Page 74 of Bratva Queen

Eventually, ten years had passed in a flash but I kept searching, watching the enemies of the Koslovs and assessing their moves both in business and in social circles. Misha still had the throne, he’d lost his first wife, but I was glad to hear that he’d found the strength to move on. He had himself a new queen, and a stronger sense of family than ever before, with both brothers backing him up whenever he called.

Whoever it was—the man still sending me frustrating threats that were never carried out—he had to be on the inside circle. It had to be someone Misha knew, someone who was slowly gaining his trust. One name kept coming up, and I’d met him before, a long time ago, when I was still young and naive.

Yevginey Sorokin.

* * *

“I thinkthat about sums it up, right until the point I was taken by Elijah.”

Dmitry looked at me. “Hetookyou?” He was still cynical, still thinking that I’d been blackmailed and weakly succumbed to Elijah’s will.

“Yes,” I nodded. “I thought it was Sorokin finally making good on his threats but it was someone else entirely, not the man who’d been calling me. This Elijah man… Aleksei saved him as a child.”

“What?” My sons asked in unison.

I nodded, my eyes glazing over as I recalled the last conversation I’d had with Aleksei. “When Elijah began his speech after abducting me from my home, I quickly remembered one of the last things Aleksei told me before he disappeared, because it was the breaking point for him. He said Stepan was out of it and killed a man that owed him money, then raped his wife. He didn’t see there was a kid watching from behind the bedroom door. Alek returned afterward and made sure the kid got to safety… He said the boy’s name was Elijah.”

* * *

“Isabel Koslov,it was difficult to track you down, I’ll give you that. But it’s funny how quickly names and addresses are given up when you find a friend in the enemy of your enemies.”

“My sons’ enemy? And who is that?” I asked him. He had me tied up in a hotel room. Even though Aleksei had saved him from being stranded, life had done him no favors. He looked rough and unhealthy with yellow, skewed teeth.

“Oh, I’ll let him keep his secrets… As I said, he’s considered a friend now. Isabel… Do you know who I am? Do you know what your filthy husband did to me?”

I gritted my teeth together. “He hasn’t been my husband for a lifetime now. Alek is my true husband.Aleksei, don’t you remember him? He’s the one who told me your story. About your mother, and about carrying you out of there.”

His eyes faltered and he frowned, but shook the thought away and started a speech that I had no doubt had been rehearsed many times in his head.

“Then you’ll know why my revenge cannot be killing the Koslov’s themselves, but rather those they love the most in the world. I have reason to believe that’s not you, unfortunately.” He grinned devilishly. “But I know they are looking for you. You’ll be my bait.”

“You want me to meet with them?” I asked, beginning to wonder if this would be the best or worse thing that could possibly happen. If it was the mystery man that gave Elijah my details, surely, he would know about this part of the plan. He would know that my sons would finally realize I was still alive. How would that affect his plans?

“Something like that,” Elijah sat down and spoke cunningly. “We’re going to be sending out a few messages…”

* * *

“So,itwashim that killed Sonya,” Misha said gently, after I’d explained everything else Elijah said to me over those few days, about how insufferably long it took for the Koslov men to fall in love and how they protected their women with the force of an army.

I nodded. “I did everything I could to try and help you boys and your wives. I promise.”

“We know you did…” Ivan nodded, putting his hand over mine. “Well, we know now.”

“Why did you disappear again?” Dmitry asked. “Obviously you didn’t go home, or Maxi over here wouldn’t have come looking for you.”

“Well, the answer to my burning question was waiting just outside that church. The enemy who wouldn’t let me intervene with his plans—Gregori.”

* * *

“Come here, you fucking wench,”Gregori said as he grabbed me outside the church, his black car and bodyguard waiting nearby. I was trying to run for exactly this reason, I knew that Elijah had ruined things for me. I could no longer lay low, the Koslov boys knew I was alive and would probably be seeking me out for answers. It was an alliance that the mystery man couldn’t allow.

“Gregori?” I asked in complete surprise. “What the hell?” I screamed, but he quickly shut my mouth with his hand and threw me into the car.

As we sped off, Gregori made his formal introduction in the backseat with me. “Hello, Isabel. Yes, it’s been me calling you all these years.”

I felt like such a fool. No wonder he knew my every move. No wonder he had such easy access to Maxim. We were living in the same fucking house! Even after we’d moved out, Maxim still spent a lot of time with his uncle.

“You fucking piece of shitsvoloch’!” I shouted, lunging forward to scratch his eyes out, but he grabbed me by the wrists and pushed me painfully back against the car door. “I knew I should never have trusted you!”

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