Page 15 of Bratva's Vow
I gave one final glance around the room.
“Be smart. Stay silent. And this can end here.”
Then I turned and walked away, the slap of my shoes against the floor the only sound in the quiet room. Behind me, no one moved.
No one dared.
CHAPTER FIVE
MAXIM
It was after midnight when Darius pulled the car up to the curb in front of Wren and Jess’s building. The city outside was quiet for once, streetlights bleeding into puddles, everything washed in silver and shadows.
We didn’t get out. Neither of us moved. I stared at the dash, listening to the engine tick as it cooled, feeling wired and hollow all at once. The taste of adrenaline still lingered at the back of my throat, bitter and electric.
The hours after the shooting had blurred together: the clipboard man’s cries, the cold snap of bone under my knuckles, the long hours as we combed through the rest of the security footage of TagX to identify the shooter, fruitlessly chasing a ghost until we caught him. Finally finding out who was behind the murder attempt.
The chief of police.
Two people dead to finally get the truth, and we still hadn’t caught the bastard. He was on vacation. A coincidence? Absolutely not. He’d used the cover of vacation tosend his family out of town while organizing a scheme to murder me. He didn’t even have the balls to do it himself but had paid an amateur whose dismembered body was stacked neatly in his closet at his home.
I didn’t believe for a second the chief had left the city. No way he would miss the opportunity to take a front-row seat to my murder if they’d succeeded. He was still in this city, waiting, watching, and I wouldn’t stop until I found him.
The fucking bastard thought he could profit off me for years, then get rid of me because he didn’t like me showing up at the station and threatening him? The biggest mistake he made was not finishing the job.
We’d had emergency meetings, calls to men I trusted, the other families who’d joined forces within my Bratva organization, and then more calls to those I didn’t trust. Security doubled, tripled. Every one of my people on alert.
And now this.
I had to face Wren and explain why I’d been gone all day. Why I’d ignored his text messages and attempts to call me while I was “working.” Why I could only give him half truths and lies.
“You sure you want to stay here tonight?” Darius asked. “You could rest and tackle everything in the morning.”
“No, it’s better to do it now.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw, then pressed my knuckles to my temple. “I just need a minute.”
He nodded but didn’t move to open his door. Silence stretched between us, not uncomfortable, just weighted.
I glanced over at him, the shadowed car making it difficult to see his features clearly. “How trustworthy is Jess?”
He huffed out a tired breath and stiffened beside me. “Why?”
“I’m thinking she needs to know the truth.” My voice sounded flat, even to my own ears. “If something happens… If Wren starts to get suspicious, I need someone close to him who understands the real risk. Who understands that my lies are only because I want to keep him safe. Someone who can help me do that.”
Darius fell silent, but I liked that he understood how serious the question was and deserved consideration. “Jess is solid. I believe in her. I don’t think she’ll freak out if we tell her, but she’ll not be fond of lying to Wren.”
“You’re not concerned I’m dragging her into this?”
“Sure, I’m concerned, but she’s already involved by her association with Wren and being involved with me and Nik. Honestly, I’d rather she knows so she doesn’t get blindsided and can watch her back when we’re not around.”
I glanced up at the apartment building. “Jess deserves her own security detail. I’d hate for anything to happen to her because she’s close to Wren.”
“She’s going to love that. Nik and I will make sure she gets the best.”
Guilt slid beneath my ribs. I could trust Jess with the truth, trust her to stand strong and adapt. But I couldn’t offer Wren the same. I couldn’t risk it. The thought of Wren’s fear, of him looking at me with horror or disgust, made my stomach twist.
“He can’t know,” I said quietly, almost to myself. “Not yet.”
Darius inclined his head toward me. “For what it’s worth, I think that’s best for now. Wren’s…soft. Unpredictable.”
