Page 37 of Secret Bratva Twins

I’d believed him when he said he didn’t kill my mother. I knew every word he said to me was the truth. I’d been so angry and blinded that I’d almost made my children lose out on having an actual support system.

Even if I died now, I’d be happy knowing they would be a part of this family. We were going to save them, I was certain of that. Everything was going to be okay after that.

Chapter 14 - Maxim

Vlad’s gaze floated between my phone and my face. I’d called them to meet me at Sergey’s place this afternoon, where I’d shown them a picture of Ryan and Daylan. My brother swore he’d know if they were mine or not by just looking at them.

“They kind of look like you,” he said, his eyes narrowing on my phone. “They have your eyes, hair, nose, and all that.”

I sighed, standing and snatching the phone from him. “I don’t have time for this. Their lives are in danger. Paul has them.”

“This could be a trap,” Nikolai chimed in. He had the most unfazed look on his face. The only time I’d ever really seen him panic was when Giselle was hurt. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll trade my life for theirs, but we shouldn’t make rash decisions.”

“Why? Because you don’t trust Gianna?”

“I don’t know her besides the fact that you two hooked up in New York,” he explained, throwing up his hands. “You know how it is in our world, we can’t dish out trust easily.”

He was right, I knew he was. But everything couldn’t be black and white, even in a world like ours. “She’s the mother of my children, Nik. I don’t care about trust right now, I’ll work with the devil himself if it means I can get to hold my children.”

“For someone who just found he’s a father, you’re doing a great job at it,” Vlad teased, smiling at me. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

I nodded. I’d never been more grateful to have anyone else on my side. “Thanks, kiddo.” I dragged my gaze to Sergey, waiting for his answer.

Because Sergey and Nikolai were the oldest and they’d worked the hardest to keep our family together, they were the coldest, thinking everything through before they made a move. Still, I knew they wouldn’t let me down, they wouldn’t turn me away when I needed them most.

“Where’s Gianna?” Sergey asked after a moment.

I took that as a sign that he was willing to help. “She’s at home.”

Sergey nodded. It was hard to read through his calm expression. “You said you trust her, so I’m going to take your word for it.”

“Thank you.” There was one person left to get through, and that was Nikolai. Our gazes met.

He sighed. “What? You think I’ll let you risk your life on your own?”

I smiled. “You’re a handful, bro.”

“And this handful is going to help your ass,” he replied, a smile playing on his lips. “Bring Gianna to the bar tonight. I heard the girl has skills, let’s see how useful it can be.”

“Sure.” I dragged my attention. “How did it go with Viktor?”

“He was taken back to his family for a proper funeral. They’ll be compensated.” His jaw ticked. That was the only sign he was angry. “As much as I want to chop Paul’s head off, he’s not our target yet. We’re going there to save the kids, so less shooting and killing.”

Vlad plopped his legs on the coffee table in front of him, earning a glare from Sergey. Lilianna was obsessed with keeping the house clean; she’d lose her mind if she saw him. “It makes sense to me.”

“You know what else will make sense to me?” Sergey said dryly.

Vlad raised his brow inquisitively.

Sergey pointed at Vlad’s legs on the table. “Ripping your legs from your limb. Take that down.”

A cocky grin grew on Vlad’s face. Pissing us off was his specialty, and becoming a father hadn’t changed that. “Lilianna has a soft spot for me, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. The kids could also use a little bit of germs, heard it’s good for their immune system.”

Sergey sighed angrily. “The meeting’s over. Get the hell out of my house, all of you.”

Nikolai was the first to stand. “I’m going on a grocery date with my wife. See you guys later.”

Vlad took his legs down from the table, hurrying after Nikolai. “That makes the two of us.”

---