Page 30 of Bratva Knight

His brother, Vincenzo, was standing at his side. He was similar in appearance but also drastically different. The brothers shared the same bone structure: strong jawline, sculpted features, straight nose. The same dark hair, albeit styled differently. But that was where the similarities ended.

Vincenzo’s eyes were a bright shade of green. Absolutely mesmerising to look at. He had this innate, boyish charm about him. One look and you just knew he was the textbook definition of “class clown”. The outside world knew him as one of the most eligible bachelors in all of New York. The organised crime world, however, knew he was so much deadlier than he made himself appear.

Same as his brother.

“Miss Andreeva,” Arturo greeted, putting his iPad down and getting to his feet. “Welcome.” He offered his hand and I stepped forward, giving it a firm shake.

Vincenzo gave me a once over, his eyes racking me from head to toe before his lips curved into a mischievous smirk. “Nice to see you again…Tatiana, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” We’d met once, briefly at Illayana and Arturo’s wedding before it all went to shit. He was just as hot in person as he was in the tabloids. “And that smirk won’t work on me,” I said, wagging my finger in the air.

He gave me a dazzling smile. “I do love it when they play hard to get. It’s my favourite game.”

“Quiet, Vin,” Arturo ordered. “Please, sit.” He gestured to the two armchairs in front of his desk with a wave of his hand.

I chose to remain standing.

He shrugged and took a seat, steepling his fingers. “I understand Illayana has informed you of our situation with Franco, and you’ve offered to help?”

“She mentioned you’ve been having some trouble with him. Something about how he keeps finding the locations of your stash and distribution houses, robbing and torching them. My classes don’t start for another month, so I figured I’d lend a hand. Illayana’s a stress head. If I can help alleviate some of that stress for her, I’ll do it.”

“Yes, she is,” Arturo agreed.

“No offence, Pretty, but how do you plan to help us? From what I understand, you’re not involved in the day-to-day business of the Bratva,” Vincenzo said.

“By choice, not because I couldn’t handle it. I have other plans for my future. But I’ve gone through the training, I’m resourceful and I’m a fresh set of eyes that could look at this situation from a different angle. One you may not have noticed before.”

“Illayana’s spoken very highly of you,” Arturo began.

“Of course she has. I’m amazing.”

“She said you're smart, quick. Good under pressure. And that you’re the”—he looked to his brother—“what did she call it?”

“The Michael Scofield of the Bratva.”

My lips curved. She was always saying that. I didn’t really agree with it. I was good at spotting shit other people might miss, but that didn’t mean I was anywhere on the same level as Michael Scofield. The dude was fictional, but he was such a badass.

“Right. I don’t know what that means, but Illayana assures me it’s a good thing,” Arturo continued. “Now, I value my wife’s opinion, trust her word explicitly. She’s adamant you’ll be a great asset, and I believe her.”

“But?”

“ButI’m sure you can understand why a man in my position needs to make sure the people in his employ are capable of doing the work.”

I stared at him for a moment. “So…what? You want to test me or something?”

“I guess you could say that.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, studying him closely. A flicker of annoyance shot through me. “Okay, fine. I’ll do your tests. If you answer me one question.”

He shrugged a shoulder, gesturing for me to go ahead.

“If I was a man, would these ‘tests’ still be necessary?”

“Ha!” Vincenzo clapped once, humour in his eyes. “Oh, she is good.”

Arturo glared at his brother before focusing back on me. “The fact is, Tatiana, that I don’t know you. I don’t know what you’re capable of, and I need to ensure that you’re able to handle not only yourself, but any situation you could encounter while acting on behalf of La Cosa Nostra.”

“And if I was a man, you wouldn’t be concerned about my ‘capability’. How about you just cut the shit, Arturo? Just admit it so we can move on to your stupid tests.”

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