Maybe I’m an idiot for even allowing this to move me. Maybe I’m slipping…But I think he means it.
Letting go of a breath that sounds a lot like surrender, I twirl the key between my fingers. “You know this is going to make it harder for me to hate you, right?”
His grin returns, and it’s brighter this time. He’s definitely pleased with himself.
“That’s the idea.”
The tension between us melts just a little while it’s replaced by something softer. Something dangerous in a way that has me questioning just how cautious I need to be.
Because if I’m not careful, I know I’ll fall harder than I should.
After all the effort I’ve put into fighting it, I don’t want to belong to the Bratva. I don’t want to follow the path my dad laid out for me.
But despite all of that, something in me wants to belong to him. And I don’t know what scares me more.
Chapter 25 - Sergey
The longer this war drags on, the more pressure stacks on my shoulders, and the more I stand to lose.
But as much as I feel the urge to stew in all the bad parts, I know it isn’t all going to shit. At the very least, I’ve been making progress with Kat, and I can feel her slowly opening up to me.
Still, I can’t let it distract me.
Sitting in the passenger seat of a bulletproof SUV while Nik drives, it feels like my phone is burning into my palm. The call from Ivan replays in my head, where he details everything that just happened within the last hour.
One of our scheduled trades was intercepted, resulting in dead men and our product disappearing. It’s aggravating to hear, as every hit makes a solution seem farther out of reach. In a sense, it brings a feeling of hopelessness, but that’s the last thing we need.
We’re Lukovs, not any of the weak families below us who continue to claw for whatever they can get from us. We’ll handle it.
My pulse still hasn’t come down completely while I grip the armrest tighter. My jaw has been clenched so hard that my teeth ache.
It’s obvious Yuri’s not backing down. He’s ramping up, even if he’s staying away from the spotlight. Instead, he’s been sending his men out, either throwing them into suicide missions or extremely well-calculated ones.
At the very least, it sounds like our men put up more of a fight this time, and upping our security has lessened the blow.
But even with that reality lingering in the back of my mind, it’s Kat that’s been plaguing me all day.
Her smile from the other day when she walked into the garage replays in my head over and over again, helping to keep me grounded. In every way, it felt... right.
She’s been having a hard time adjusting to the life I’ve thrown her into, but she’s finding her footing again, and it’s more rewarding than I ever could’ve imagined. She’s back in her world, and even if I’m not part of it, I’ve placed it within her reach again.
That means something. At least, I hope it does.
I told her she could bring Roland in if she wants, and I don’t intend to go back on that. While the thought doesn’t exactly sit well with me, the guy has been part of her life in a way I haven’t, and for a lot longer than I have been.
He’s someone she chose, unlike me.
But I’m not going to be some insecure bastard. I can handle it, because the last thing I want is to become the kind of man who cages her. I’ve done enough to hold her back already.
If she’s going to stay, and if we’re going to be something, then I need to trust her.
I have to be better, just like I’ve been trying to do in all aspects.
When we roll up to the meeting place just outside of the city, the chaos greets us before we even have the chance to get out. Blood streaks the dry ground, our vehicles are all over the place while the clean-up crew gets to the usual work, and the smell of gunpowder clings to the humid afternoon air.
Ivan flags us down near one of the SUVs, looking like hell. I can’t exactly blame him.
"They knew exactly where the load was heading,” he grunts. “Their gunmen were waiting and took out the first part of the convoy before our guys even knew what was happening. It was brutal and quick. The flatbed driver went too.”
