Page 141 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

Which is the exact fucking reason I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s the reason I usually don’t. People are afraid of Nikolai Zhukova, Don of the Zhukova Bratva and CEO of Zhukova Incorporated.

But poor little Niko who ate sugar sandwiches on his birthday and moved out on his own at fourteen? That runt is pitiable.

And pity is the last fucking thing I’m after.

“I want to know what made you who you are today,” she continues.

“I made me who I am,” I say sharply. “My experiences were forced on me. But I overcame that shit.”

“What shit?” she asks softly.

I shrug. “Find the word ‘dysfunctional’ in a dictionary and there will be a picture of the Zhukova clan next to it.”

“Aren’t mafias—er, Bratvas, I mean,” she corrects, “aren’t they usually family things? Wasn’t your dad in a Bratva, too?”

I nod. “Briefly. My grandfather was don, and my father would’ve taken over. But they lost the Bratva before that could happen.”

“How do you lose something like that?”

“There are lots of ways. But in this case, their supply chains were decimated, stash houses were burned to the ground, and half the men were killed, along with my grandfather.”

Belle gasps. “Oh, I’m sorry, Nikolai. That’s—”

“Life,” I finish. “That’s life in a Bratva. But my father couldn’t handle it. He didn’t adjust well to being poor. Especially once my mother got sick and he couldn’t afford the treatments.”

Belle’s eyes are locked on mine. I like the way her devotion feels. I also like the way she keeps absently circling her finger over my skin.

“Then my mother died, and my dad dove headfirst into a bottle.” I jerk my chin towards her. “You know a thing or two about that.”

She nods sadly. “My mom fell apart after my dad died in the car accident.”

“I didn’t have an older sibling to look out for me the way Elise has you,” I tell her. “I had to figure out how to take care of myself so I didn’t end up like my dad. And that’s exactly what I did.”

“You say that like it’s easy. But you set out on your own at fourteen. And… how did you save the Bratva? You said it was lost.”

“Loyalty runs deep in my world. There were plenty of members willing to step up and help rebuild. They just needed a leader.”

“And they chose you?”

I shake my head. “Ichose me. No one was fighting for the honor to lead a ruined Bratva, so I stepped up. I rebuilt the Zhukova name brick by brick, bullet by bullet. And I did it on my own.”

Belle murmurs, “Not everyone can do something like that. Not everyone can overcome their past.”

She pulls her hand away, but I reach out and grab it back. As soon as our fingers touch, her eyes lift to mine.

“Not everyone is meant to be a leader,” I say. “But there’s something to be said about knowing who to follow. And you followed me here.”

“You say that like it was a good thing.”

“Wasn’t it?”

Her smile is tentative. “I’m still trying to decide.”

“I’m not. And that’s why I’m a good leader.”

“Why?”

I bring her hand to my lips and press a kiss there. “Because I know what’s good for you before you know it yourself.”

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