Page 113 of The Lazarov Bratva

There’s no time to take Alena anywhere else, and on the road, she’d be in more danger than she would be here.

In an instant, I make my decision.

“Fine. We go to him. Wipe them out before they can even think about coming here,” I say.

“No!” Alena clutches at my arm. “You can’t go.”

“I have to!” I take her arm. “Alena, I have the element of surprise here. If I can get to him first, then you will remain safe here, don’t you understand?”

“I do,” she insists, and tears shine in her eyes. “But I don’t want you to.”

“I have to. I meant it when I told you I would do anything for you, and fighting to protect my family is second-nature.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nastja says. “Ivan, too. They won’t know what hit them.”

“Kristof.” Alena clutches tighter at me, and my heart clenches painfully in my chest, further ignoring the anger in my chest.

“Alena.” I cup her face, stroke her cheek, and pull her closer. Our mouths collide, and the faint taste of salt reaches me from her tears. I kiss her as deeply as I can, crushing my mouth against hers like every kiss we’ve ever had is melding into one. I want to consume her, to tuck her under my ribs where she’ll be safe forever next to my heart where Aleksander can never get her.

She clutches at my shirt so fiercely that her nails pierce through the fabric and nip lightly against my skin. If I had my way, I’d stay like this, frozen in this moment for all eternity.

Sadly, I can’t.

We break apart, and Alena gasps, tears clinging to her lashes.

“Kristof,” she croaks.

“Andrev will keep you safe. Stay with him and Chek. You will be safe here until I get back, understand?”

“Promise me you will come back,” she demands.

“I promise.”

It takes all my strength to step away from her.

“Kristof!” she cries out. “Please!”

“You keep her safe,” I snap at Andrev. He nods, just once.

I don’t know what she’s asking for, I’m not sure she even knows herself, but her cries follow me like a charge in the air as I stride away through the garden with Nastja by my side.

Facing down Aleksander this early isn’t part of any plan I had. Then again, Alena wasn’t in any plan I had, and I foolishly hadn’t considered anyone working out that she was with me.

Either way, only one of us is walking away from this.

And I am coming back for Alena.

36

ALENA

The silence in the manor is deafening.

Every guard and maid that I see is subdued and tense, with assault rifles in their hands and a fleeting look of sympathy when they meet my eyes. It’s like everyone knows something I don’t.

My father is here.

I don’t understand how, or why, but he’s here, and now I’m facing the very real threat that I’ll be dragged back to America, back home to a family that doesn’t care for me. To an outsider, it might look incredible that my father came all this way to get me back, but I know the truth. He’s not here because he’s concerned. He’s here because he needs me back.

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