Page 54 of Cruel Russian Pakhan
“I'm so sorry about your parents. How did they die?” I sniffed.
Mariya's voice grew sad. “It was an ambush. Mom wanted food from her favorite Thai restaurant. At the time, there was a rift with another Bratva leader. It wasn't safe to leave home, but Dad loved Mom, so they went together. Lev heard the whole thing. He said Mom was Dad's weakness. After their funeral, he told us he couldn't afford to have a weakness when he had six younger siblings to take care of and a faction to hold together. He wrapped all his feelings up and dropped them in the deepest part of the ocean.”
I leaned against Mariya, her heartbeat helping to soothe me. Lev was hurt. He saw love as a weakness. In his mind, it wasn't strength since his parents died because of it. Mariya sharing that with me made me understand him more.
Mariya pulled back just enough to see my face. “Do you love Lev?”
I rolled my lips inward and pulled into her again, but nodded. If I opened my mouth to say how much I loved Lev, I'd burst into tears again.
“Since that's the case, I'm sure he'll come around if the way he reacted today was any indication,” Ninel said.
Mariya agreed. “I think Ninel is right. What Lev did down there, what he said was totally wrong—it was an asshole move, don't get me wrong, but I think he needs time to figure out his feelings, especially if he's never felt them before.”
“So, until he stops being an asshole and admits that he's in love with you, we'll be here for you.” Ninel hugged me from the back.
“But what about Vera? I’m her sister, I don't want to hurt her,” I said. I sat up slowly, and Mariya took one of my hands in hers while Ninel held the other.
“You are. But don't forget she is also your sister, your older sister. She wouldn't want to hurt you, either. She'd want to protect you, and I'm sure right now that she's worried about you and pissed at Lev, wanting his head on a silver platter. Besides, you can't help who you fall in love with. It just…happens,” Mariya said.
I nodded.
Ninel smiled mischievously. “One thing I know about Lev is when he sets his mind on something he wants, he not only does everything in his power to get it, but he does everything in his power to keep it. And he wants you, Katya.”
“The question is,” Mariya asked seriously, “Can you wait until he sorts through things in his head?”
I looked from Ninel to Mariya. “I can try.”
Ninel's smile broadened. “That's good enough for me.”
Chapter 19 - Lev
“How many of ours are down?” Marten asked, stepping into the downtown office. I heard two more sets of footsteps behind him. He didn’t come alone.
I stood at the window, hands buried in my pockets. Jaroslav lounged on the sofa behind me, silent until now.
“Five with shrapnel and lacerations. Two in ICU, third-degree burns,” he said flatly.
“What the fuck happened?” Marten demanded.
I didn’t turn. My voice was controlled as I spoke, barely. “Explosive device. It was hidden in a food delivery box sent to the casino.” I let the words settle. “It didn't bring the place down, but it sent a message loud enough.”
“From whom?” Pyotr asked.
“Artyom,” Avit bit out. “After declaring us the enemy and that mess with Lev a few days ago? I’d stake everything on it.”
“What’s the fire chief saying? Explosive type? Detonation setup? If we get that, we can narrow it down to who created it,” Marten pressed.
“I don’t give a fuck who built the bomb,” Jaroslav cut in. “I want the name of the bastard who gave the green light.”
I was already running on fumes. I hadn’t been eating or sleeping since dragging Katya out of Artyom’s house, because she had shut me out completely. Every morning and evening when I entered her room, she turned away. But before she did, I noticed her eyes. The spark that was once there was gone.
Now, she was haunting my every fucking thought. Every last one.
And now this? A daylight strike on our turf?
When Artyom declared us the enemy, the goal was to wait until he made a move. Well, the fucking bastard made one, and it was time for me to make ours.
I turned from the window and stormed out, my brothers right behind me. I pulled out my phone and called Timur.
