Miron
Sofia is in danger. I might be the one who is putting her in it. The moment I wrapped my hand around that flogger I’d packed with me, I changed. When I packed it in my small bag, I knew my tntention-to use it on her.
I can’t help the dominant side that rises in me. Sofia has seen the twisted and broken beast that I am, and yet, she appeared to love it.
It’s hard to believe. A girl so innocent and sweet as Sofia, loving what I did to her. The guilt after we finished was difficult to bear, as I took in the red marks over her ass and body. None of them were marks that would last, but they were there.
And yet, she gazed up at me with that same adoration in her blue eyes.
I’d half expected her to run from the motel and try to escape me.
How can she want me after she’s seen what I’m capable of?
A bike roars past us going the opposite way, and I tense. The danger I pose to her is nothing compared to the danger that may await us in New York.
Every bike engine I hear makes me tense. Every car that follows us too long has me sweating. The closer we get, the more likely it looks like we’ll escape. Luka knows me better than anyone else in this world. He will try hard to track me down for this, which puts Sofia in danger.
It means being together is dangerous. My original plan was to find somewhere safe for Sofia and leave her there. After taking her virginity last night, I’ve got no choice. We’re bound to each other most intimately. I can’t leave her, not now or ever.
The closer we get to New York, the more I worry. It has been twenty- four hours since I spoke to Andrei. He didn’t give me total confidence that protection within the New York brotherhood will be an option.
As with all pakhans or men in power, they always want something in return. At least he has agreed to meet with us, but he hasn’t made any promises. If he turns us away, we’ll be out on our own. The good thing is that it buys us time. As soon as we’re on his territory, Luka can’t touch us.
It doesn’t matter if he has no intention of helping us, I’ll walk through fire to keep her safe. Her father won’t find her. I’ll find a way to save us both.
“What are you thinking?” Sofia asks, startling me. Most of the time, she’s fast asleep.
I shrug, trying to bury the doubts and worries deep inside of me. “We’re not far from New York. Do you want to stop for food?”
She shakes her head. “You weren’t thinking about food.”
I let out a shaky sigh, running a hand through my hair. The girl knows me too fucking well already-she knows me better than anyone ever has. “No, I wasn’t.” I glance over at her, and she’s staring at me with those big, blue eyes. “I’m worried, Sofia,” I say.
She sets her hand over mine on the center console. “We’ll be okay, together,” she mutters.
She shouldn’t be the one reassuring me. It should be the other way around. I jerk my hand away from hers and focus on the road, wishing I hadn’t admitted my weakness. This is my idea, my plan. If I’m not sure about it, it’s up to me to change course.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
My phone rings, saving me from answering that question. I answer it on hands-free.
“Miron, it’s Andrei.”
The blood drains from my face as I wonder if he’s telling me not to bother coming. I clear my throat. “Andrei, what can I do for you?”
“Cut the polite crap, Miron. Luka has demanded a wager for Sofia.”
My attention goes immediately to the woman sitting in the passenger’s seat. “A wager?” I ask.
She stares at me with wide eyes.
“Yes, he insists that the only way to settle the dispute is to play a game of his choosing. The winner gets Sofia fair and square.” Andrei clears his throat. “Once it’s over, I’m happy to offer you sanctuary, whichever way it goes.”
I punch the dashboard, feeling rage take over my body. Luka knows as a member of his brotherhood that I can’t deny him. If I want to escape with my life, he’s just made sure I can’t seek protection under Andrei.
The New York brotherhood wouldn’t take a traitor who refuses to settle a debt with his pakhan. The proposed wager is like an olive branch, be it a desperate fucking move on my ex-pakhan’s part.
Luka knows I can’t refuse him. It looks like he’s not that stupid after all. “Has he said what he wants to play for her?” I ask, unable to look at
Sofia again.
There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Poker.”
Fuck.
In all my years of knowing Luka, I’ve only beat him at poker a handful of times. The guy plays at high stakes games, and he’s a fucking champion.
“That’s not fair-” Sofia says.
I grab her hand and shake my head. “Okay. Where and when is this game taking place?”
“Luka’s arranged for a yacht to set sail from Brooklyn Marina. It will remain out to sea for the duration of the game.”
I swallow hard, realizing Luka has no intention of letting me off the boat alive. Once he gets us to sea, he can do what the fuck he wants. “It’s a trap,” I mutter.
“Maybe, but my brotherhood will be by your side. Luka can try and fuck you over, but he won’t get far.”
A sense of relief washes over me. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. See you soon.” Andrei cancels the call, and silence falls over the car.
After everything we’ve been through up to now, it’s about to get ten times harder. Bratva politics is bloody. If Andrei is using this as an opportunity to get one up on Luka, we’re in for a deadly ride.
Sofia’s gaze is burning a hole in me, but I keep my eyes on the road. I can’t risk letting her know that I’m not handling this news well. She has to see me as always in control. I want her to see me as her protector and the man with all the answers, but Luka is one clever son of a bitch.
“This is bad, isn’t it?” Sofia asks.
Even as she speaks, I keep my eyes on the road. “We’ll be fine.”
It’s a lie, but I can’t tell her the truth. We’re in for one hell of a ride, and all I can do is hope we come out the other end alive.
The tall manhattan townhouse looms over us as we approach. Andrei’s men eye us suspiciously. All of them will know who I am. As Luka’s sovietnik, I’m well known amongst the bratva brotherhoods.
“I’m here to-”
The guy holds his hand up. “Follow me.”
I tighten my grip on Sofia’s hand and follow him into the extravagant Manhattan townhouse. The place is fucking huge. It’s what I’d expect from Andrei Petrov, the pakhan of the New York brotherhood. The guy’s outfit is richer than the rest of the North American bratva brotherhoods combined.
“Keep up,” the guy barks, glancing back at me.
Sofia squeezes my hand. I glance down at her and give her a reassuring nod. It’s all I can do, as I’m not in control here. Andrei has our safety in his hands.
He leads us into a room with floor to ceiling bookcases. “Wait here.”
I watch as he leaves us alone in the room. Sofia worries her bottom lip between her teeth and steps closer to me. “I don’t like this.”
I cup her cheeks in my hand. “Neither do I, but we’ve not got a choice.
Andrei is our only hope.”
The door opening behind us has me dropping her cheeks and blocking her with my body. Andrei is standing in the doorway. The last time I saw him was at the virgin auction a few months ago.
“Andrei, how are you?” I ask.
“Fine,” he says, walking toward the bar in the corner of the library. I watch him pour a glass of scotch. “Can I get you one?”
I nod my head. “Sure.” I need something to take the edge off.
He pours another glass and walks toward me, handing me the glass. I hold it up, clinking my glass against his. Andrei knocks the entire glass back in one. “It’s good to see you, Miron.”
“Likewise. I’m glad we are meeting under better circumstances than the virgin auctions.”
Andrei’s attention flicks to Sofia, who is still standing behind me. “You were at the auction, weren’t you?”
Sofia nods her head. “Y-yes, sir. My father forced me-”
“It’s disgraceful for any man to force his daughter to such an event.
Vera and I have closed it down for good.”
I raise a brow. “It’s about time someone did. Isn’t Vera the virgin you purchased?”
He nods his head. “Yes, and my fiance.”
I’d heard a rumor that a woman had tamed Andrei Petrov, but I wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not. “Congratulations.”
He waves his hand in the air. “Take a seat.”
I grab Sofia’s hand and pull her toward the sofa, forcing her to sit next to me. She sits close, keeping a hand rested on my knee. It shouldn’t turn me on right now, especially not in this situation, but ever since last night, I can’t get the image of her naked out of my mind.
I grab her hand and force it from my knee, holding it by my side. “I’m sorry I’ve brought this mess to you, Andrei. I didn’t-”
“Enough. What’s done is done.” He knocks back the rest of his scotch, setting the glass down on the table with a thud. “I assume you want to join the New York brotherhood?” He raises a brow.
I nod my head. “I would like to be considered for a position.”
Andrei chuckles. “You’ve got one, Miron. I could do with men like you on my side.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. It means we’ve got our safety net if I can beat Luka at poker. That’s big fucking if.
“Luka is furious.” Andrei clears his throat. “Not only about you kidnapping his daughter. I had a run-in with him and Georgy only three days ago. It resulted in Luka’s mansion being burned to the ground.”
My eyes widen. The mansion I stole Sofia from is no longer standing. “You burned his house to the ground?”
He shakes his head. “Not exactly, but we let him think that.” He stands to refill his scotch glass, before taking his seat opposite us again. “Luka wants revenge. I’m not stupid enough to believe this is only about you and Sofia.”
Sofia shuffles closer to me on the sofa at the mention of her name. “Why have you agreed to meet him?”
Andrei’s eyes cut to Sofia, and he tilts his head to the side. “Beautiful. I see what you like about her, Miron.”
Sofia’s cheeks blaze a deep pink as she swallows hard and averts his gaze.
Andrei can be an asshole at times. He notices me glaring and holds his hands up. “I’m only telling it how it is. To answer your question, sweetheart, it’s the only option.” He knocks back the rest of his second scotch. He had never been a heavy drinker when I knew him back in Russia, but a lot has changed since then. “Miron can’t refuse his pakhan’s offer, especially not when he’s appearing to be so reasonable over the kidnap of his daughter.”
Sofia clenches her fists by her side. “He didn’t kidnap me. I went willingly.”
Andrei smirks. “That’s a detail that means nothing. Your father had agreed that you would marry Dima, and you broke his agreement.” He shakes his head. “Although, the man he agreed with is now dead.”
My brow furrows. “Georgy Veselov?”
Andrei nods his head. “Yes, it’s a long story.” He has no intention of telling it to us, and right now, I’m not going to push him. We’re at the mercy of this powerful man. He has been far kinder than most pakhans would be, allowing us into his home.
He rings a bell, and a lady comes rushing into the room. “Make a room up for these two, please. They will be staying.”
I clear my throat. “Thank you for your hospitality, Andrei.”
He nods his head. “It’s nothing for an old friend. Let’s just say any enemy of Luka Romanov is a friend of mine.” His gaze falls to Sofia. “Even his daughter.”
Sofia smiles warmly at him. “Thank you, sir. I can’t express how much this means to us.”
“It’s nothing.” He waves his hand in the air dismissively. “Now go and get some rest, as Miron, you look like absolute shit.”
“I feel like it,” I say, rubbing a hand across the back of my neck. “I’ve hardly slept.”
Andrei rings another bell, and a middle-aged woman steps into the room. “Veronika will show you to your room.”
The lady bows and leads the way out of the library. Sofia grabs my hand as we leave. I had been concerned about how Andrei would receive us, but he has been more welcoming than I expected. If he is honest about me having a position within his brotherhood, I’m not sure the rest of the members will accept me with open arms. Only time will tell.