Pavel
Iroll my sleeves up, then push aside the paperwork in front of me. My mind isn’t on numbers or business. It’s on Kat.
Manhattan stretches into the distance beyond the tall windows of my office. The sky is a sheet of slate-gray clouds. I know there’s a war brewing. But all I can think about is my wife. She’s in my home, in my bed, but I don’t know if she’s truly mine.
I try to keep my Bratva dealings separate from her. I don’t want her involved in that part of my world any more than she needs to be. But she is Bratva. Whether she likes it or not, whether she admits it or not, her allegiance is still tied to the Andreev name. And while I can tell she cares for me, I also know that loyalty in our world is never simple.
She’s been visiting her brothers’ house regularly. Too regularly. And though my men report nothing suspicious, I can’t shake the feeling that something is off. I want to trust her, but I don’t.
The knock at my door is sharp. There’s a problem. I can feel it.
“Come in,” I call out, leaning back in my chair, bracing myself.
Nikolai enters, his expression serious and controlled. He’s a man used to handling bad news, and I can tell he has some to share.
“We have a situation.”
I sigh. Of course we do. “Go on.”
“There are rumors going around about the Andreevs.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Ones that suggest Piotr’s behind the attacks.”
I shift my weight in my seat. Such news isn’t surprising. Even though he has professed loyalty all these years, I’ve begun to question his sincerity. “Who’s talking?” I ask.
“Sources from the street. A few mid-level guys. No one big enough to confirm yet.”
I nod, considering the information. If these whispers are making their way down the ranks, then it means the truth—whatever it may be—is close to surfacing.
Piotr has been avoiding me lately. Every time I try to set up a meeting to finalize the merger, he conveniently has somewhere else to be, offering lame excuses about handling the chaos and cleaning up the mess from the attacks. I’m starting to believe the chaos and the mess is exactly what he wanted.
I lace my fingers together, resting my chin on my knuckles. “If it’s true,” I say, “then what’s his angle?”
Nikolai doesn’t hesitate. “Power.”
Power. Control. The same things every man at the top of the Bratva pyramid wants. But Piotr already has power. He has his father’s seat. He has his own army. But he also has me, and therein lies the problem.
I’ve been discreetly asking questions about the former Andreev pakhan’s death, but every road leads me to nowhere. The way Piotr took control so quickly after his parents’ accident. It seemed too clean, too convenient.
I drum my fingers against the desk. I need answers. I could go to Vlad, but that would be a violation, not to mention that circumventing Piotr would lay my motivations—and my suspicions—bare.
I glance up at Nikolai. “What else?”
His expression sharpens. “I might have something, a new lead.”
I arch a brow. Interesting.
“Tell me.”
Nikolai smirks, but there’s a deadly gleam in his eyes.
“Oh, you’re gonna love this one, Boss.”
“How so?”
He smirks. “Piotr’s got a woman.”
“That’s not news.”
Piotr fucks around; everyone knows that. He always has. There’s always been some woman who caught his eye, only to be tossed aside without a second thought the moment he was done with her.
If Nikolai thinks such information is useful, he’s losing his touch.
“No,” Nikolai says, as if reading my thoughts, “not like that. This one’s different.”
I wait.
“She’s a secret.”
Now, that is interesting.
“As in, he’s hiding her from everyone, even his family?”
Piotr doesn’t hide his women. He flaunts them. Parades them around like trophies as proof of his status, his power. The fact that this woman has been kept in the dark, away from prying eyes, means there’s something more going on.
“She’s not just a random girl he’s fucking when he’s bored?”
Nikolai shakes his head. “Could be. But if that’s the case, why keep her hidden?”
I lean back in my chair, running my tongue over my teeth, considering.
“She must know something.”
Nikolai leans forward. “I’ve been tailing Piotr for some time. That’s how I found out about this woman. He only meets with her at expensive hotels throughout the city. They enter separately, leave separately.”
I nod, indicating for him to go on.
“I followed her after one of their recent trysts. She treated herself to a little spending spree after they had their fun, bought herself some designer clothes and shoes, a new Chanel handbag.”
“So she’s a kept woman, not just a fling.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Anyway, I approached her when she stopped for a post-shopping cocktail.”
“You actually spoke with her?” I can’t help but grin at his audacity.
“It took a little bit of smooth talk, but I managed to find out more about her and Piotr’s relationship. Nothing specific, just broad details.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense. Does she know about his business?”
Nikolai nods. “She does. And not just about his current business either. She claims to have information about what happened six years ago.”
My stomach tightens. That sounds too convenient.
“Seems odd for her to share that kind of information.”
He shrugs. “All I had to do was mention the family name, and her eyes lit up. She tried to play it off, but it was too late. A little prying, a veiled threat, and she was ready to chat.”
I take a deep breath, thinking it over.
“You believe her?”
“I believe she knows something,” he replies, “whether it’s the truth or not is what we need to find out.”
I don’t like it. The timing is too perfect, too easy. “Is she willing to talk?”
Nikolai nods. “She’s willing to talk. But she wants something in return.”
I scoff. “Of course, she does.” I’m not the least bit surprised. Instead of just doing the right thing without any expectation, people always want something in return, be it money, protection, or power.
One thing I’ve learned in this role is just how reprehensible people can be. A small amount of money, an empty promise of status, and you can get them to do whatever you want. The number of people who’d sell out everyone they claim to care about for some pocket change is enough to make one more than a little cynical.
“How do we know she won’t sell us out the same way?” I question. “This could be a plot spun by Piotr.”
Nikolai smirks. “We’re her best shot at survival. If Piotr finds out she’s been talking, she’s dead. I don’t think he’s got the brains to pull something like this off.”
There are far too many unknowns here. Too many what-ifs circling in my head. Finally, I ask the one question I should have asked first. “Does he care about her?”
Nikolai tilts his head, considering. “She was cagey about the details of their relationship.”
That doesn’t sit right. He’s treating her differently than all his other girls, but why? If she doesn’t mean anything to him, why keep her hidden? Why make sure no one in his family knows about her?
Something isn’t adding up. “She either has something on him,” I say, more to myself than to Nikolai, “or she’s smart enough to know how dangerous he is.”
Nikolai nods. “Or both.”
It’s a risk. A big one.
I’m still thinking that this could be a trap, a setup, a way to get me chasing my own tail while Piotr plans another move. Or this could be the only way forward. Information is the most valuable weapon in the Bratva. Money hasn’t bought the truth. Threats haven’t forced it out. But this woman could hold the key.
“Bring her in.”
Nikolai smirks, pushing off the edge of my desk like he’s been waiting to hear those words. “Figured you’d say that.”
I narrow my eyes. He seems too smug, too fucking pleased with himself. “You already set up a meeting, didn’t you?”
He shrugs, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “She’s expecting to hear from me. I figured that once you learned all of this, you’d want to move fast.”
I let out a slow breath, tamping down my irritation. Nikolai is good at what he does, but sometimes he forgets his place. I give the orders. I make the calls. But I don’t tell him he’s crossed a line because the truth is, he did good, and I need this information.
“She doesn’t want to be tied to Piotr anymore,” he continues. “Doesn’t want to be part of his world.”
I tap a finger against the desk, thinking. Fear can make people reckless, but it also makes them desperate. “So she could have something on him that gives us an edge.”
“She could, or she could be talking to Piotr right now.”
“You think she’d do that?”
“My opinion? She thought she was getting a ticket to Easy Street, realized she was in way over her head, and now doesn’t know how to get out of it.”
“And that’s where we can offer a lifeline,” I say.
Nikolai nods in agreeance.
“If she talks to me, she’s protected,” I state matter-of-factly.
The weight of that promise settles between us. This is my game now, my rules. If she has legitimate information, it could change everything. If she doesn’t, it’s back to square one.
Nikolai heads for the door. I watch him go before exhaling a long breath, then dragging a hand over my face. I should be focusing on the bigger picture, on what this woman might know, on what Piotr’s next move might be. But instead, my thoughts drift back to Kat, to my wife, to the woman who could very well be my biggest threat. That, or the only thing keeping me safe. She’s still the biggest mystery of all.
I have no idea which side she’ll choose when the truth becomes clear, but I’m going to find out.
