Page 24 of Betrayal and Vows

“You’re in a mood.”

“I’m always in a mood.” I reach for my coffee and drink while my eyes scan the restaurant.

“This one’s darker. Even for you.”

I look at him. He shuts up.

Good.

Across the room, the restaurant hums with activity. White tablecloths, fresh-baked pastries, and the illusion of legitimacy. The morning crowd thinks this is just a quaint café tucked into an old part of Moscow. What they don’t know is that two levels below this dining room, men are being beaten bloody for unpaid debts, drug shipments are being tallied, and security cameras are being scrubbed of any unfortunate footage.

It’s not just breakfast.

It’s Bratva.

This place belongs to Vadim Orlov. Which means it belongs tous.

The door opens. Every single man in the place immediately moves their hands to their weapons.

It’s a trained reaction.

Like lab rats looking for the cheese.

Yuri.

Brigadier. Vadim’s right hand. Cleaner. Enforcer. Executioner.

The man strolls in with his two guards behind him.

Yuri moves with the confidence of a man who's never had to look over his shoulder.

Tall and lean, with salt-and-pepper hair slicked back and a face that looks like he should work at a bank. His suit is perfectly tailored, Italian leather shoes polished to a mirror shine. He looks like he could be discussing stock portfolios instead of body counts.

But I know better. I've seen what those manicured hands can do.

He looksnormal, but he’s the devil in disguise.

Dmitri sees him at the same time as I do. “Well, shit.”

Yuri never attends breakfast. He typically eats with Vadim at the Pakhan’s massive estate.

Vadim doesn’t leave the place all that often. The city wants him dead. He’s not well-liked.

Is any mobster?

The easy-going vibe in the restaurant immediately changes with Yuri’s presence.

If he’s here, that means something is going on. There’s no reason for him to come out of the castle with the high walls and an army of guards to keep his ass safe.

He doesn’t scan the room—he already knows who’s here. He walks straight to our table and pulls out a chair. He sits with his two guards standing behind him with their backs to us.

My stomach knots. My blood slows.

Do they know?

Did they find out about last night?

Fucking my Pakhan’s future daughter-in-law was not a smart move.