The sound of each shot rings in my ears, the smoke from his gun hanging like a cloud around us, but neither makes me miss Aleksei’s soft-spoken words. They sound like a prayer, and the emotional wave they conjure feels heavy with devotion and reverence.
He closes his eyes, kisses his fingers on one hand, and taps his chest before standing like a statue, his eyes cast down, a peace settling over him. I feel like I’m intruding until I join him, offering my own version of prayer, making a long list of promises to the same goddess he worships.
Chapter Forty-Two
ALEKSEI
My confessional with Dmitri would have happened with or without Santiago there. Though once he opened up about the Trinity Alliance in our trip to the restaurant earlier today, it made sense to use the opportunity for him to hear that we not only share the same growing, wild passion for Quinn, but we also have very similar objectives in life.
“We need to talk about what you said just now, Aleksei,” he says as we finish cleaning up the room and checking our weapons.
“In time. I need to make an appearance upstairs. The council is waiting. You need to fall back into being a guard, watching carefully, keeping me safe.”
I open the door, and Roshka rushes at me with his ears down, his teeth showing. He’s pissed I locked him out of the killing room, but I refuse to risk damaging his ears. Which would have happened, considering my fucking hearing is still shot. I tug onhis ear playfully, shoving him a few times as we walk from the chamber into the small bathroom next door.
I start undressing, letting all my clothes pile in a heap on the floor.
“Are you in danger?” Santiago asks, doing the same. He, too, is covered in gore.
I turn around to face Santiago while I wait for the water to come through. “Probably.”
I also take the chance to check out my competition, to see why my wife is insistent that this Alpha joins our nest. He’s got the physique of a strong Alpha, a deep tan, a couple of decent scars but no tattoos.
I wait for his eyes to drop from my face, and as he does his own assessment, I palm my cock. I don’t bother hiding my triumphant smile. My cock is much fatter, longer too, than his.
“Why are you in danger?” he asks eventually.
As much fun as it is to wind him up, now is not the time. “In Russia, we all run our empire how we see fit. There is a council that all Bratva sit on, but we are not a democracy. Our Pakhan is the figurative sovereign, and right now, I need to kiss his ass.”
Santiago accepts the shower gel I pass over. “What did you do, Aleksei?”
I don’t answer until I’m clean of the death that has followed us for hours. I flick the tap off, making sure he can see I am not joking around. “Murdered his son.”
I expected yelling. Santiago has a lot of emotion in his bloodline, but he is also one of the most reserved, disciplined Alphas I’ve come across. Even in the short amount of time since we met, I’ve only seen him be his true self when he knows no one else is watching. Perhaps that is why I trust him as much as I do, because it’s the same way I have been living.
“Who was his son?” His suspicion isn’t really a question, more a fact check.
“Dmitri. But you already figured this.”
He doesn’t look affronted I called him out. “And will he be angry or okay with what you have done?”
I scoff, shaking my head. “How would you be if anyone hurt our children?”
He shuts his eyes, running his hands through his hair. I see him faltering in his calm facade. So, I share more with him and remind him of why we’re here, killing people.
“Dmitri and Sergey grew up together, so we have been in the same circles for many years. Dmitri and my brother did have a falling out. It was to be expected, given they both want to be top dog. Before that, though, they dabbled in some nasty shit. I brought it to the Pakhan’s attention, and he laughed in my face, saying Dmitri is his son and anything he wants, he will have.”
“Fucking hell.” He clenches his jaw, running a hand through his wet hair.
“Yes. I will be going upstairs, telling an abridged version of the truth about Dmitri killing my brother, then I will express my concern that Dmitri is missing. Everyone knows they have had a falling out and have been threatening each other; it’s not strange in that way. Dmitri is one of those who does something flashy, then hides away, waiting for the fallout to settle, so that, too, is an easy explanation. For our story, he will stay missing, despite the searching my people do, until we return to Russia to deal with those involved in the trafficking. For now, I need the Pakhan off my case and supportive of me taking Sergey’s position as Bratva head. Which he will be, as I have been one of his most loyal for a long time.”
“For now?”
“Yes. I have people I trust who will run my businesses while we take Quinn far from here and make her safe. But there will come a time when I have to return and my Pakhan is one of the first people I mark off my list. Until then, we play the game.”
A veil of understanding falls over Santiago’s face. Without another word, he dresses next to me. I’m not sure he is aware, but any time he stands next to me it is on my bad side. Roshka does the same, becoming my eyes since my vision is so bad some days.
I hand Santiago my guns. He already has my trust. My respect for him goes up and down, but that will be tied to how he treats my wife and how many more secrets he has.
