Page 74 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“Maybe,” he shrugs and takes a seat on the other side of the counter island. “But it doesn’t change the facts here. The world will never accept you together. You’ll never be able to go out in the open with your relationship. Only one of you will be able to marry her, and in time, it will drive a wedge between you and your brothers.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“I’m just looking out for Anya, okay? I may not know her for as long as you have, and I may have the occasional foot-in-mouth syndrome, but I do know she deserves better. You do what you want with my opinion. I’m only sharing it with you because you’re clearly at a critical point here.”

“I didn’t come here to talk to you about our relationship with Anya.”

But she waves my concerns away. “Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time about Leo Sokolov. I learned my lesson from my first encounter with his brother. The psycho gene runs in that family, so I’ll keep my distance.”

“I need you to call me if you see him anywhere up here, or anywhere in town, for that matter,” I warn her. “If you have a taser or pepper spray—”

“I have one of each.”

“Good, keep them with you at all times. You still have that shotgun in the living room, right?”

She gives me a worried look. “Are you serious?”

“Make sure it’s loaded and ready. I’m not kidding. Leo Sokolov runs a major Russian mob syndicate in New York, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

Breonna exhales sharply, then takes a sip of her coffee and walks to the kitchen window, briefly lost in thought. She’s mature enough to understand real trouble when it’s headed her way. I just hope she’s genuine about her concern for Anya.

“How did the Russian mob end up in the heart of Montana?” she asks, her voice low.

“It’s a long story.”

“I think I deserve to hear it, given that my life and safety seem to be at risk now.”

I can’t give her all the details, but I do my best to summarize some of Anya’s past in a short, coherent story. By the time I’m done, tears well in Breonna’s eyes as she turns around to face me. “That poor girl,” she mumbles. “Tragedy after tragedy… never having control over her life.”

“Trust me, we had no idea she was betrothed to this psycho. Otherwise, we would’ve stepped in, come hell or high water. We would’ve gotten her away from New York, with or without her father’s permission.”

“And to lose everyone she ever loved like that.”

“Yes, Anya was dealt a terrible hand.”

“Pregnant, on top of everything else,” she scoffs and points a finger at me. “That’s your responsibility, by the way. The three of you need to do right by her.”

“I fully intend to do precisely that, and so do my brothers. Breonna… Anya is loved, and she is safe with us. What comes next, however, will bring trouble to this town and this mountain. It could get nasty and bloody really fast. And I just want you to be ready for it when it comes.”

“I appreciate that,” she mutters, biting her lower lip.

“Actually, why don’t you head back to Denver for a while?” I ask. “The roads are cleared all the way up to Missoula. You could just hop on a plane and spend the rest of the winter there, or at least until we resolve this Bratva issue.”

“Well, it’s not the worst idea. I’ll think about it.”

“Please, do. It’s for your own sake.”

Breonna gives me a gentle smile. “Thank you, Booker. I honestly appreciate your concern.”

The truth is, we don’t know what Leo is planning. We do know that he needs Anya alive, at least for now.

One way or another, my brothers and I will have to get our hands dirty in order to destroy Leo and possibly his entire syndicate. It could be the only way for us to keep Anya safe and free.

20

Anya

“Where are we with that USB drive?” I ask Chance and Booker as soon as they come into the living room one late afternoon.

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