Page 48 of Bratva Daddies for the Single Mom

“Last night, I didn’t know who you really were. I suspected, but I didn’t have proof.” Pink crept up her neck. “I know who you are.”

“Who am I?” I tipped my head to examine her from a better angle. She wore the same thin pajamas I’d seen once before, covered in a ratty pink robe hanging open. Her blonde hair was tangled on one side of her neck, the thick tresses begging to be touched. Her words did not align with last night or any other night we’d been together. The complete turn-around almost drove me into the apartment. “Annie, is someone here? Someone who’s making you say these things?”

“No.” She tossed her hair back and inched the door closed, speaking through it. “Go away and don’t come back. If I see any of you, I’ll call the cops.”

A lock clicked, followed by the slide of a chain lock. She’d locked me out. I considered breaking down the door. Her words stopped me. I wasn’t afraid of the police. We owned half the department, a fact I’d neglected to reveal to Annie. It made her feel safe to think she could get us arrested. Why? What changed? She’d given me no answers and even more questions.

25

FYODOR

“You’re trying my patience.” I growled in Miles Kent’s face, my nails digging into the wood.

“If you’ll just give me more time.”

I slammed a palm down beside his. The entire desk shook with the force behind the blow. “Enough bullshit. You’ve had your chances.” I eyed his battered face. “More than enough of them.” The bastard had weaseled his way into the office and started begging before I closed the door. More time. More time. Everyone always wanted more time. I was sick to death of granting this man a single sliver of any moment of my day. Correcting him was Ilya’s job.

My phone rang, and I answered it, holding up one finger in warning for Kent to shut the fuck up. “Ilya, where are you?”

“Annie’s.” His breath tore through the phone, the sound desperate enough to push me away from Kent.

“What’s wrong?”

“She won’t see me, is refusing to talk to me.” Furious steps pounded. “She said something about what we do to women when we’re done with them, then threatened to call the police if she sees any of us again.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” I backed toward the window to ensure Kent was out of hearing range. “Why were you there?”

“I wanted to talk to her. She’s hiding something.” Ilya spoke fast, his accent thick and guttural.

“Even if she is, you can’t pry it out of her.” That wasn’t how relationships worked. There had to be trust. Of course, Ilya had a darker history than me, one that prompted him to look beneath every rock and turn over every barrel in search of truth. It made him a great and powerful enforcer, not so much a fluffy teddy bear in relationships. He’d been softer with Annie, and I’d hoped she'd healed the trauma of his last relationship. Apparently, not completely.

A door slammed. “That is not the point, Fyodor. Annie is shutting us out. Why? We had a great time last night. The girls loved us. Everything was fine.”

“Maybe you showing up on her day off was a shock. She’s allowed to have a life outside of her work here and our time together.” I pushed down the thought that Annie had another man in her apartment and that was why she’d driven Ilya away. Even so, why tell him she never wanted to see us again? That was strange, and I understood why Ilya struggled to come to grips with it. “It doesn’t matter right now. We’ll figure out how to deal with it. I need you in the office.”

Kent rocked back and forth in the chair, his new leather loafers squeaking and creasing at the toes with every movement. The suit looked new too, and I gave him a cold sneer when he looked my way. He claimed to be unable to pay us but he’d spent a small fortune on new clothes that the fool man wore right in front of me like he thought me too simple to recognize the labels.

“Why?” Ilya barked the question at me. “I wanted to stay here and keep an eye on Annie.”

“Later.” I straightened and stalked back toward Kent. “Miles Kent is here. We’re having a little discussion about his payments.”

“Motherfucking bastard. I’ll end him.” An engine revved. “On my way.”

Good. Now all I had to do was keep myself occupied while I waited on the muscle to arrive. I ended the call and returned the phone to my pocket. “You should count yourself lucky you came when Viktor is away.” I crossed my arms while remaining halfway across the room. “He was looking forward to making sure you understood his leniency was not a mercy.”

“See, that’s why I like you, Fyodor.” He said my name with too much lip, making the vowels sound forced and too distinct.

I gritted my teeth against the mutilation and bared my teeth in a grin. “You think you’ll get off easy because you are here alone with me?” Itsked and twitched one finger back and forth. “Ilya and I were taught by the same man. We have the same principles. You have disgraced Viktor. There is no forgiveness for that.”

“You’re a reasonable man. That’s why I wanted to talk to you first. You can convince Viktor to see reason. I will repay my loan.” Sweat slid down the man’s temples, his shockingly white teeth flashing when he tried to smile. It fell into a grimace as the split lip stretched. His bruised face looked like something from a horror movie. My knuckles stung with the memory of fist meeting flesh. I had no regret for taking my place at Viktor’s side and showing this man we would not be trifled with. He was an old client, one who should know better. “Do you think that because you have known us for years, we will be kind?”

The flash across his face showed hope. “Viktor is known to be protective of his clients.”

“Yes. When they pay.” I punched my fist into my open palm and took another step toward him. “You are not someone weneed. You hold no power within the company. If anything, you are a drain on our resources.” I accentuated each point with another punch. “Tell me why we should keep you around?”

I waited for Ilya’s arrival to finish the meeting, giving Kent that tiny flicker of hope as I dangled restitution in front of him.

“I can get more clients to agree to Viktor’s demands.” He spluttered out the explanation in fits and starts, his busted lip beginning to ooze with the force of his words. “He needs me.”

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