Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Her classmates scattered like scared little ants.
He tucked the book under his arm and headed to meet Kolya and face the consequences of being late.
He came the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
But she never returned.
CHAPTER ONE
Present day
Viktor
“Name a price,” Mikhail says. “I owe you, Viktor. It’s time.”
My oldest brother and pakhan Mikhail looks at me over the fuzzy head of his sleeping son and says, “I am indebted to you for everything.”
I shake my head slightly, dismissing the weight of his gratitude. “You don't owe me. I did what I had to do. I did what you needed me to do. It was crucial that I take care of what's yours because we're family, and you know that.” I pop the top of a beer and drink half of it in a few gulps.
I look out into the dark blue-black haze of a late September evening, the lights of the city twinkling in the distance from our vantage point in The Cove. We’ve had a tumultuous few months with a brief pause for our brother Nikko’s wedding, but now it’s time for us to continue to make our moves. We’ve made great strides here, and it’s time we kick things up.
Since our father’s death, we’ve been doing everything in our power to strengthen our ties and put down roots as the most powerful family in The Cove, nestled between Coney Island and Manhattan.
Every day that passes counts. Every strategic move a power play.
Mikhail’s voice grows softer, more earnest. “You saved my wife’s life, Viktor.” Mikhail loves his wife Aria with all his heart, and on more than one occasion, she’s been in grave danger. I’m not the only one who’s protected her. We all have. It’s what we do.
I shift in my seat, feeling the unease settle over me. “Family does for family. You’d have done the same for me,” I respond, my eyes briefly meeting his before settling on the infant. “Just make sure you keep them safe. That’s all I ask.”
The room falls silent, the magnitude of my request left lingering. Mikhail nods, his expression solemn. “I will. And anything you need, Viktor, it’s yours. You name it.”
The other brothers present—Lev, our younger brother and Aleksandr, second in command to Mikhail—listen intently to our conversation. I can sense Lev getting restless beside me, tapping his foot as if he’s holding himself back from interrupting.
“You guys don't get it.” Lev speaks up from the back of the office, his voice cutting through the previous chatter. I’m honestly proud of him for speaking up. For years, he was the quietest, under the thumb of our father and overshadowed by the rest of us older brothers. Our youngest brother often keeps to himself but misses nothing. He and I have grown closer over the past few months while my brother Nikko was stationed in Moscow.
“Leave it, Lev.” I shake my head. Jesus.
“What are you talking about?” Aleks asks, his curiosity piqued. Head of cybersecurity, he prides himself on noting everything, but he’s been deep in the weeds researching a new development on the West Coast and hasn’t looked up from his laptop.
Lev continues, his voice firm and clear. “He doesn't want money. He doesn't want things. Viktor doesn't want any of that. He already has his own house; he has everything he needs… well, almost everything that he needs.”
The room falls into a brief silence as everyone processes Lev's insight, waiting for him to reveal what it is that I still need. I look away, my jaw tensing. He’s read my fucking mind. When Mikhail offered me the proverbial genie’s lamp, I immediately knew what I would wish for when I rubbed the golden sides.
I’d only need one wish.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. My brothers hide nothing from each other. I won’t hide this.
“Lydia Ivanova,” Mikhail says quietly, almost reverently.
Silence reigns for long moments before Aleksandr speaks up. “Is she available? Has anything changed?”
Lev shakes his head. “No.”
Mikhail growls. “Since when does that fucking matter? You know our mantra.”
Aleks’s lips twist into a grim smile, his gaze hardening. “No one and nothing stands in our way.”
I stand up abruptly, my voice low and resolute. “I don't need anything. I don’t need anyone. It’s too risky.”
Blowback from the Ledyanoye Bratstvo, the group to which Lydia Ivanova’s been promised, is more powerful than we are and known for their ruthlessness. The retribution if we intervened would be swift and severe.
But before I can continue, Lev interrupts. He’s smaller in stature than I am but a force to be reckoned with. His eyes gleam with intensity, his arms crossed on his chest.
“You've taken your eyes off the prize, brother. You haven’t seen what the others have.” He leans forward. “Do you have any idea what Timur Yudin plans on doing with her when they’re married? What he plans to do to the Ivanovs?”