Milana
Lyov pulls the van to a stop on an upmarket Manhattan street. He glances over at me, and I can tell he is worried about taking me in there. In the eyes of his brothers, I’m the enemy.
“I hope Andrei is true to his word,” he says, gripping the steering wheel so hard his hands are turning white.
I swallow hard, reaching out to grab his hand. “What do you think he will do?”
His jaw clenches, and he shifts to grip my chin in his hands tenderly. “I can’t bear to think of it.” He brushes his lips over mine in a soft kiss. “Promise me you will do as I say here, Milana?”
I stare into his brilliant blue eyes. It may be crazy, but despite everything we’ve been through, I trust him. “Of course.”
He smiles at me and squeezes my hand gently. “Come on.” He drops my hand and gets out of the van.
After being brought up around the Bratva, I know which house we are entering. The two muscle-bound, inked men outside of a townhouse are practically a flag for the bratva. There are no guards outside of any of the other properties on the street.
Lyov is by my side quickly, grabbing my wrist forcefully and pulling me toward the building. I let out a shaky sigh, knowing Lyov can’t be gentle with me. He has to appear as the hardened Bratva member in front of his peers. It’s always the way. Not all of my father’s men are assholes; a few of them are nice guys. Even so, they don’t let the rest of their brothers see that side of them.
I was always an exception to the rule. Women are often treated differently by the bratva because they’re not a threat. I hate how sexist this world can be. Why is it that men are the only ones with power in the bratva?
The two men standing either side of the door give Lyov a nod, but they give me a suspicious glare. I’m an enemy here. I can tell that with the way they look at me. Lyov instinctively pulls me closer to him as we enter the house.
This place is unbelievably lavish-more so than my father’s house. From what I’ve heard of Andrei Petrov, he’s as brutal as my father. I shiver at the thought. There’s no doubt I trust Lyov, but I don’t know what to expect from his brothers.
He walks me through the hall and stops in front of a door, squeezing my hand before dropping it and knocking the door.
“Come in.” A deep voice calls from the other side.
Lyov opens the door and enters the room, dragging me with him. He keeps me behind him, though, as he stands in front of a tall, dark-haired man in a suit.
Andrei Petrov.
I may never have met him, but it’s obvious. He holds himself like a
pakhan. There’s an air of danger around him as he regards the two of us.
“Lyov, thank you for coming so quickly.” He clasps his hands together and walks forward, eyes fixed on me.
Lyov tenses as he walks closer.
“Milana, I assume?” he asks, staring at me for an answer.
I nod my head in reply, unable to find the words. Andrei is more intimidating than I expected. His dark eyes are so cold.
“Lyov, I’m not sure how the fuck we’re going to deal with this.” His eyes don’t leave me, and Lyov shifts in front of me in an attempt to block his pakhan.
Andrei’s eyes snap to Lyov, narrowing slightly. “I understand you are protective of her, but she’s got nothing to fear from me. Stand aside.” The command in his voice is clear.
Lyov reluctantly steps out of the way, allowing Andrei to approach. “Your father should never have tried to move in on our territory.”
I shrug. “I’ve got no idea what my dad does. He’s an asshole.”
A whisper of a smirk plays at Andrei’s lips. “Indeed. Well, put.” He glances at Lyov. “Good choice.”
Lyov’s jaw clenches, and he says nothing, glaring at his pakhan. I know how important it is for him to remain obedient to Andrei-no matter what. If Lyov were to speak out of turn, it wouldn’t go down well with his leader.
“We are going to have to break the news to the rest of the bratva,” Andrei says.
Lyov tenses. “They won’t be happy.”
Andrei steps away from me, allowing me the freedom to breathe again. I’d been holding it ever since he got close. “No, but we are about to enter a war with Veselov.”
I swallow hard. My dad has always been an asshole. A man I could hardly call a father, but I know I’m burning the bridges between us forever, choosing Lyov. It means I’ll never see my friends at university again, or return to Miami.
A sadness burns in my chest as I wonder what Kate and Alex think is going on. They have been great friends since we started earlier this year. The thought of never seeing them hurts, but it would be too risky.
“Where shall I take Milana?” Lyov asks.
Andrei glances at me with a glimmer of amusement. “She will attend the meeting.”
Lyov tenses. “What?”
Andrei’s smirk drops, and he stares at Lyov with a fierceness I haven’t yet seen. “I said she will attend the meeting.”
Lyov is playing with fire anytime he questions Andrei. My dad would have killed him by now if he were his pakhan. It proves that Andrei is more level-headed than my dad-thank God. We’d both be dead in his hands.
The door behind us opens, drawing all of our attention. A young woman, not much older than me, enters and walks up to Andrei. His hand slides around her back, and he pulls her into his side affectionately. “Milana, I’d like you to meet my fiance, Vera.” The light in his eyes as he says her name is as clear as day.
“Nice to meet you,” I mutter.
She meets my gaze and smiles, but the power she exudes is almost enough to match her fiance. Her eyes are kind, and she smiles at me. “Nice to meet you too.” She turns her gaze to Andrei. “Perhaps it would be better if we could have a chat while you meet with the brotherhood.”
Andrei glances at me and then back at Vera. “Fine, show Milana around.”
Lyov steps closer to me, squaring his shoulders. He grabs my hand and narrows his eyes at Andrei. He’s about to say something when Vera cuts in. “Lyov, you know me, and you know she will be safe in my care,” Vera says.
The tension in his shoulders eases slightly. He seems to trust this woman. There’s a kindness in her eyes as she regards me with a small smile playing at her lips. “Come on. Let us leave the men to it.” Vera steps towards me and holds out her arm.
I take it warily, glancing at Lyov as I do.
He gives me a slight nod, despite his muscles tense and coiled. Andrei watches both of us with a similar intensity as we move toward the door. “Don’t go too far,” Andrei warns.
Vera rolls her eyes and walks out of the door, saying nothing.
I admire her boldness, especially with a pakhan. Her disobedience to her fiance wouldn’t be taken if she were in the Miami brotherhood. “Do you want some tea?” she asks, glancing at me briefly.
“Sure,” I say.
She leads the way down a long hallway and into a large, modern kitchen. “Take a seat,” she says, nodding at the island in the center.
I can’t deny that I’m on edge. As it stands, I’m an enemy to these people – the daughter of a man who wants to overthrow Andrei, this woman’s fiance. We remain in silence, as the bubbling of the kettle is all that fills the air. Vera grabs a set of teacups out of the cupboard.
I’m unsure whether to be thankful that she saved me from facing the New York brotherhood or not. I’m not sure what her motivations are. She returns with two cups of Russian tea and passes me one. “Thank you.”
She smiles at me and takes a seat at the island. “You may wonder why I insisted on you staying with me during the meeting.”
I nod in response.
“Those meetings are boring, and you wouldn’t have been comfortable. The brotherhood has a way of making outsiders feel uncomfortable.” She sounds as if she is speaking from personal experience.
“Were you an outsider?” I ask.
She smiles softly. “Yes, my story is more complicated than you can imagine.” She clears her throat. “I want to know more about the woman who has tamed Lyov.” She chuckles.
Heat pulses through my veins and floods my cheeks. “There’s not much to know.”
She shakes her head. “That can’t be true.” She takes a sip of her tea. “How did he kidnap you?”
I bite my bottom lip, remembering the moment our eyes met over that dance floor. “He asked me to dance at my dad’s club.”
“And?” she asks.
“I asked him if he wanted to get out of there.”
She chuckles. “A woman who likes to take charge.”
“Then he drugged me and flung me in the back of a van.” I shrug. “Not the most romantic meeting.”
Vera’s expression turns serious. “There’s nothing romantic about the world of the bratva. Nothing.”
This woman can’t be much older than me, but she appears older than her years. I wonder what she’s been through to make her that way. “No, I’m well acquainted with the ways of the bratva.” I sigh heavily. “I’ve always wanted to escape it. Ironic that I’d end up falling for a member.”
Vera grabs my hand, squeezing gently. “Lyov is special. He will protect you with his life.” She smiles kindly. “If there is one thing that is certain, bratva men are very protective of their women.”
It’s a strange notion, considering my father has never been protective of me. He didn’t protect my mother, either. She died when I was only three years old. Anytime I asked him about her, he was closed off and dismissive. I don’t even know how she died. “Not all of them are.”
“No, not all, but Lyov is much like Andrei. He may be brutal at times, but he has a heart beneath all that vicious persona.”
I nod my head, realizing I couldn’t put it better myself. There are many sick and twisted bratva men, like my dad and brother, but not all of them are the same. Lyov is broken, but he’s not a lost cause. I take a long sip of the delicious tea Vera prepared for me, relaxing in her company.
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to about this,” I say. She smiles. “Likewise.”
We fall into a comfortable conversation as we drink tea, waiting to be reunited with our men. All I can do is hope the meeting goes well. Lyov is everything to me. The last thing I want is to be torn away from him.
We may have only known each other for a week, but I know him more deeply than anyone I’ve known before.