Page 12 of Brooklyn Bratva

“No. I have some family matters I take care of in the study once or twice a week. That’s all.”

My heart sank as the idea I’d had of spending more time with him disintegrated. This whole plan was childish. I had no reason to follow him around it wasn’t going to be subtle if I kept turning up at the precinct, or asking him to come and check on his mom. He’d only end up thinking I was out of my depth and look for a replacement.

“Vanya work too hard. Many, many hours. No time for poor Mama.”

“I don’t want to disturb your sleep, Mama, coming and going all hours of the night.”

“Only you come eat my food and then you go away. Make live in apartment size of box.” Mrs Kovalenko rolled her eyes. “Why? Is nice place here. Plenty room. Is beautiful view. Is pretty lady, now.” Her smile glinted and she gestured to me.

I blushed. Ivan’s eyes hardened with clear irritation.

“That’s enough, Mama.”

“Why enough? No. You no live here, you no say enough.” She blew out a breath that verged on a raspberry in her son’s direction and looped her arm into mine. “We live here,” she told him, and she patted my hand. Her head tilted like she had a lifetime’s practice at getting her own way. “Not you. You be quiet. In morning you take Becya work. Maybe, if lucky, I give you borscht.”

For all that I would have preferred Ivan to have had a lightbulb moment about how we were meant to be together, I was grateful that his mother seemed to like me. I loved the woman already if she thought I was reason enough to keep her son around.

“Mama…”

“Enough. You go.”

Ivan rolled his eyes and I found myself laughing at the pair of them. Whatever happened with Ivan, the next few months were going to be fun.

CHAPTER 5

Ivan

Leaving Becca in the apartment shouldn’t have been as difficult for me as it was. She was in no danger in the Oceana Complex, and there was no reason for her to do anything other than settle in, unpack and get to know my mother. But part of me was still humming with adrenaline from intervening with those muggers.

I wanted her where I could see her for the rest of the night. I wanted her under my direct protection.

But Mama wasn’t going to let me.

There wasn’t anyone else who could have stopped me. Leaving her alone went against every instinct I had. She was meant to be mine, but my claim on her was barely stated, let alone secure. As much as I’d been ready to smash those mugger’s heads into the concrete, I’d held myself back when it came to her. I didn’t want to scare her off with the strength of my feelings that had hit me like a lightning strike.

After all this time and with the situation between us – her father being my best friend – it had to be right. I knew I wasn’t going to take no for an answer, but that didn’t mean I’d force her into anything. When I made my move, she was already going to know that I was the only man for her.

I couldn’t do that when I was so far away.

But I’d be around first thing in the morning, and my number was on speed dial.

Dismissed from my mother’s house, I had no choice but to head back out and I knew exactly where I was going.

The way those guys had targeted Becca made me see red. Being arrested wasn’t good enough. Whatever else my plans had been for the evening, they now involved one thing and one thing only. The jokers who thought they could set up guys to mug young women on my patch were going down.

The pair were still in holding at the precinct waiting to be formally booked for a court date and bailed. The duty sergeant I had in my pocket let me into the cells for a Benjamin. I led the first of the pair to an empty interview room, knowing I had the place to myself. We were out of hours now, just about.

Used to be, you could get away with an off the record conversation in an interview room more easily. But these days everything had to be by the book. Recorded on tape, witnessed, legal counsel present, if requested. The only way to avoid that was to not officially be there.

Luckily, it didn’t take much for me to get that to happen. When I walked into the room, the guy who’d got away without me smashing his head into the pavement paled and scrambled back from his seat at the interview table, trying to put more distance between us.

“What the hell? You’re the fucker who smashed Silo’s head in. That was fucked, man. You’re an animal.”

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