Page 7 of Bratva Past

“Stop thinking,” Isaac said. “It’s a date, we don’t have to learn each other’s secrets right away. We can take our time. Enjoy ourselves. There’s no rush.”

She couldn’t help but glance down at his lips, because in that very moment she wanted more than anything for him to kiss her. It felt so consuming and scary at the same time. Lucy wanted him to kiss her. But wouldn’t that spoil everything?

In the back of her mind, she heard herself saying, “just kiss him,” but instead she looked into his blue eyes and lost herself in the moment.

Chapter Three

Issac was not a gentleman. He had fucked many women. He’d killed a lot of men and women during his time. He was not a man to be messed with. In his past life, being nice got you killed.

At no point during their date had he lied to Lucy. His parents had died in a hit-and-run. It was the hit-and-run that would change his world forever. Ever since he was a kid, he had known his father was a reluctant small-time crook working for the Russian Rostova Bratva. Through his laundry business, he ran the money that the Rostova Bratva needed. It was good business, at least at the time.

As for him, he had a history of violence—one his father knew showed great promise, so he sent him to an exclusive training ground where all Bratva soldiers were trained. He excelled more than anyone else. His name, from a young age, had been feared among their enemies. His father had been proud of him, as he worked his way up through the Rostova Bratva, being the man known for getting jobs done. No one dared to fuck with him.

Only, the Rostova Bratva ended up fucking with him.

He arrived at the scene of his parents’ shooting. It had all been planned, to take out his father, as the man had become too strong, as the Bratva saw it. He wasn’t true Bratva, and there was no place for a cocky civilian. That day, the Rostova made an enemy of him, and Isaac had made the streets run red with blood. He removed every trace of the Rostova Bratva, turning all the violence they had reveled in against them. No one was safe. They were all killed, and he turned his back on that life.

His father had told him one day he would find a woman, settle down, and want a simple life. It was strange how he thought about that now.

Nearly eleven years ago, he had gone to his parents’ home for Sunday dinner, as he did every week. Regardless of who in the Rostova invited him for dinner, Isaac never forgot his family. He loved his family.

After eating, he offered to do the dishes, as his mother cooked the delicious meal for hours. It was then, in the kitchen, his father surprised him by apologizing.

“I didn’t have a choice with the position I was in. You did, and I should have left you to live your own life, Isaac. You should have a future.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad.”

“You’re more than a cold, heartless killer, son. You’re my son, and one day, you are going to meet a young woman, you’re going to want to settle down, and you’re going to want a life far away from the Rostova. You shouldn’t have to deal with this life.”

Pulling out of the memory, he looked into the engine of the car. At the time, he had laughed with his father, telling him all the good women were gone. He was happy with his life, but the truth was, he wasn’t happy.

From the very beginning, he hated working for the Rostova. He had done so to make his father proud, and also because when he went to the school where he was trained, he was warned. If he didn’t excel, if he didn’t make this worthwhile, his parents would pay. Everything he did, he did for his parents. He loved his family.

Their deaths were the last straw. He made his decision. They thought he would fear death, but the truth was, he welcomed it.

After his father died in his arms, and he begged for his son’s forgiveness, Isaac had gone to church. It was strange that he had gone there. He’d never been baptized. His parents wanted him to make the choice, and the truth was, he always believed in a higher power. Whenever life got hard, he prayed, and each day he woke up and lived to survive another day.

---