Page 9 of A Dangerous Proposal

Which was bad.

Very,verybad.

“Besides,” Alex continued, keeping his tone light. “It’s convenient, isn’t it? A distraction for those who want to look too closely at our connection. They focus on my antics and leave the rest alone.”

He pressed his palm over his heart. “And alas, no special angel has caught my attention lately.”

Angel. Where had that come from? An image of Madison Amherst’s face flashed in front of him, and he promptly shook it away. He’d already spent far too much time thinking about the stunning blonde.

Sergei frowned. “Mikhail is aware. He has several suggestions.”

Alex lifted the teapot to refill his cup, inwardly cursing. He wouldn’t put it past his brother to force him into a strategic marriage of some kind. And as much as Alex wished he could tell Mikhail to fuck off, his brother was thepakhanof the largest Bratva in the southeast. Saying no wasn’t exactly a healthy option.

“How thoughtful of him,” Alex murmured.

“Your role, running Koval International, comes with a public face.” Sergei huffed out a breath, his brow furrowing. “Mikhail is conscious of the fact that you bear the Kovalyov family name and appreciates what you’ve done with the Kovalyov fortune.”

Alex stiffened, but didn’t drop eye contact with his uncle. In his periphery, he saw Liev lower his gaze to his lap. The attack wasn’t a new one, but it stung the way his uncle had intended.

It wasn’t even particularly subtle, but subtle wasn’t the bratva way.

That Alex wasn’t a legitimate Kovalyov was public knowledge to everyone in their world. His mother may not have been married to the lastpakhan, but she had been his faithful mistress for almost twenty-eight years. His father’s willingnessto acknowledge him and raise him as his son hadn’t sat well with his wife Ivanka, Mikhail’s mother, or many of the elder members of the family. Their resentment had been carried down, to some degree, to the rest of the family.

They appreciated the wealth he generated through the legitimate holdings, but his position had always been precarious—one foot in, one foot out. Well-intentioned or not, his father’s decision after the debacle in Dublin—that Alex no longer be used as a soldier in service to the family—made him an outcast.

He was blood.

But he wasn’t one of them.

Mikhail rarely mentioned it. In fact, it was only when Mikhail wanted to send a message letting Alex know he needed to obey that it came up.

“No one is suggesting you give up your other activities. You just need to be more discreet. Wait until after a few babies… a family to solidify your place… your commitment.”

Alex abruptly leaned forward in his chair, pinning his uncle with a lethal stare. “Mycommitment? Are you questioning my loyalty to my brother?”

“Alex,” Liev warned in a low voice.

Sergei didn’t back down from meeting Alex’s piercing look with a flinty one of his own. The old man hadn’t gotten to his position in the Kovalyov Bratva by being afraid of confrontation.

“Defying thepakhancomes with consequences.No oneis immune.”

Several tense moments ticked by before Liev angled his head toward his father. “I told him not to lead with the whole wife thing. He didn’t believe me when I said it was going to piss you off.”

His expression turned somber, and Alex knew he wasn’t going to like what came next. “There is one other thing.”

Alex glowered at his cousin until Liev spread his hands in front of him, palms up.

“I’m just the messenger…”

Alex ground his teeth. “Liev.”

His cousin grimaced. “The powers that be need a holding company.”

“Why?”

Liev shrugged. “They are going after some government contract, and none of the other businesses will hold up under the scrutiny. Koval International has dozens of clean entities.”

Alex clenched his molars so hard he was surprised he didn’t hear them crack. “There is a reason for that.”

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