Page 28 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

After hearing Lara's desire to have more of my time and attention, I didn't want to let that go. I was beginning to see the hope of something forming between us again, and I'd be damnedif I was going to be wiped out before I had the chance to reach that place with her.

I spent some time deliberating with myself, wondering how I might address the situation with the Levovs. Eventually, when I grew tired of thinking about it and just wanted to get it over with, I managed to find a number through one of their establishments.

Leaning back in my chair, I grabbed a burner phone from my desk drawer and took a deep breath before dialing it.

My mind was at war with itself. I knew that calling them directly was close enough to suicide, and it meant me risking everything just to make Lara feel better about the situation. There was a chance I could be outing myself and damning not only me, but my whole family to complete collapse and ruin. But at the same time, I couldn't hide her away forever. One way or another, the inevitable would come down on me. It was only a matter of how I handled it, and if I could manage to lessen the blow.

At the very least, I had to try something.

Reminding myself that I wasn't a nobody, and I had not only a business but also a family to protect, I steeled myself against the faint prickle of fear in my system and pressed the call button.

It rang twice before someone picked up, and after requesting to speak with Aristarkh, I waited a moment before I heard a gruff, seemingly exhausted voice on the other end.

“Aristarkh speaking. Who is this?”

A flicker of hesitancy ran through me before I remembered I was doing it for Lara, and I managed to speak clearly through the phone. “I’m Alexander Novikov. You likely haven’t heard of me, seeing as you haven’t killed me yet.”

He paused for a moment before his voice reached me again. “What do you want?”

Despite how serious the situation was, I couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the reluctance and slight edge to his voice. It almost reminded me of myself, aware that we were both leaders of our own operations. Cut from the same cloth, despite not knowing anything about each other.

“I’m aware you’ve been searching for your sister, Lara. Fortunately, your search can come to an end. I have her in my possession, and I’d like to arrange a meeting with you to talk shop,” I began, taking everything in stride as best as I could. “Before you freak out, she’s safe, and she’ll remain that way.”

I could feel Aristarkh’s immediate anger through the phone. “How did you find Lara? Were you the one who took her?”

“Easy, Levov. It’s a long story, but I’d rather handle things civilly. From one leader to another, I’d prefer to spill as little blood as possible. I’m sure we can work something out.”

He didn’t seem interested in what I had to say at first, far too focused on the part about his sister being in someone else’s possession. His words came out rushed and demanding. “If she’s there, put her on the phone. Now.”

I let go of a breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Unfortunately, she’s elsewhere at the moment. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“And why would I trust someone I’ve never heard of before five minutes ago?” he asked skeptically. I couldn’t blame him, of course. I’d be hesitant to believe some stranger calling from a burner phone, too.

I cracked a faint grin as I spoke. “Because I’m the one who has her at the moment. That should be encouragement enough.”

“If you touch her, I’ll kill you myself, Novikov. I mean it,” he spat through the phone. I had no doubt he would keep that promise, regardless of how I treated his sister.

Suppressing a knowing look at the extent of how far my ‘touching’ her had already gone, I concealed my amusement as best as I could, not letting it come through my voice. “Believe it or not, Levov, I’m doing this for her. If it were up to me, I’d never cross paths with any of you ever again.”

There was a slight pause on his end as if contemplating my words, and after a moment, he returned almost begrudgingly, “Fine. We’ll meet. But I expect Lara to be there. If she isn't, I won’t hesitate. How soon can you get here?”

“My schedule is cleared for this. We’ll move on your time.”

He sighed. “Be here within the next hour, and I’ll find out how legitimate you are.”

Maintaining that grin, despite the slight twist in my gut at the thought of meeting with any Levov, plan or not, I murmured through the phone, “Done and done. Keep your weapons down, and we won’t have a problem.”

“We’ll see about that,” Aristarkh muttered, seemingly not too keen on the idea of keeping things civil despite now having a name to connect with his sister’s disappearance. “I’ll send you the address of the meeting place.”

Aware that there was no escaping it then, I nodded to myself. “I look forward to meeting you, Aristarkh.”

It was partially true. In a way, it felt almost surreal to know I’d be meeting someone as notorious as a Levov, yet I was sane enough to know it wasn’t some kind of fan meet and greet. Just because he agreed to see me, it didn’t mean an immediate and painful death was off the table.

“Don’t be too eager about this. Show me my sister is alive and well, and I’ll decide what happens next.”

It was a threat, no doubt. Of course, it wasn’t unreasonable when I tried to put myself in his position. Still, I knew I had to be guarded about the whole thing. I would be walking straight into their domain, after all.

Someone as prideful and demanding as Aristarkh Levov surely didn’t take kindly to his family being taken right out from beneath his nose, and I was certain he didn’t have much patience for negotiations. Regardless, he would have to deal with it anyway.

---