Page 1 of Bratva's Intern

PROLOGUE

WREN

TEN YEARS AGO

The new game wassocool.

I’d been playing it for hours. My thumbs hurt, and I had to blink a lot because my eyes were burning from staring at the screen for too long, but I didn’t care. Dad brought it back from his trip—some brand-new release they didn’t even have in the stores here yet. He always brought me the best stuff from his work trips. Last month, it was a super rare LEGO set that took me days to finish. Before that, a model car that actually drove when you pressed the remote.

I liked it when he came home.

Not just because of the gifts, but because the whole house felt different. Louder, happier. Like we weren’t missing something anymore. My mom smiled more. She didn’t want me toknow, but she cried a lot when Dad was away because of his work.

I paused the game in the middle of a level. My stomach was growling. Mom said if I wanted juice or snacks, I had to get it myself, since it was a Saturday and not her job to be my personal butler. She always tried to sound mad when she said stuff like that, but she never really was. I got up, stretching my stiff arms. The house was mostly quiet, except for this low, muffled noise. I paused in the hallway. It was coming from downstairs.

Voices.

Mom and Dad.

I crept out of my room carefully, tiptoed to the top of the stairs, and held on to the wooden banister. I was not trying to eavesdrop or anything, but I guess I kind of was. They weren’t yelling exactly, but Mom sounded mad. I could hear her voice the clearest.

“You just got back three days ago, and now you’re leaving again?” she said, her voice tight and sharp. “You promised, Michael.”

“I don’t have a choice, Rachel.” Dad sounded tired. Not like when he used his serious voice with me, but really tired. “It’s work. You know how it is.”

“I know how it is? No, I don’t! You won’t tell me anything!” Mom’s voice cracked a little. “You’re gone all the time. You miss everything. Wren’s games, his school nights, dinners. He asks about you every day. Do you even know that? Do you know how many times I tell him you’re busy but you love him? Since the start of the year, you’re barely home anymore!”

My face got hot. I didn’t mean to listen, but hearing her say that made my chest feel funny. I never thought about it like that. Dad was gone a lot, but when he was here, he wasawesome. He always made time for me. We built things and watched movies. He told the best stories.

Wasn’t that enough?

“Don’t do this right now,” Dad said, quieter this time. “You know why I do this. Without my promotion, could we have moved to a better side of town?”

“But is it worth it?” Mom snapped. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got someone else. Perhaps another family.”

“Jesus, Rachel. You know that’s not true.” Dad’s voice got sharp, cutting through the air like when he caught me sneaking cookies. “Don’t say things you might regret. You know how much I love you. We’ve been together for so long—since high school. How can there be anyone else? I promise you, things won’t always be like this. After a couple of years, I’ll slow down. We’re in a good place right now, and I don’t want to jeopardize that.”

Silence. For a long time.

Then, a chair scraped over the floor. Footsteps. Heavy, sure ones I knew by heart. My stomach flipped when Dad’s shadow stretched across the hall. I ducked, but it was too late.

He saw me.

I froze on the step, gripping the rail tight.

“Wren.” His voice softened instantly. Not angry but… sad. Like he knew I’d heard everything and was sorry for it.

I looked down at my knees, chewing on my bottom lip. I didn’t know what to say.

He crouched in front of me, lowering until his face was level with mine. He smelled like his cologne—warm and familiar and safe. Without meaning to, I looked up into his eyes, which were tired but gentle.

“When did you come downstairs?” he asked softly.

I shrugged.

Dad sighed, then smiled a little. He sat right down beside me on the steps, his shoulder bumping into mine.

“I’m not going away for long this time,” he said.

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