Page 1 of Paved in Hate

Prologue

Vitaly

25 Years Old

Alina’s 18th Birthday

“Vitaly!”

I turn my head and laugh when I see Alina barreling towards me. She jumps in my arms right before I wrap her in a hug and spin her around like she’s still ten years old. Her laughter fills the room, and when I set her down, she claps her hands and then holds them out.

“What’d you get me?”

“Wow, presumptuous, Alina.”

She laughs and wiggles her fingers. She’s already seen the bag I’m carrying, and she knows there’s no way in hell I wouldn’t get her a birthday present. Even though we’re not related by blood, she’s been a little sister to me my whole damn life.

I hold the bag out and lift a brow. “Who’s your favorite brother?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “You know I don’t have favorites. I love you all.”

I laugh and roll my eyes right back at her. “Please, we all know who you love the most.”

Her cheeks blush as she looks away. “Not like anything’s going to come of that,” she mutters.

I dangle the bag in front of her. “Don’t lose hope, little sis. You’re eighteen now.”

When she sees the label on the bag, her whole damn face lights up. “You didn’t.”

“You want to change your answer about who your favorite brother is?” I tease.

She’d begged me to take her shopping a few weeks ago, and I’d agreed because it’s a pretty damn good way to pick up women, but instead of getting laid, I’d been dragged from store to store while Alina had drooled over dresses that her older brother would’ve killed me if I’d bought for her. He’s still going to kill me because I went back this morning and got her the small, black dress she’d been eyeing. You only turn eighteen once, so why the hell not?

I laugh and hand her the bag. “Just make sure to tell Roman that Lev’s the one who bought it for you.”

Her blue-green eyes are impossibly wide as she reaches in and pulls out the black dress like she’s almost afraid to touch it. When I hand her the matching black heels, she squeals and gives a small jump.

“I dare Matvey to not notice you in this,” I say, giving her a wink. Checking my watch, I put the shoebox in her hand and wave her off. “Better hurry. They’ll be here soon.”

Before she runs off, she pulls me in for a tight hug. “Thanks, Vitaly,” she whispers.

I kiss the top of her head and hug her back. “Don’t thank me yet. Roman’s going to have a heart attack.”

She laughs and runs down the hall to the room she always stays in when she’s here. She still splits her time between the penthouse the five of us share and her mom’s apartment, but she’s been slowly spending more and more time here. Roman worries about her safety. We’ve been climbing the ranks in the Safronov Bratva, and people are starting to take notice. I can tell he’s torn between wanting to keep her here nonstop so he can watch her better and wanting her at a safe distance so she won’t be associated with us. We’re all very protective of her, and as of right now, no one in the Bratva even knows Roman has a sister. We’d all like to keep it that way.

Danil is a genius with computers, and he’s been stealing us money for years. He’s also been leaving a paper trail of our whereabouts that would confuse anyone. The penthouse we live in is listed under a fake name. On paper, the five of us live in an apartment about thirty minutes away and Alina is completely hidden. This world isn’t kind to women. We know that better than most, and we’ve always done everything we can to keep her safe and protected.

When the door opens, I turn just in time to see Roman and Danil step in with a handful of balloons, a large birthday cake, and several bags of food. Lev and Matvey are a few steps behind, each carrying an armful of presents.

“Where is she?” Roman asks, setting the large cake on the counter while Danil ties the balloons to the back of a chair.

I decide to play dumb. “Getting ready, I think.” Walking over to help myself to a bag of chips, I snack while they set out the gifts and put the ice cream away.

“Don’t worry, Vitaly, we’ve got this covered,” Lev says as he stacks the presents and then scrubs a hand over his jaw, toying with the lip ring while he eyes everything.

I ignore the sarcasm and smile. “I thought so. You guys are doing a great job.”

He laughs and steals the bag of chips from me. I’m just about to grab it back when I hear Matvey let out a low “Jesus Christ.”

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