Chapter 19 – Sasha
Lev stalks toward me, his eyes dark, his movements sharp—like a predator closing in.
But I’m too angry, too shaken to care.
“Don’t,” I snap, pushing him hard in the chest before he can reach me. “Don’t you dare come near me right now.”
He stops mid-step, muscles coiled tight, chest heaving. “Sasha—”
“No!” I cut him off, my voice breaking. “You left me, Lev! You left me alone.”
His jaw ticks, but I keep going, words tumbling out in furious tremors.
“Yes, I know—Mikhail was around, your guards were outside, everyone was supposedly watching! And yet—” I gesture toward the unconscious man on the floor, my voice rising, “—one of them still got in! A Greek soldier! He was inside, Lev. Inside!”
My heart hammers so violently it hurts. The image flashes again—the man’s hand reaching for me, the heavy vase connecting with his skull, the sickening crack.
Lev’s gaze flicks to the body, then back to me. There’s fire in his eyes, but it’s not directed at me—it’s colder, darker.
He takes a slow step closer, and I back away until my shoulders hit the wall.
“Sasha,” he says quietly, “I told you I’d handle it—”
“Handle it?” I laugh, bitter and breathless. “You said I was safe here! You said I had nothing to worry about! And then you leave.”
Lev strides toward me, ignoring my hands that try to push him away. “Why the hell weren’t you hiding?” he snaps,voice low but dangerous. “I sent a warning signal. I called you a thousand times. I texted. I told you to stay inside!”
I flinch, but anger bubbles up through my fear. “I was worried!” I fire back. “I was checking what was wrong. I had no idea it would escalate like this!”
“You should have stayed put,” he snarls, fists clenching at his sides. “Do you know what could’ve happened if you hadn’t grabbed that vase? Do you?”
“I was scared for you,” I shout, my voice cracking. “You left. You didn’t tell me anything. You were meeting Viktor—what was I supposed to think?”
His nostrils flare. For a second, he looks like he’s about to explode. “You’re supposed to trust me!”
“Trust you?” My laugh comes out broken and bitter. “How can I trust you when you keep me in the dark about everything? When you disappear and leave me to fend for myself?”
He drags a hand over his face, breathing hard, his anger burning out into something darker. “Sasha,” he says, voice rough now, “if anything had happened to you—”
I take a step closer, jabbing a finger into his chest. “It did happen, Lev. Someone got in. Someone tried to grab me. And you weren’t here.”
The air between us crackles, too thick to breathe.
“You can’t keep doing this to me,” I say, my voice trembling but rising. “You can’t lock me away like some possession. I’m not your property, Lev!”
His head snaps toward me, eyes narrowing, dangerous. “Property?” he repeats, voice like a blade. “Is that what you think this is?”
“What else am I supposed to think?” I throw back. “You take my passport, you tell me where I can go, who I can talk to—God, I can’t even breathe without you deciding if it’s safe!”
He steps closer, anger vibrating off him. “You think this is about control?” he growls. “I’ve told you a million times that it’s not. You think I want to keep you caged? This is about survival, Sasha. About keeping you alive while men are putting prices on your head!”
“I didn’t ask for any of this!” My voice breaks. “I didn’t ask to be dragged into your world or your wars!”
He laughs, low and humorless. “My world? You think this started with me?” He moves closer, so close I can see the storm in his eyes. “Your parents worked for the Petropoulos and Markovic families. You were born into this before you even knew what the Bratva was.”
My stomach twists. “So that means I don’t get a choice now?”
“It means you don’t understand what it takes to survive in this life,” he bites out. “You still think it’s about fairness. About choice. It’s not. It’s blood, Sasha. It’s debt. It’s enemies who don’t care if you’re innocent.”
