Page 25 of Cruel Russian Pakhan
She preferred jeans and T-shirts over the flashy designer clothes I bought. She wore Chapstick and a hint of eyeshadow instead of layers of makeup. She challenged me, which both irritated the hell out of me, and turned me on more than I wanted to admit. Nothing about her added up.
Did she reinvent herself after escaping Artyom’s grasp? That story she told me, about the ropes and cuffs…what the hell kind of childhood was that? I knew Bratva parents pushed their kids to be tough, but that?
Maybe it didn’t happen back then. Maybe it was recent, and she’s too ashamed to tell me.
If I found out that Artyom had done that to her, I'd skin him alive.
But, for now, my focus was on Vera. There was something totally off about her, and I needed to figure out what it was before I fell too deep.
Deep into what, Lev? Feelings? You don’t do feelings, remember? And this is exactly why! You can't think past your dick!
Get your head on straight. One misstep, and you’ll ruin this. For your family and your faction.
Keep your head in the game.
I made my way to my room and got ready for the day. When I got to the base of the staircase, I heard voices coming from the lounge. I made my way there and stopped at the entrance. My siblings were there.
Jaroslav spoke before I could get my bearings, his voice cold, but his eyes burning with fury. His arms pressed into the armchair he stood behind.
“Artyom just declared the Safin faction an enemy. I couldn’t make sense of it at first. Then I remembered, I asked you about the wedding with Vera. You said there were complications, and that you'd handle it. You told me anything concerning Vera, you’d manage personally, and that things with Artyom and his faction, we’d handle together. Something tells me those lines were crossed.” He paused, jaw clenched. “So tell me, Lev, how exactly did you ‘handle’ the complications with the wedding? Because however you did it is exactly why we’re at war with the Rykovs.”
I didn’t answer Jaroslav right away. Instead, I crossed the room, sank into one of the armchairs, and leaned back like I had all the time in the world as I met their eyes.
I knew I’d only be able to keep them in the dark for so long. But they also knew barging into my home and demanding answers crossed a line, so none of them spoke after Jaroslav; they waited.
After a few tense moments, I began, “When Artyom and I struck the deal, I had Timur keep tabs on Vera. About a week before the wedding, she went MIA.”
Mariya’s mouth opened like she had something to say, then she shut it again without saying a word.
“I found Vera and married her. She’s been living with me for about three weeks.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Marten muttered.
I watched the shock ripple across their faces. Even Jaroslav, who was always composed, even in the worstscenarios. His eyes widened a fraction in surprise before he masked it.
“So…you kidnapped Vera,” he stated flatly.
“I did.” My voice hardened. “Did you think I’d make it easy for him to back out of this deal? To play me like a damn fool? We’ve got too much riding on this for me to let him twist the narrative.”
“You could’ve come to me,” Jaroslav snapped. “We could’ve handled it together. Spoken to Artyom like men.”
“For what?” I shot back. “So he could lie through his teeth? Spin some story about Vera running away? From where I’m standing, Artyom was looking for any excuse to break the alliance and declare war between the factions.”
“What makes you think that?” Marten asked, eyes narrowed.
“The night the wedding was supposed to happen, Artyom messaged me, accused me of betraying him. Meanwhile, he was the one hiding Vera. Then he had the balls to send men after me while I was with her.”
They didn’t need to know Vera was living like a prisoner then and had escaped.
Pyotr leaned forward, stunned. “He sent men to kill you? While you were with his sister?”
I gave a tight nod.
“He’s a sadistic son of a bitch,” Avit growled. “Who the fuck puts his own sister in danger to prove a fucking point?”
“Apparently, Artyom does,” I growled. “He didn’t give a shit if she got caught in the crossfire.”
“Do you have proof it was him?” Jaroslav asked. “As much as we’re at war with Artyom, and I’d love to put a few bullets in his skull, I need to be sure he sent those men.”
