Page 15 of Prey of the Bratva

“This wasn’t sanctioned,” I continued, my tone even. “It doesn’t become their concern now. This will stay between us. Make sure no one else finds out.”

“But she is a Chernykh,” he said carefully.

“I am aware.”

He held my gaze for a second longer than necessary, but then nodded once. The best thing about Viktor was that he understood. He always did.

“This will stay contained,” I added.

“Yes, boss.”

I moved past him without another word, stepping out into the night air. I could sense that Misha Chernykh was quietly assessing the situation and analyzing the conversation, but she stayed silent, her eyes steadily trained on me. The shift from the enclosed warehouse to the open docks was immediate, and the wind grew sharper and colder, carrying the scent of salt and metal in it. She shifted slightly in my arms, adjusting her position.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“Somewhere you won’t bleed out to death, hopefully.”

“That is reassuring.”

She went quiet after that, her head tilting back just slightly as if she was conserving energy rather than losing it. But I could feel the tension in her body and the way she refused to fully relax into my hold. Misha Chernykh was still as alert as she had been when she left her house. Despite her nearly paralyzinginjuries, I could sense her thinking and calculating as if her mind never stopped working, no matter what went down.

I admired that because I was the exact same person.

By the time we reached the SUV, Viktor already had the back door open for us. I slid her inside carefully, keeping one hand steady at her side as I adjusted her position against the seat. She was already in a lot of pain, and I had no desire to make it worse for her. It was true I wanted to kill her, but this was not how I treated my enemies.

“Try to stay awake,” I said.

She huffed a quiet breath and muttered sarcastically. “Oh no, I was totally planning on taking a nap.”

I rolled my eyes at her and shut the door, moving around to the other side as I slid in beside her.

“Drive,” I told Viktor as soon as he was behind the wheel.

The sooner we could get her to a safe place, the sooner her wounds could be treated. The engine turned over instantly, the vehicle pulling away from the docks without hesitation. For a few minutes, there was only silence, but I could still feel her watching me.

Even now. Even like this.

“You were following me earlier today, weren’t you?” she asked, already sure of her answer.

“I might have been.” There was no point in lying to her. She was too smart to fall for it.

“You are a Romanov.”

It wasn’t a question. I turned my head slightly and looked at her, a small smile tugging at the end of my lips. I hadn’texpected her to not find out, but I didn’t know she would come to this conclusion so quickly.

“And you’re observant,” I replied.

Her gaze didn’t waver. “You’re Kliment Romanov.”

There was no hesitation or uncertainty in the way she uttered my name. I studied her for a moment before nodding, realizing I had been holding my breath.

“Most people don’t say it that calmly,” I said.

“I’m not most people.”

“No,” I said, looking directly into her eyes. “You’re not.”

“Thank you,” she said.