Page 18 of Bratva Knight

When he was ready to talk again, he spoke slowly, softly, a dark tilt to his voice. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.” He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep, calming breath. “You’re hurting on the inside,mladshiy brat, little brother.I’m not going to help you hurt on the outside, too, no matter what you say to me.”

That was the problem with older brothers, wasn’t it? They’d literally been there for you your whole life. And that meant that, sometimes, they knew you better than you knew yourself.

I hadn’t even realised that’s what I was trying to do, not until he mentioned it. I was itching for a fight. To hurt someone and have them hurt me back. To punish me for what I’d done.

“No?” I exhaled questioningly, slumping back into my chair. “Not even if I say I’m going to pay a visit to your little cartel queen?”

He narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Okay, now you’re pushing it.”

I laughed, picking my glass up and finishing the rest of my drink. “I’m kidding. Kind of.”

He grunted, moving back to his chair. He sat down, eyes never leaving mine as he asked, “What was his name?”

Sadness enveloped me. His name. Despite what I’d done, despite not being there for Tatiana, the name she’d chosen for our son was a name I didn’t deserve. “Nikolas,” I whispered, more tears falling from my eyes. “Nikolas Ivan Volkov.”

Chapter Seven

Tatiana Andreeva

“Absolutelyfuckingnot!”mydad yelled, glaring down at me.

I hid my smirk behind my coffee mug, snuggling deeper into the couch. The TV played lightly in the background, the relaxing aroma of my lavender-scented candle surrounding me like a comforting hug.

Peter Sutherland inThe Night Agentwas kicking some major ass, drawing me in completely. I was only up to episode six, and I knew already that it was going to be one of my top ten favourite TV shows. I liked Rose. She was different than a lot of the other female leads. She didn’t run and hide when the male lead was fighting with some bad guy, trying to protect her. She jumped into the fight, swinging logs like they were fucking baseball bats, breaking bones. I loved me a savage queen.

“You said I could go.” I tried to keep the amusement I felt from trickling into my voice, but based on the grumpy-ass look my dad threw my way, I don't think it worked.

“I said to talk to Illayana.”

“Yep.”

“And did you?”

“Yep,” I repeated, popping the “p”.

“So you agree to it then? Because I’m not joking around, Tatiana,” he said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I know, Dad.”

“If you want to go to New York, youhaveto have the microchip put in. That’s the condition.”

I popped a cookie into my mouth, my words coming out in a mumbled mess as I replied, “I know, Dad.”

He slapped me upside the head, like Agent Gibbs does to Tony in NCIS. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head with one hand while I took a sip of my coffee with the other. “Face it, Pops. You’re just pissed because you didn’t expect me to agree to your terms. Well, I have. Illayana’s already got me booked in to see the family doc the day after tomorrow. This move is happening.”

He flopped down onto the empty seat next to me, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table in front of him. “It’s like youwantto give me a heart attack, moving all the way to New York with no one to watch your back,” he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s the city where crime never sleeps. Maybe—”

“Nope. Don’t even think about it,” I cut in, elbowing him in the ribs. He grunted, gripping his side. “I don’t want or need a bodyguard. Your only condition was me getting that stupid tracker. You can’t go adding other shit in to try and get me to back out.”

“Who said? I’m the parent here.”

“Don’t be an ass.” I offered him a cookie and he begrudgingly accepted.

“What are we watching?” he asked before stuffing it into his mouth.

“The Night Agent.It’s about a hunky FBI Agent who has to save this girl from a bunch of bad men who are after her.”

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