Page 9 of Sergei
And she did.
She’d learned that survival in our world didn’t come from fighting. It came from adapting, so she’d swallowed her pride and walked with her head high. And in the process, she’d buried her heart somewhere he couldn’t reach. Eventually, he stopped trying to crush her. As long as she did what she was told and did it with the kind of elegance that always turned heads, he left her alone.
But I never forgot the look in her eyes when she thought no one was watching.
That hollow stare.
That quiet resignation.
It was why I’d been so protective of her. Needless to say, the idea of her getting involved with a president of a biker club, even one I respected, didn’t sit right at first. I was waiting for him to slip up and make an unforgivable mistake, but it never came.
Instead, I watched the ice around my mother’s heart melt away. I heard her laugh, and not just for show. It was a real laugh. The kind that came from somewhere deep. I saw the way she looked at him, and the way he looked at her, like she wasn’t just a prize to be claimed but the center of his damn universe.
Preacher didn’t try to own her.
He stood beside her.
He protected her without making her small, and most of all, he made her happy. So happy, she wanted everyone to be just as happy as she was, especially her boys. The idea of being happy seemed incomprehensible to me. I didn’t want to give her any false hope, so I gave her a quick squeeze as I told her, “I have to go. “
“What? So soon? I could make us some coffee or a bite to eat?” She motioned her head towards the upstairs as she said, “Gabby and the girls will be up and going soon. We could…”
“Not today.” I knew she was fond of the girls, especially Gabby, and she wanted me to be fond of them as well. I liked them fine, but I wasn’t in the mood for cordial conversations. “Call the vet.”
I kissed her on the forehead, then turned and headed back to my car. I got inside and drove to the casino. I tried to keep my focus on the road and not all the thoughts that were strumming through my mind. It wasn’t easy. It seemed everything washitting me at once, and they didn’t improve when I arrived at the Black Crown.
The sun hadn’t been up long, and people had already claimed their spot at the slot machines or blackjack tables. Hell, they’d probably been there all damn night. Money moved through this place, like blood through veins, smooth and steady. It was just the way I liked it.
I continued through the lower floor and made my way upstairs. When I stepped into the office, I found Viktor sitting in the corner, staring at the security monitors. We had people for that, but that didn’t stop Viktor from going over them every morning, checking for any slip ups.
And this morning, he seemed more intent than ever to find something. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and his dark hair was down in his face, making me wonder how the hell he could even see the damn screen.
The broody bastard looked like he hadn’t moved in hours, but that came as no surprise. He’d always been like that. Quiet. Watchful. Serious. He was tall and broad like me, but heavier in the shoulders and even heavier in spirit. While Nikolai saw shades of meaning in everything, and I tried to find balance in every outcome, Viktor only saw two paths.
Right and wrong.
Black and white.
Loyal and traitor.
He didn’t even look at me when I walked up. He just jabbed his finger at the monitor and said, “There!”
“What am I looking at?”
“Just watch!”
The footage showed one of our floor men glancing around the room before he slipped a chip into his pocket. It was quick and careless, and clearly not his first time. “You’ve been watching him?”
“For weeks,” Viktor answered with his voice low and sharp. “He’s stealing from us, Sergei.”
I didn’t respond. I just stood there silently watching the screen. The kid was young and stupid, probably desperate, but he wasn’t an enemy or a rival. Just a dumb kid who thought he could pull a fast one.
“We need to make an example out of him.” Viktor leaned back, and his eyes were burning with anger. “We need to drag him out in front of everyone. Make him pay. Every man and woman who works here needs to remember what happens when you steal from a Volkov.”
“That’s one way.”
“It’s the only way! Anything less makes us weak.”
“You sound like Father.”
