Page 85 of Ruthless Bonds

Truly, madly loved him.

I didn’t know how or when that had happened, but it had.

And that terrified me.

Because everyone I had ever loved had left me.

Now here I was, married to the Pakhan of the Russian mafia in New York, who had a constant target on his own back. And I knew that one day, he was going to leave me, too. How could I have let myself fall in love with someone in this lifestyle? It was insanity and went against everything I had believed in all these years.

Stupid, traitorous heart.

I hung up the photos on the drying line. Some of the other pictures included people I’d assumed were family, a few dogs, some scenic views, and other random things.

My gaze drifted to the locked cabinet where I’d hidden the SD card and film roll, the ones that contained the evidence—pictures of the documents in the safe, the men moving guns, serial and license plate numbers. Was it enough to destroy him? I didn’t want to find out the answer.

I unlocked the drawer and pulled out the card and film, then dropped them into the chemicals. I watched as the film dissolved and knew the chemicals would ruin anything on the card.

I guessed I’d made my choice, choosing to stay when I knew I should run.

The weight in my chest lightened, although the moment was short-lived. My eyes widened at one photo hanging on the line, and I snatched it down.

How could this be?

In the photo was a group of men, and hanging above them was some sort of flag. The image was crystal clear.

Two double-headed eagles holding a shield,which had a snake wrapping around a sword. The outside of the banner had a mazelike vine pattern with tiny stars.

It matched my coin exactly. Even down to the bold words “Loyalty, Honor, Victory.”

My heart raced as I tried to process what this all meant. The Zokrov Bratva symbol was a wolf with a letter “Z” going through it. Was this double-headed eagle a symbol for another Bratva in Russia?

These unknown men were connected to Kreos’ family, and somehow, one of their coins had ended up in the hands of a dead man. A man who had tried to warn me before the entire house exploded. Kreos thought he had some type of mole in his organization—did this have anything to do with it? Fuck, there were too many unanswered questions. I’d known I should have told him about the coin sooner.

I needed to talk to him. Confess that I’d been keeping something from him and hope it didn’t mean anything important. The only problem was he’d been in meetings with his Vors all afternoon and supposedly wasn’t to be disturbed. Was this important enough to interrupt him for? I didn’t know.

I jumped at the sound of a light knocking on the door. Three knocks, then two, then three more.

Dove.

“Coming!” I called out as I hung the picture back up.

Maybe I was just being paranoid, and there was a really simple explanation for all of this.

I made sure the inner light-trapping door was secure before I opened the outer door. Dove was waiting for me in the hall, dressed for the pool with a bottle ofwine in her hand. I chuckled as she did a little dance, instantly making me smile.

She’d improved so much since we’d been here. It was like she wasn’t the same person. She didn’t even wear her hat anymore. I would forever be grateful to Kreos for changing her life for the better, as well as mine. But something told me Gavriil might have had a little to do with Dove’s good mood. I was pretty sure something was going on between them, which was insanely hilarious. Satan and an angel. Maybe I’d get her to confess after a few drinks.

Dove and I lounged around the pool, dipping in and out of the water. The mood around the property seemed tense, like everyone was on guard. That made sense, considering someone had tried to kill their boss last night.

God, seeing Kreos with that blood on him had freaked me out. I’d thought my heart had stopped beating. I’d never been so grateful when I realized it wasn’t his blood. I hoped the people who had tried to hurt him suffered. I knew that sounded crazy, but I couldn’t help it. I tried explaining my feelings to Dove.

She listened attentively, as she always did. Typing into her iPad, she pressed the “speak out loud” button.

“It’s obvious he loves you too, Alora. I mean, anyone can tell just by how he looks at you.”

“I’m scared, Dove. I’m terrified he’s going to die before we even have a life together. Or even worse, what if I get pregnant, and then he dies?” I leaned on the edge of the pool, splashing my legs in the water. “Oh, my God, it’s like the movie we were watching. I’m going to end up like Lydia.” My eyes widened as I recalled the stupidlove story she’d made me watch, the one where the man had lied and tricked the woman, and then ended up leaving her after she had their baby. Was that going to be me? Pregnant and alone?

“OK, don’t do that. I see that crazy look in your eyes. Chill. Everything’s going to be fine.”

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