Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I know. But you did it so easily. You didn’t hesitate taking his life.”
“Because I know what he is capable of and what he’s already done.” I reach over and brush stray strands of her hair from her face. “He put his hands on you and threatened you and our baby. What do you expect me to do?”
“I get it. I mean, when I think about our baby, I know I will do whatever it takes to protect them too,” she says softly. “But seeing it…”
“You need to understand that when I find Vlad, I will do the same thing. Take his life easily. Except it won’t be quick like a bullet to the head. It will be far more brutal because it has to be done. This is my world, zayka.”
I see the wariness in her eyes. No, not wariness. Fear. And it damn near kills me to see it.
But for this to work—for her to live in my world—she needs to hear this.
“War is coming, and more blood will be shed. To keep you and the bratva safe, I have to act swiftly, and sometimes that is bloody.”
She looks away.
“I’m scared,” she whispers.
I trace soft fingertips over her cheek and along her jaw, and she brings her gaze back to me. “You have nothing to fear. I will always keep you safe.”
I pull her into my chest and hold her as she falls asleep. But sleep eludes me. Even with my sweet bratva lullaby sleeping soundly in my arms.
Because tonight, Brooke caught a glimpse of the true darkness of my world and the kind of things I have to do, and now my instincts tell me we are entering troubled waters.
Because what will she do now that she knows what I’m truly capable of?
17
BROOKE
The strange sensation sits heavy in my chest as I fall asleep in his arms, and it’s waiting for me when I wake up in them the following morning. It lingers in my chest as I watch Lev walk into the bedroom fresh from his shower, with a towel wrapped around his narrow hips, his glorious six-pack on display, and his golden skin dripping wet with shower water. It coils tightly in my chest as he dresses for work in another expensive suit, and it burrows deeper as he kisses me goodbye, his hair still damp from his morning shower.
When I hear his car, I climb out of bed and watch him drive down the long driveway, pass through the gates of the Zarkov estate, and disappear out of view.
War is coming, he says.
More blood will be shed, he says.
I think about the man on his knees, begging for his life. I think about the bullet Lev put in his forehead.
How many more men on their knees will there be?
Feeling numb, my hand glides over my stomach. Perhaps I could navigate this new life if it were just me. But now I have someone else to consider.
There is only one choice I have left.
Run.
18
LEV
My first indication that something is wrong is when she doesn’t answer my phone call.
When the next three attempts also go unanswered, I feel a strange sensation begin to form in the pit of my gut.
I tell myself she’s probably left her phone on charge and has forgotten about it. But my instincts have never let me down before, and right now, they’re letting me know something is wrong.
I call Enya. If there is one person in my household who will know where Brooke is, it is her. But Enya is at the hospital and hasn’t seen her. So I call Maria, my housekeeper, and ask her to look for Brooke in her room. While I wait for her call me back, I leave the office, climb into my car, and head for home with a skid of tires and a gut-wrenching knowledge that something is wrong.
During the drive, I call my head of security. There is an impenetrable wall of security around my home. There is no way anyone could make it in without any of my men seeing them. And if Brooke had decided to leave she would need to leave in a car.
“She definitely hasn’t taken a vehicle, Pakhan,” says Pierce, my head of security. “And no one without clearance has been inside the estate walls.”
“You’re certain?”
“I’d stake my life on it, sir.”
His life might very well be at stake if anything has happened to Brooke.
“Look for her,” I demand before hanging up.
I try Brooke again, but again, frustratingly there is no answer.
Maria calls me back. She sounds worried, which does nothing but pour fuel on the growing unease in my gut.
“I’m sorry, Pakhan. But I couldn’t find her anywhere.”
She’s gone.
I storm through our bedroom and into the bathroom, but she’s not there.
She’s not fucking anywhere.
I run a frustrated hand through my hair. My heart is racing, but it’s nothing compared to the rising panic in my gut.