Page 8 of White Rabbit
His eyes widened ever so slightly before his lips thinned. “And you are?”
I lowered my voice, injecting a threat. “The person who’ll be your worst nightmare if I don’t get answers.”
He had no idea how close I was to snapping. My Brecklyn had been harmed while she was helpless. It would have been bad enough if she were conscious, if she could try to defend herself, but like this… I was ready to remove heads.
Rather than perceive the danger hanging over him, the guard bristled. “You’re not in charge—”
A hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him as he flinched from the touch.
“If I were you, I’d listen to him, Peter,” Dr. Mason advised. He looked over at me. “What’s going on?”
“Brecklyn’s been assaulted. Her face and arm are bruised. I believe her fingers have been broken. Someone was in here are hurt her, while no one seemed to give a fuck who was in here.”
Peter hissed a breath. “Fuck.”
The doctor immediately moved in to take over for the nurse, barking out orders and preparing Brecklyn to be moved for an x-ray.
“There are no security cameras in the rooms, but we can run them for the floor,” Peter offered, his attitude dulled.
I nodded and indicated to Anatoli. “My man will go with you and report back.” I turned back to the doctor. “I’m staying with her.”
And when I found out what happened, I’d be adding names to my hit list. Brecklyn was mine, and no one harmed anything or anyone in my care.
Chapter 7
Valariy
There were perks to beingPakhan. Number one: when I wanted something done, when I wanted someone found and brought to me to face his fate, it happened with no questions.
That power flowed through me as I put dropped my phone on my desk after speaking with Symon. Another piece of Brecklyn’s protection had fallen into place.
As of an hour ago, the head of the hospital’s board had seen the error of their ways when it came to security at the facility. As of this afternoon, I had a twenty-four hour guard at the door to Brecklyn’s room. And most importantly, I had men spread out across the city looking for Radomer Jovanovic, the man who was unaware of his status change from Brecklyn’s boyfriend to Brecklyn’s ex. Nor was he aware of his status change from ego-filled sixth to dead man walking.
A fucking sixth, the lowest ranking of the men working for the Petrov Bratva. He also didn’t know the absolute danger surrounding him. He was walking through the valley of death and no one would step in to help him. He needed to fear. An evil greater than him stalked him.
The Kloboucniks, the Petrovs, the Romanos, the O’Donnells and the Tanakas comprised this city’s five families, and we held an unbreakable alliance. What was done to one, was done to all. And Jovanovic had assaulted my woman. He might work forPetrov, but whoever found Jovanovic, from whichever family, would bring him directly to me.
Yeah, if the stupid fuck caught of whiff of the menace after him, he could run to one of the outliers, like the Bernardi family. But I doubted any of them would give him safe harbor, no matter how much they hated the five families.
Despite my fury, I hoped the rat hid out awhile while he shit himself in fear.
With that grim thought, I buzzed my assistant, Nikita. I had other business and Brecklyn was safe for now; there was nothing else I could do.
“Is Aslan here?” I asked.
“Yes, Sir,” she answered, her voice a husky whisper, and I hoped to God she wasn’t flirting with mysovetnik. The last thing my second-in-command needed, while his daughter was still recovering, was turmoil at home when his wife went ballistic, all caused by my assistant, who also happened to be my spoiled stepsister.
“Pakhan,” Aslan said, quickly dipping his chin then taking the chair across from me after I indicated to it.
Once he sat, the formalities slid away and my best friend emerged. I’d I’d grown up with him, and he was as close to me as one of my brothers.
“I heard what happened,” he said. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. Keep watching over your family and working on discovering who tried to take you out. As far as I’m concerned, that move will bring on their fatal reckoning.”
Aslan nodded, and his usually stoic features revealed a trace of discomfort. Any other man wouldn’t see it, but Aslan and I had been friends since we were in diapers. Iknewhim.
“What is it?”
