And that was one of the reasons I planned to move from this place as soon as possible. Back when I was pregnant with Jake, all I wanted was to run away from everyone and live somewhere in peace. This apartment complex seemed like a great idea, especially as it was located near my studio and the neighborhood was good. However, the building was filled with bohemian artists, people settled in their life, and with almost no kids around to play with, Jake got lonely. Most of his friends lived far away, and he couldn't ride his bike there. So my realtor was already searching for a small, cozy house for us in the suburbs of the Upper East Side. I hoped I could use the metro or walk the short distance to work, since I hadn’t gotten a driver’s license. Those damn cars were too scary to drive, I swear.
“I hope we’re not intruding.” John’s tentative voice brought me back to the present, and I shook my head, opening the bakery boxes lined up on the kitchen counter. A giggle escaped my mouth. “Of course not. You even made sure to start with the biggest and end with the smallest.”
He shrugged, plastering himself on the chair with his whole attention on me. “Let’s just say order is important to me.” One of them held my favorite strawberry cream cupcakes, and I couldn't resist dipping my finger into it. I almost groaned enjoying the sweet flavor on my taste buds. “Glad you like them, Vivian,” he said, and for a second the atmosphere in the room shifted, John’s entire face changing as something flashed in his eyes, but it was so quickly gone, I had no time to study it.
Shaking the weird feeling off, I poured black coffee into the cup and placed it in front of him. “You guys know what I like. So what are you doing in New York?” In the distance, I heard Jake shouting to Tina something about defense and quick attack, clearly teaching her the rules of the game.
John sipped his drink for a moment and finally answered. “Tina wanted to check on you after the whole divorce thing. We just found out, or we would have been here sooner.” He sounded so apologetic my brows rose.
“It’s fine, really. Alex and I… we had our differences.” That was the reason we had on the papers in case the press wanted to dig deeper and find out why the Jordan family split.
I was drumming nervously on the table, thinking I should continue preparing our lunch, when John placed his open palm over my knuckles, stopping my movements as our gazes clashed. “You can always rely on us in case you need anything.” Stunned at the contact, a shot of uneasiness spread through me, and I slid my hand from his touch.
My skin prickled from the contact, as if burned, and all of a sudden, I really wanted my sister to come back, because her fiancé acted strange. He never did anything like that before, but maybe that was his way of comforting people?
“Sure” was my only reply, and then, thank God, Tina shouted, “John, could you please come here and play with Jake? I need to grill my sister for information!” He stood up quickly, gave me a curt nod, and left as I exhaled in relief.
Maybe I needed a vacation from this stressful environment, because my mind was playing tricks on me, making even a gesture of kindness seem strange or suspicious.
But for my peace of mind, I’d better not stay with John alone ever again.
Radmir
Running my fingers through my hair in frustration, I paced back and forth in my living room, holding the folders with Vivian’s name on it, trying to calm the raging beast inside me that wanted to snap and shoot dead all the people who hurt his mate.
Brotherhood.
We take care of our own, Radmir.
As long as you are part of the Bratva, you live under our protection, as does your family.
Bullshit. Fucking lies. No one had my back when I needed it most.
“Give me one reason, Vitya, why I shouldn't kill the pakhan and everyone involved right now?”
Vitya exhaled heavily but kept quiet, not meeting my gaze. While this was hardly his fault considering he had been in Europe back then, he hid the truth from me as well, so it didn't make him less guilty.
The family of a member should be protected at all cost, and if the Bratva failed to do it, a member could ask for retribution. It was our most absolute law.
“Dominic had no say back then, Radmir. Vasya issued an order after your disobedience. He even refused to help you. Why would he care about your woman?” Petor questioned.
“After you refused to kill her dad, he signed your death warrant. If you didn't go to prison, someone would have to off you.” Yuri’s words froze everyone, surprised glances turning to him. He took a big sip and shrugged. “You know how it went with him.”
Yeah, my uncle’s order didn't surprise me. Nephew or not, he only had a soft spot for Dominic in the Bratva. Everyone else was just a member who had to follow the code religiously. Even his own drug-addict son wasn't worth his attention. He wasn't a cruel man, just a man hardened by life’s circumstances. And besides, if you didn't have anything nice to say about the dead, it was better to keep silent. May my uncle rest in peace. God knew I had enough living people to hate.
However, something wasn't adding up here.
“But I kept my status as a sovietnik. How is that possible? He should have appointed someone.”
“He did. He chose Dominic. After his death, Dom was voted in his place and rose to power, he reestablished you in the position,” Gleb pitched in, resting his arms on the back of the couch. “He was also the one who put a guy on Vivian, so we’d know your kid was taken care of. The order was clear; if Jake were mistreated, he would be taken away from the environment.”
Despite my fury, a sense of gratefulness settled inside, because Dominic stayed a true friend even during my years in prison. Given his past though, it didn't surprise me he wanted to make sure Jake didn't suffer. God knew, Dominic and his twin brother, Damian, lived hell on earth during their years of captivity. No one under their watch would suffer the same nightmare.
“She freed me from the prison?” I addressed Dima.
He winced, removing the ice and showing us the purple bruise my fist had left there. “When you were stabbed in the hospital while Dominic faced issues with Cosa Nostra, remember?”
Yeah, hard to forget when five fucking inmates attacked me in my sleep, stabbing me with a knife and beating me half to death with baseball bats. I fought as much as I could, but my strength was no use in that situation. Luckily for me, a guard showed up and stopped it. They had me rushed to a Houston hospital where it took two months for me to get better, and then they placed me back in prison and my case was reopened at that point. No one told me why, just that they got me an alibi. Since several days before that I had asked the pakhan to get me out of there, it didn't surprise me, and I thought they finally found the way.
