Valeri
Iwatch Evie as she walks around the counter, giving the newest bouquet of flowers I brought her a sniff on her way. Her face lights up every time she sees them, even when she has no idea I’m watching her. She’s not going to be happy when I tell her I have to go out tonight. Last night had been a close call, too close of a call, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. That fucker had pointed a gun at her, and his death had been too quick.
Tonight is about revenge for more than just coming after my girl, although that is reason enough. The man who’d had a heart attack while Volodya was questioning him had the same mermaid tattooed on him and so had the other men who’d tried to interfere with our weapons shipment. I hadn’t put it together because it’s not an image I’ve ever seen associated with any of the locals we’ve run up against, but there’s no way in hell it’s a coincidence. We’re going to be paying a visit to the Blue Lagoon tonight, and no one will be leaving it alive.
Evie walks towards me, a soft smile on her beautiful face, and when she curls up in my lap and rests her head on my chest, I wrap my arms around her and wish like hell I didn’t have to go. It’s the first time in my life I’ve wanted to just stay home instead of go where the action is because there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be than right here with her.
I bury my nose in her hair and breathe in her scent. She kisses my neck while her fingers play with the back of my hair. Just that simple touch is enough to make my heart speed up and my cock start to stiffen.
“I have to leave in a few minutes, baby,” I say, hating the way her fingers still and her body tenses ever so slightly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You’re going after them, aren’t you?”
“We have some unfinished business with them,” I say, trying to keep it vague.
“Because of what he did last night?”
“Partly,” I tell her, and then pull her closer for a kiss. “I can’t tell you details about what I do, baby, but I promise it’s the only thing I’ll ever keep from you, and the only reason I’m doing it is to keep you safe.”
“I know,” she whispers against my lips and kisses me again. I savor the taste and feel of her until my phone buzzes in my pocket and know it’s my brothers letting me know they’re waiting for me downstairs.
“I have to go,” I tell her, kissing her one last time before standing up and taking her with me. Carrying her to the elevator, I keep her in a tight hug until I’m forced to set her down. “Don’t leave the apartment, and text me if you need anything at all. I’ll answer as soon as I can.” I cup her face, running my thumb over the bruise that’s slowly fading, grateful that it’ll be the last time I ever have to see it marring her skin. “I love you,lapochka, so goddamn much it scares the hell out of me.”
She smiles and runs her fingers over my dimple. “Good. Now you know exactly how I feel.” Her smile widens when I laugh and give her ass a good squeeze. “I love you, Valeri. Be safe and come home to me.”
I rest my forehead against hers. “I will, baby. I promise.”
Giving her one last kiss, I force myself to break contact and step into the waiting elevator. She hugs her arms across her chest and tries to hide how worried she is, but I see it in her beautiful eyes. I hate it, but I also know it won’t be the last time that my work causes her worry and pain. I’m determined to make sure she never regrets choosing to be with me. I’ll make sure the moments of worry are outweighed so strongly by the moments of pure bliss that she’ll barely notice them. With one last smile, the doors close and her face is hidden from me. I immediately miss her, but I force it aside and put all my focus on work. By the time I get in the back of Volodya’s Camaro, my head is fully in the game, and I’m ready to end some lives.
“How’s Evie?” Vasily asks from the passenger seat.
“She’s good. She took it better than I thought she would,” I admit.
“Was that before or after you fucked her up against the wall in the alley?” Volodya asks with a laugh.
“How the fuck did you know about that?” I ask him.
He laughs even harder and pulls us out onto the main road. “I didn’t.”
I try to be pissed, but I can’t be. I can’t ever stay mad at either one of them. “Bastard,” I mutter, but that only makes him laugh again.
“You walked right into that one,” Vasily says.
“Yeah, yeah,” I tell him, digging my phone out so I can send Evie a quick text before we reach the bar.
“If you want to call her, you can,” Volodya teases. “We’ll be quiet, won’t we, Vasya?”
Vasily laughs. “So when are you going to propose to her? You did clean out your phone, right? God that must’ve cleared up some storage space.”
I wait for them to stop laughing. “Have your fun. I deserve it. I teased you both when you turned into massive softies, so have at it. I’m going to propose very soon, and I did empty my phone.”
“Nina wants you both to come to supper this week so Evie can meet Dmitri and Misha,” Vasily says. “Be sure to have a son, too, so we can get the next Medvedev generation going.”
I smile at the thought. “I’ll do my best.”
“He may have been conceived last night,” Volodya says. “God, wouldn’t that be fitting? One of the next Bratva bosses conceived because his daddy couldn’t resist fucking his mom up against a dirty building right after he’d stabbed a man to death.”
“He’ll get along great with your son,” Vasily says. “We all know he was most likely conceived in the woods after you chased his mom down like a fucking psycho.”
