that out before I do anything.”
I look into her eyes, see a glimpse of hope, and she takes my hand. It’s a small compromise that binds us together even more tightly than before.
“I believe you,” she whispers, “And I really do care if you come home. I need you to come home. Because you have a heart, even if you think you don’t.”
I try to pull away from her, not wanting to admit that I need the tenderness she offers. But Maria holds me steadfastly, refusing to release me from her grasp. My body finally surrenders, relaxing against hers as we let go of the edge. We float on our backs in the pool, our fingers interlaced.
“You should be in bed,” I murmur, feeling desire creep into me.
“No,” she whispers back. “I want to be here with you.”
And then she brushes her lips against mine, light as a feather, before she pulls herself out of the pool and walks away. I watch her ass shift up with each step and feel my cock rising to life watching her.
I want to walk after her, but I don’t. Instead, I watch as the door closes behind Maria. I start to swim furiously, not stopping to take breaks or rest. I drive forward in the water, lap after lap, determined to keep swimming until she’s out of my mind.
I just caught a glimpse of what’s possible.
And anything that’s possible can be snatched away forever.
Even her.
Especially her.