Page 134 of Bratva Butcher

I could barely talk tomyselfabout it.

“Everything’s fine.” The smile I gave to try and convince him my words were true felt strained and awkward.

“Uh, are you sure? Because I think you’re trying to smile at me right now, and you haven’t done that in years.”

I dropped the smile instantly, releasing a frustrated sigh. “I said everything is fine,” I repeated more sternly.

He threw his hands up in surrender, making me tsk. I put my phone down on the desk, deciding it wasn’t the time to reply. Whatever I replied with needed to be meticulously thought out and planned.

“Do you need something?”

“Yes, actually.” He sat up a little straighter in his chair. “I need to put in a request for some leave. I have to go to Russia.”

I frowned. “Didn’t you just get back from there a few months ago?”

“Yes.”

“And you weren’t able to get whatever you needed sorted then?”

He didn’t answer, avoiding my eyes.

“What’s going on, Ivan?” I demanded.

“It’s Svetlana,” he said, blowing out a tired breath. “She’s sick.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I really wasn’t, but that’s what you said when someone told you someone they loved was sick.

Svetlana Andreeva was a pisspoor excuse for a human being and a mother. She ran out on Tatiana and Ivan only a few weeks after Tatiana was born. Not one word from her for over twenty-four years, and thenbam, she randomly called Ivan a few months ago and told him she needed to see him right away.

Despite the fact that I didn’t want to, I approved his request last time to take a few weeks off.

This time, though…

“It’s not up to me, Ivan. You know that. Aleksandr isPakhannow. Any requests need to go through him.”

“Doc says she’s only got six months left, Dimitri. Maybe less.”

“As heartbreaking as that news is to me” —not—“it’s still up to Aleksandr. You’ll need to speak with him. Does Tatiana know?”

“No,” he exhaled, shaking his head. “I planned to tell her after I got back, but the raid happened, then that whole thing with Talon’s island. It just never seemed like a good time. Now, she’s pregnant, and I don’t want to cause any undue stress. She’s already incredibly anxious about this pregnancy, given what happened last time. But Svetlana’s only wish is to patch things up with her daughter before she dies.” He hung his head forward. “I don’t know what to do. I still love her and want to help her.”

“It will be hard, but you know what you need to do, Ivan,” I said softly. Sympathy bloomed in my chest for one of my oldest friends, and the torment he was going through. “Tatiana deserves to know what’s happening, and whatever she decides—whether it be seeing Svetlana or not—you need to respect her decision. Your first andonlyconcern should be for your daughter, not some woman who abandoned you twenty-four years ago.”

He winced, and I instantly regretted my choice of words. I could have picked something that wasn’t so…harsh.

But he then raised his head, this sense of resolve rolling over his face. He straightened his spine and nodded. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I’ll tell Tatiana and let her decide what she wants to do. And—”

My phone vibrated on the desk, diverting my attention. Ivan continued to talk, but his words faded into the background as I glanced at the screen to see that it was another message from Autumn, but all it said was:

Malen’kaya D’yavolitsa: Attachment: 1 Image

Brows lowered into a small frown, I picked it up and opened the message—

My eyes shot wide open, lust exploding throughout my entire body, right down to my fucking fingertips. I clutched the phone to my chest to hide it and cut Ivan off mid-sentence.

“You need to go now,” I barked.

“Wha-what?” he asked, confused.

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