Page 44 of Forced By the Bratva Beast

“Your brother is fucking monster!” I call out, her eyebrow inching up.

“No more of a monster than the one you’re married to, honey. I couldn’t let you hurt my brother and get away with it. You see, Chris and Bruno already had plans for Andrei, and you had to meddle, didn’t you? And if you were willing to go home with him, why not indulge my brother?” she remarks sarcastically as I feel sick, a swirl of vomit rising.

“You’re sick! You’re all sick!” I spit out, looking for any gap to run through.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Andrei

The days are only getting busier, but I’m in my element back in the office. I look over the paperwork on my desk, wanting to do away with the mountain of contracts I have to sign. Some of them aren’t mine. Some are signed NDA contracts with strict policies and stipulations pertaining to new business deals. A phone call comes through, interrupting my sandwich.

“Andrei.” I smile when I see the caller ID.

“Ruslan. Nice to hear from you, cousin. How are you?”

“Everything is going along nicely here. Business is good. Fiona and the kids are brilliant. I live in a house full of chaos. We just added a new member of the family.”

Shocked, I raise my eyebrows. “What? You’re having a third child?”

“No, no, no,” he quietly laughs, sounding more content than I’ve ever known him to be. Maybe it’s Fiona’s presence, or because he was able to get ahold of the coveted Omerta Files. Or even a combination of the two. It’s hard to say, but either way, there’s a blueprint for family success I want to emulate from him.

“Then what?”

“A cat. We have the dog already on deck.”

“Ah, domestic bliss over there. Sophia and I will have to come around for dinner when you’re free.”

“That works. I’ve been hearing some things. Let’s compare notes.” The casual conversation takes a serious turn.

“Sure. What are you hearing?”

“I’ve heard you’ve got a problem starting with R.” Often when we speak, and if we don’t know if the line is clear, we speak in code. Today is no exception.

“Still haven’t found out who sent him. It’s being worked on as we speak, but I might have to call in more resources to get the information I need.”

“Hmm. Want me to help?” Ruslan offers.

“No. I’ve got a handle on this one,” I respond, thinking about how I’ve long been in the shadow of my brother Pakhan, but it served me well, giving me the confidence and the credentials to manage my own arm of the Bratva organization. Not that I’m upset with Ruslan offering me help, but any day Ryan’s boss is going to be found.

“No problem, and congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thanks. So far, so good.” And that really has been the case because Sophia’s just been attending doctor appointments. Seeing the ultrasound of the baby did freak me out a little, but secretly I’m getting excited to see what my child will turn out to be like.

“Are you doing any work for the Bratva?” I poke, changing the subject, not wanting to harp on about the sore subject of not finding Ryan’s boss yet.

“I’m working. We’ve got a new brand deal for our liqueur, and we’re in production talks, discussing new flavors.”

“Congratulations. That’s good news.” My cell phone rings and as I slide my chair across to my phone, seeing that it’s from Dimitri. “Talk later, back to business, Cuz.”

“No problem. Call me if you need backup,” Ruslan offers.

“Will do. Bye.” I hang up the office phone, picking up my cell phone, anticipating news.

“Are you in your office?” Dimitri’s voice can be heard in two places, throwing me off a little.

“Dimitri?” My office door swings open as Dimitri takes up space in the door and stuffs his phone in his back pocket.

“Cousin. I thought I would pay you a personal visit on this one,” he remarks soberly, capturing my attention.

“Why? Is everything okay in New York?” I quiz. If he’s flown in specially to see me, then there’s news. Dimitri rubs a hand over the back of his neck, exhaling.

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