Page 38 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

As we stood side-by-side in the empty elevator on the way up, I glanced over at him. He was a bit shorter and thinner than Yaro, but he had enough muscle definition to let me know he worked out, too.

He looked similar to his older brother, but his dark brown, almost black hair and blue eyes made him more like a carbon copy of his cousins. Still, he had the same freckles and facial structure as Yaro.

“How bad was the issue?” I asked, testing the waters.

Vik hesitated, then narrowed his eyes slightly at me. “That depends on your definition of ‘bad’.”

I stared back at him, unsure of what that was even supposed to mean. “Yaro seemed very angry about it.”

“That isn’t entirely out of the ordinary for him,” He murmured, only to follow it up with a sigh as if realizing he couldn’t hide it all from me. “We lost a few men and some products. His anger was warranted.”

The reminder of how dangerous their work was made a shiver scurry up my spine. I should’ve been aware enough that they would lose men from time to time due to the nature of things, but the idea that any of the Levovs could be injured at any given moment seemed to put it all into perspective.

I couldn’t imagine how devastated the girls would be if their husbands had that same fate. It was hard enough considering that for Yaro, even if things weren’t always entirely great between us.

The elevator dinged when we arrived on the right floor, and Vik led me to the suite.

“But enough about that,” he began, unlocking the door. He pushed it open and let me go in first. “My brother mentioned wanting to get you set up for online school. I’m glad he came around to it.”

Forgetting about the more depressing topic, I smiled at the prospect of continuing to earn my degree regardless of where I did it. “I am, too.”

As we made our way to the living room, Vik pulled the laptop out from beneath his arm. “This is actually for you. I can help put everything together while we wait for Yaro to get back.”

Not sure of what other choice I had, I nodded. “That would be great, thanks.”

“No problem,” Vik chirped, sitting on one end of the couch while I took the other, lanky legs stretched out in front of him. “I’ll get you connected to the internet first, then we can navigate the learning portal, so you know where to go.”

It wasn’t exactly how I saw the rest of my day panning out, but we needed to pass the time anyway.

Even if the whole process didn’t take very long, Vik spent some time showing me everything and letting me know my credentials to access my learning account. After a bit, I realized he was stretching it out as long as he could, likely to distract me from what was going on with Yaro.

I didn’t see the point in it, but I appreciated the gesture anyway.

Once virtually every page had been combed over, I grabbed the two of us something to drink which Vik thanked me for.

As he sipped from his iced tea, I leaned against the couch and considered the words that weighed heavily on my tongue. I debated if it was worth saying or if I was better off keeping everything to myself.

Regardless of Vik being his brother, I felt like I could trust him. He seemed softer-natured compared to Yaro, and that made me less resistant to share my feelings with him.

I tapped against my glass while I tried to find the right words.

“You said being angry was normal for Yaro, but how much did you mean that?” I asked.

Vik seemed to realize his mistake as he paused, then pulled his eyes away from the laptop. “Well, he can be quick to anger, but that isn’t necessarily his norm. Things have been worse for him lately because of work.”

“What’s been going on?” I asked, furrowing my brows. “I mean, I know things haven’t been that great, but he never tells me.”

Vik sighed, then closed the laptop and put it aside. “Yaro’s been under more pressure, and he’s trying to patch things up after what happened with your father. There have been a few targeted hits against our men recently, and he’s straining to try and figure out who’s responsible. If he seems angrier than usual, that’ll be why.”

As I digested those words, it helped me make sense of his random bursts of anger. How he could be tender and gentle one moment, then off the wall mad the next. It was stress weighing him down.

“I’m somewhat afraid of him…Not all the time, but just when he gets mad like that. I don’t know what to expect from him,” I admitted, looking down at my hands as I spoke. “It reminds me of my dad.”

When I looked over at him, Vik’s expression softened. “I don’t know the extent of it, but I know he won’t ever hurt you. He might be stubborn and blunt about things at times, but it’s his duty to protect you now. Even if he doesn’t express it, or if it doesn’t seem that way given the circumstances, Yaro would do anything to keep you safe.”

Warmth moved through me then, along with a spark of surprise. “Really? Some days it seems like he couldn’t care less if I wasn’t here.”

Vik snickered. “Him not letting you go back to campus was the first sign that he cares about your well-being. He can’t let anyone get their hands on you. He doesn’t make a big deal about it, but Yaro is always putting himself before anyone else. He’s not usually the one being taken care of, even if someone attempts to.”

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