Page 38 of Bratva's Vow
As long as there’s breath in my body, I won’t let anything happen to you.
I scooped Wren up in my arms. He stirred but didn’t wake. Just sighed and leaned into me like he knew he was safe. I tucked him close to my chest and carried him up the stairs to our bedroom. Gently I laid him down but didn’t let go right away. I toed off my shoes, which was hard to do because of the laces, but eventually, they fell to the floor with a thud. I curled around him, still dressed in my expensive clothes, and held him too tightly.
Could I keep him safe?
Wren snuggled farther into my embrace, and I breathed in deeply, burying my nose in his hair. Wren always smelled good. A blend of sweetness and spice that was uniquely him. It was soothing, a calming presence amid the chaos that was my life.
As I lay there in our bed, staring at the moonlit silhouette of Wren’s peaceful face, every inch of him unconscious andvulnerable beneath me, I promised myself one thing. They could take everything I had, they could take my life even, but they wouldn’t lay one finger on him. No one could hurt him.
For the first time since I fought for the position, I wished I’d never become a Pakhan.
CHAPTER TEN
WREN
The screen on my phone lit up with a delivery update, and I nearly squealed in my chair.
Your package is ready for collection.
Finally.
I’d been tracking the damn thing like a hawk for days, checking the estimated delivery window every few hours. And now it was here. The gift I’d poured way too much thought and money into. Something I was convinced would actually surprise Maxim. Something thoughtful. Sentimental. Something that screamed,“I know you, even if you don’t always let me in.”
I bounced a little in my seat, glancing around the mostly empty hallway, then flicking back to Maxim’s calendar on my monitor.
Meeting with M. Voronov – EstimatedDuration: 1hr.
Yes. Perfect. Maxim was locked away in his office with his phone turned off and at least two heavy hitters sitting in with him. He wouldn’t notice I was gone. Not if I was quick.
I grabbed my phone again and dialed Nik.
It rang.
And rang.
Then clicked to voice mail.
Weird. Nik always answered. Always.
Frowning, I hung up and tried Jess.
She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, sunshine. You miss me?”
“Hey, like a hole in the head. You wouldn’t happen to know where Nik is, would you?”
“Sleeping. He’s been working overtime lately. Why?”
“I need to pick up a gift I had customized for Maxim’s birthday.”
“Want me to wake him?”
“No, no. Let him sleep. It’ll take him a while to get down here, and I need to grab this gift before Maxim notices me missing.”
“Nik won’t mind. Don’t go out on your own.”
“Please don’t. I’ll ask someone else at the office. You know the place has been crawling with Maxim’s bodyguards recently. You’d think the president was gracing us with his presence.”
“All right. But call me as soon as you get back.”
