Page 152 of The Lazarov Bratva

“How?”

“You let me worry about that. Do we have a deal?”

This has to be the key. This mysterious person working on things from the shadows. They’re the only anomaly unaccounted for, and if I find out who they are, I can kill them along with Aleksander.

With me in charge and Alena by my side, keeping Seamus safe will be a done deal.

“Fine,” Seamus grunts after a period of silence. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Good. Do you need help with anything? Funeral costs or…?”

“No,” Seamus replies abruptly. Then he sighs, a deep sound carrying the same grief I feel in my own heart at the loss of my siblings.

“Our alliance still stands?” I ask.

A rough snort of laughter rises from Seamus. “What alliance? I barely have any men left to defend my own territory, never mind help you.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I say as a plan forms in my mind. “I’ll help you, and then you will help me.”

“Aye, if you’ve got a fucking miracle.”

Ending the call, I immediately dial August’s number.

“Another call so soon?” He chuckles. “How can I help?”

“Are those men you secretly send to the States still available?” I ask.

“Sure,” August replies. “Do you need them?”

“Yes. You need to send them to Seamus.”

11

ALENA

While being tied to the bed is restrictive, it’s kind of hot. Kristof has been incredibly attentive the past week, and I’ve wanted for absolutely nothing. He wasn’t kidding when he said sex would be included in the activities, but it’s a little different from our normal excitement.

He’s a lot more attentive and gentler with his actions, and while he still leaves me a trembling, desperate mess after each fuck, he’s a little softer.

He’s with me as much as possible, loving me as much as he can, feeding me anything I could ever want. It’s such softness in such a high-stress situation, and I love it.

Revealing the pregnancy came with its own set of challenges. While Kristof is doing everything he can to keep it a secret until we can confirm whether Alyona was able to reveal it or not, August and his wife sent a massive bouquet of flowers as well as a promise for us to go shopping when this is over, for things for the baby.

Their attentiveness and kindness are more than I expect from them, but they warm my heart all the same. August’s presence just bleeds fatherly, and every time he crosses my thoughts, I smile. He helped save my life, saved Kristof’s life, and that ranks him high on my small list of people to care about.

The other perk is that since we spend so much time together, I get to know Andrev better.

It takes him a day or two to fully open up to me. He may be Kristof’s right-hand man, but he overly respects the line drawn about who can and cannot get close to me. After growing bored each time Kristof had to step out to discuss plans that were ‘too stressful for my ears’, I got him to open up. When he started talking, he gave me insight into Kristof’s earlier days.

Andrev grew up in an orphanage and met Kristof when Kristof tried to pickpocket him and failed. This was when they were old enough to know better but too young to care. Kristof’s parents had not long passed, so Kristof was doing everything and anything he could to provide for his siblings, including stealing from people in the street.

After a scuffle where Kristof came out on top, Andrev revealed he had stolen his money back during the fight. Impressed, they became fast friends, and Andrev actually taught Kristof a thing or two when it came to swiping purses and more.

From there, they became as close as brothers, forcing a friendship that was cemented when a boy at the orphanage, whom Andrev considered to be his brother, was beaten to death.

Kristof hadn’t hesitated in helping Andrev get revenge, and from that day onward, Kristof had Andrev’s unwavering loyalty. The world back then was harsher in certain ways, and everything Andrev tells me has me relieved that they had one another.

Some stories end with minimal details and a sly wink about Andrev’s secrets, and others end with insight into Kristof’s hardships when dragging his family out of the dirt. He really did give his all to the Family, and the thanks he got for it? Forced to watch my father squander men and power like they mean nothing, all to please a Family that should have been sucked out like venom from a snake bite.

---