“It’s good to see you again, Alina,” Roman beamed, walking up to me and throwing his arms around me. “I’m glad to have you back in New York and as a sister this time, not just as a nurse. Liza has missed you so much.”
“Thank you. I’ve missed her too. I can’t wait to see her,” I answered.
“Now, are you going to continue proving that you know her or will you let me say hi to my newest sister-in-law?” the brother, whom I knew had to be Mikhail, spoke, making Roman and me chuckle. His hands were around Konstantin’s shoulder, and as Roman left me, he came over with a smile on his face.
“Hi, Alina,” he greeted, taking my hand. “I’m Mikhail. It’s nice to meet you.”
Before I could say anything, he went on, “And the other brother you’ve not met before, the one that was too proud to introduce himself, that’s Viktor.”
“Thanks for doing the honors,” Viktor told Mikhail.
I can’t believe this.
It was hard to believe the Bratva powers that dominated Manhattan just gave me a warm welcome. Roman’s friendliness wasn’t so surprising since I lived in his house as Liza’s nurse for a year, but, honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d been hostile to me considering the position Vitya put me in. I knew men like these didn’t compromise when it came to their work. History didn’t matter when one was on the other side of their business. But he welcomed me like an old friend.
I had never met Mikhail, so his warm and even playful welcome was more than surprising. He didn’t look like someone who played a lot, so it all felt wonderful.
But Viktor’s genuine welcome was what stunned me the most. He was the absolute leader of the Bratva for goodness’ sake! He was the one who ordered my abduction for Konstantin to interrogate me. So, the fact that he was now welcoming me as a family member, despite not being sure I was still Vitya’s partner in crime, was amazing.
I knew their welcome didn’t mean I was off the hook. Bratva men were nothing if not thorough. Still, their warmth was surprising, and it wasn’t bad at all. As a matter of fact, I was slightly grateful.
“We’ll be heading to Boss’ house in a minute,” the bald man announced, suddenly appearing beside me.
The four brothers were huddled together to the far left, clearly in a conversation.
“Okay.”
I didn’t have the time to delve back into my thoughts as they approached again.
“We’ll leave you guys to go rest at home,” Viktor told me.
“Bye, Alina,” Mikhail uttered.
“We’ll be seeing you soon,” Roman said.
“Bye!” I responded.
As they retreated, Konstantin turned to me. “Let’s go.”
A minute later, we were side-by-side in the back of a black car that was a part of the motorcade as we all left the hangar.
Soon, the city of Manhattan rose around us as we sliced through the winter traffic. The faint smell of snow, the faces of strangers who walked hurriedly on walkways, and the beautiful lights reminded me of how much I’d missed the city.
I glanced towards Konstantin, and his stormy silence remained, just like on the plane. Not that I would have wanted it any other way.
Right?
I looked out the window again. The motorcade began to disperse gradually. Four of five of the black cars ahead of us took a right turn, clearly headed for a different part of the city.
The buzz of Konstantin’s phone drew my attention back to him. He turned the phone over in his lap instead of picking up the call. His hand was flexing against his knee.
Something is bothering him.
And why should it bother me that something is bothering him?
Resisting the stupid urge to ask if everything was fine with him, I returned my attention to the window. I realized it was just our car and two others; one in front of us and one behind us.
Right in the middle of Manhattan, we swerved off the road we were on and then took another turn. Then we were driving through the open gates of a red brick manor.
