Page 21 of Bratva Prisoner
We spend the next hour coordinating with our contacts in the coroner’s office, the crime lab, and various city departments that owe us favors. The beauty of running a legitimate business empire alongside our less legal ventures is that we have friends in every corner of the bureaucracy.
Akim pulls me aside while Grigor handles the political aspects. “I’ve got teams checking all our other properties. If someone’s targeting our operations, this might not be the only surprise they’ve left for us.”
“What about the clubs?”
“Clean so far. Same with the restaurants and the shipping offices. What about Ravenshollow? Maybe your houseguest should stay somewhere else until this blows over.”
“No,” I snap before I can catch myself. “She stays with me.”
Akim raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push. He knows better than to question a brother’s decisions about protecting what’s his, even when those decisions might not be tactically sound.
By the time we finish coordinating the cleanup, the sun is starting to set, and I’m practically vibrating with impatience to get home to Alyssa. My brothers don’t seem to notice my distraction; thankfully, they’re too busy coordinating follow-up investigations and discussing potential retaliation strategies.
“We should increase security at all our primary locations,” Grigor suggests as we walk back to our cars. “If someone’s testing our defenses, they might escalate.”
“Already on it,” Dimitri replies. “I’ve got teams doubling patrols at the docks, the club, and the main office building.”
“What about residential properties?” Aleksei asks.
The question makes my blood run cold. If someone’s targeting our family businesses, it’s only a matter of time before they start looking at our homes.
“I’ll handle Ravenshollow,” I quickly interject. “Increase the perimeter security, add more cameras.”
“Everything okay there?” Dimitri questions. “You seem distracted tonight.”
Shit. I really thought they didn’t notice.
“Just tired. It’s been a long day.”
“Right.” Grigor grins like he knows something I don’t want him to know. “So, when do we get to meet her?”
“You don’t.”
“Come on, Maksim. We’re curious about the woman who’s got you so twisted up you’re declining family dinners.”
“I’m not twisted up.”
“Sure you’re not.” Aleksei laughs. “That’s why you’ve been checking your phone every five minutes for the past three hours.”
Have I been doing that? Probably. The thought of Alyssa alone in my house, even with Harrison and security, makes me nervous in ways I can’t entirely explain.
“She’s been through a traumatic experience,” I deflect. “She needs time to adjust before being subjected to the Barkov family experience.”
“Fair enough,” Dimitri concedes.
We part ways in the parking lot, and I drive home faster than I probably should, eager to see Alyssa and confirm that she’s safe. The house is quiet when I arrive; most of the staff are either asleep or discreetly absent, but the living room lights are on.
I find her curled up on one of the leather sofas, wearing what appears to be one of my shirts over a pair of yoga pants Harrison must have procured for her. She’s reading a book from my library, and the sight of her looking so perfectly at home in my space makes me inexplicably content.
“You’re back,” she notes as she looks up with obvious relief. “I was worried.”
“I told you it was just family business.”
“I know, but you left so quickly, and you looked…” She shrugs and adds, “You looked scared.”
Scared. Not a word usually associated with me, but maybe she’s more perceptive than I gave her credit for. The thought of someone targeting my family, targeting her by extension, does scare the hell out of me.
“Everything’s fine now,” I lie as I settle onto the sofa beside her. “What are you reading?”
