Page 19 of Hating the Bratva

I can feel the eyes that turn on me, and I do my best to keep my facial expression stoic. I’m clenching my jaw so tight it feels like my molars are going to break.. Everyone knows Delaney’s supposed to be mine.

“Congratulations,” Cameron says, breaking the tense silence. Everyone else joins in, congratulating Ivan.

“That’s all.” Gavril walks back to his office. One by one, men walk over to Ivan and pat him on the back, giving him their congratulations, before turning to me with a look of pity. I don’t want their fucking pity. I want Delaney.

I wait until most of the room has cleared out before approaching Ivan.

“Ivan,” I say, slapping his hand and pulling him in for a half hug. He smells like a damn brewery, and I’m half-surprised Gavril didn’t pull him aside and give him a mouthful. He’s getting soft. I can see it, and it won’t be long now before I take that spot.

“Thanks, man,” Ivan says, oblivious to the awkwardness.

“You heard she tried to run?”

His eyebrows furrow together. “Really?”

“Yeah, I found her at a friend’s house and brought her back. She’s at my place.”

His expression doesn’t change with the information. He just stares at me like he’s still too drunk from the night before to comprehend what I’m saying.

“She doesn’t want to go home.”

“Psh, well, my future wife won’t be staying with another man.”

I sit down on the stool next to him and take a drink of water that’s in front of him.

“Listen, man. I get that. But if she goes back home, she’s going to run again.”

He shrugs. “Then I’ll track her down. We’ll play a game of cat and mouse. It will be like foreplay.”

It takes all my self-control not to punch him in the face. I try to take another route. “You’d want her to stay with you until the marriage? You wouldn’t be able to have women over. You should spend your last months as a single man doing whatever the hell you want to. Let me worry about Delaney.”

If there’s anything I know about Ivan, it’s that he’s a playboy. I can practically see the gears in his head turning. He takes another sip of water.

“Alright, but I’m taking her out tomorrow night. Talk about some ground rules, you know? You have her number?”

The last thing I want to do is give him her number, but he’d find it some other way anyway. I pull my phone from my pocket and text him Delaney’s number.

“Thanks, man. You’re right. I should enjoy my last months of being single. Take care of her,” he says before leaving the stool and heading out of the common area.

“Alek.”

I turn to see Gavril heading my way. “Xavier caught Maven. He’s downstairs. I told him to hold off on telling you until the meeting was over.”

I crack my neck, and Gavril shakes his head. “We already know it was the Motown gang, so don’t get carried away.”

I rarely get to spend time getting my hands dirty since I’ve moved up in the ranks, but every once in a while, we need to get information out of someone, and I get to step in.

“Whatever you say, boss.” I walk past Gavril to the third wing of the compound. I take the stairs down to a small soundproof basement area. The smell of death and mildew hangs heavy in the air. A muffled scream fills the air as I round the corner. Xavier has Maven strapped to a table with a dirty washcloth stuffed in his mouth. There’s some blood surrounding him, but not enough for the crimes he’s committed. We swore Maven into the brotherhood like everyone else, but he wasn’t too happy with the job he got assigned. Instead of sucking it up and working through it until he could move on to something else, he weaseled his way into a deal with the Motown gang. He’s been working with them to move some weight. I don’t know what kind of information he’s told them, but I’m about to find out. The Motown gang has been keeping him under their protection. I sent Xavier to find an opening, which I assume he did or else I wouldn’t be standing here right now.

“Has he said anything yet?” I ask Xavier as I take off my jacket and set it on a clean chair. Xavier’s a big motherfucker, which is why he works as the brotherhood’s hitman. He’s sneaky, too, able to get in and out of places without leaving much behind.

Xavier shakes his head. “Just got started. I found him in a private room at a strip club. The other men were too far away to hear me, but I’m sure they know now.”

“What did you do with the stripper?”

Xavier looks uncomfortable, and warning bells start to go off in my head.

“Xavier?”

---