Page 66 of Bratva Knight

I wish I was surprised at his words, but it was honestly right on par with Lukyan. “We need you home, now. Family meeting.”

He was silent for a moment. “Can I finish first?”

I rolled my eyes. “We have a lead on Father.”

“Be right there,” he said instantly, hanging up before I could say another word.

I shook my head, chuckling softly. He might be a fucking idiot sometimes, but he always came through when it mattered.

Stuffing my phone back into my pocket, I went to turn around and re-join Aleksandr and Mikhail when my gaze collided with a set of hazel eyes thatusuallysent my heart racing.

This time was different, because those eyes didn’t belong to a crazy blonde who owned my soul. They belonged to her father. Ivan Andreeva was a big man, with broad shoulders and a bulky, wide chest. He had a slightly crooked nose from years of repetitive damage from fights and a neatly trimmed goatee. He was one of my father’s oldest and most faithful soldiers. Despite originally being hired by my grandfather, Sergei, he’d proven time and time again where his true loyalties lay.

Ivan stopped dead in his tracks at the top of the stairs when he saw me. We stared at each other, silence reigning between us. He’d never said anything to me directly, but Iknewhe was aware of what happened between Tatiana and I. His whole demeanor towards me changed. He went from quiet but friendly to doing nothing but glaring at me whenever he saw me. I suspect the only reason why he never confronted me on it was because Tatiana told him not to.

“What do you need, Ivan?”

“A word with Aleksandr,” he grunted, body tight.

I nodded. “I’ll let him know.” I turned around, reaching for the door handle when his next words made me freeze.

“I want you to stay away from her.”

Those eight words sent anger coursing through my veins. Of course, I understood where he was coming from. That he was just trying to protect Tatiana—a quality I admired in the man. But there was nothing in this world that could keep me away from her.

“You overstep, Ivan. What happens between Tatiana and I is none of your business.”

He marched towards me. “As her father, it’s my job to protect her, and that means keeping her away fromyou.” He stood toe-to-toe with me. “I don’t trust you. I don’t trust that you can take care of her, or be there for her when she needs you. You’ve made that clear already. She deserves better than you, and I’m going to make sure she gets it.”

There was an underlying threat to his words, one that did not sit well with me. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve organised for her to meet someone and if all goes well, she’ll marry—”

I shoved him up against the wall with my arm firmly lodged against his throat. “The only person she’ll marry isme,” I snarled.

Chapter Nineteen

Tatiana Andreeva

“Wakey,wakey,bitch.”

I groaned, rolling over and smashing a pillow over my ears. “Go away.”

“You’ve been sleeping all damn day. It’s time to get up,” Illayana said, trying to take the pillow away.

“I don’t want to.”

“Too damn bad. Up. Up!” Cold air hit my skin when the blanket suddenly disappeared in a rush.

“Illayana!” I whined, curling up into a ball. She always bloody did that. In some ways, we were so similar, but in others we were complete and total opposites. This was a prime example.

Ilovedmy sleep. Cherished it. Needed it like a caffeine addict needed their coffee. I was definitelynota morning person. I was known to sleep well into the afternoon andstillbe pissed off when someone woke me. Illayana, however, was bright and bubbly no matter what fucking time of the day it was.

“Come on, I need you up. You’re coming with me to the store.”

“Whyyyy?” I dragged out. My mouth was dry and I could feel a slight headache coming on. I really was a lightweight.

“Because there’s no junk food in this place and we need some for the movie night tonight.”

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