Page 86 of Bratva Knight

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.” Lukyan threw his apple core into the bin next to him. “You have the same look on your face as my tenth grade history teacher when I told him I didn’t do the homework. Angry disappointment.”

“You need to take this situation more seriously.”

“What situation?” He seemed genuinely confused, and it made me want to throttle him.

“The stalker situation,” I hissed. “Stop treating it like a joke and understand your life could very well be in danger from this woman. When stalkers don’t get the object of their obsession, they can become violent. This woman has already killed once for you. What happens if she decides she wants you all to herself? What happens when she finds out you’re arranged to marry Anya?”

He paled.

“That marriage is the only thing keeping Illayana safe. If something happens to Anya, Grandfather won’t care if we were responsible for it or not. He’ll just see that his arrangement was fucked with and punish us regardless. You want Aleksandr to stop treating you like an incompetent class clown and start taking you seriously? Give him a fucking reason to.”

I stormed away, the guilt from my words already starting to worm its way into my heart. I didn’t like telling him off or crushing his spirit. I liked his carefree nature, but there was a time and place for it, and he needed to learn that.

I’d have to tell Aleksandr about the breach in security. He wouldn’t be thrilled about it. I could picture it, his grunting and snarling as he pounded his fist into his desk. Lukyan liked to call him “The Hulk” when he got angry…a fitting name.

I rounded the corner into the foyer and headed for the stairs to go up to Aleksandr’s office when someone yelling made me pause.

“Stop! Don’t you dare! No!”

I frowned, my head tilting to the side as I listened harder. Was that…Drea?

“No! Don’t! Get away!”

It was coming from the dining area. I whipped out my gun and ran back down the hall. Drea and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but my brother loved her. If she was in danger, I had to save her. For him.

The screaming got louder and more distinctive as I got closer to the dining room. Something was definitely going on. I raised my leg and kicked the door down, running into the room. What I saw made me come to a screeching halt, my mouth dropping wide open in shock.

Drea was tied, spreadeagle on the dining room table, her arms and legs bound by rope. Aleksandr was standing in front of her lower half, shielding her body from view, but I had a feeling she was naked from the waist down. And in his hands was a tattoo gun.

“Nikolai. Oh, thank God. Help me. Your brother has gone insane!” Drea hissed, tugging at her restraints.

“I havenotgone insane,” Aleksandr responded calmly. “I told you, I am sick of seeing another man’s name on your body. So I’m getting rid of it.”

“AndItoldyouI would get it covered! I just haven’t had the time. Logan was my tattoo artist. I assumed you wouldn’t want me to go to him for the job, so I have to find someone else.”

“You assumed correctly.” Thebuzzof the tattoo gun rang out through the room, and Drea screeched.

“Aleksandr, don’t you dare! You have no idea what you’re doing! You’ll fuck it up.”

He frowned down at her. “I know what I’m doing. I googled it.”

“You googled it…” she breathed out, aghast. “Oh, dear God.”

“Just relax.” He looked at the tattoo gun in his hands, twisting it this way and that way, studying it closely before nodding. “Yeah, I assembled it correctly…I think. We’re ready to begin.”

“Touch me with that thing and you won’t be allowed in my pussy for a whole month!”

Aleksandr actually hesitated, a stricken look crossing his face. Then he shook it off. “It’s happening,malyshka. I gave you time to get rid of it yourself and you didn’t. I’m taking matters into my own hands. No woman of mine will have another man’s name on her body.”

A flourish of Spanish curse words flew from Drea’s mouth. Lukyan approached from my side, his eyes widening when he looked into the room. Then he spun on the balls of his feet, going back the way he came.

I backed out and shut the door. Honestly, I was surprised Aleksandr held out for as long as he did. The possessiveness he showed towards his little Cartel wife was almost as strong as my possessiveness of Tatiana. There’s no way I’d tolerate another man’s name on her body. Frankly, in my opinion, Aleksandr had been quite generous with the timeframe. Drea should have known that if she didn’t get the name covered up or removed, my brother would then handle it himself.

Thinking of Tatiana made my heart stutter. God, I missed her. I missed her the second she was out of my sight. I wanted nothing more than to go to her, but I couldn’t fly to New York then. There was too much planning to be done.

My thoughts were consumed with her. What she was doing. Who she was with. Whether she was happy or sad. Whether she was eating enough food or drinking enough water.

I might not be able to be with her right then, but I had a way of checking up on her. Just to see if she was okay. A way she was…unaware of. I pulled out the spare phone I kept charged and with me at all times. I flicked through some of the apps, just taking a cursory glance at them when my entire body locked up, a dark rage washing over me like a tidal wave.

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