Page 9 of Prey of the Bratva

When my sister chose a Chernykh.

When my brother walked away from everything we had built because of a Chernykh.

Fractures were not forgiven. They were corrected. And Misha Chernykh was that correction for me.

I lowered the binoculars slowly, my gaze remaining fixed on the warehouse ahead.

“I think she is meeting someone,” Viktor said. “Do we move in?”

I considered the question for exactly two seconds.

“No.”

He did not argue.

“Why?” he asked instead.

“Because,” I said calmly, “I want to see who walks out of that building with her.”

Silence settled between us again, heavy but not uncomfortable.

“For all we know, she could be walking into something dangerous,” he added.

“I hope she is.”

Because danger revealed truth. It stripped away pretense, forced decisions, and exposed alliances. If she were involved in something beyond her family’s operations, then she was not just a liability. She was an opportunity. I leaned back into the seat, my posture relaxed, my mind anything but.

“She’s not the weakest link,” Viktor said after a moment.

“No.”

“She might be the strongest.”

I allowed myself the faintest hint of agreement.

“Yes.”

And that made this far more valuable than a simple kill. My gaze returned to the warehouse, watching, waiting, and calculating.

“I still intend to kill her,” I said finally, my voice even and absolute.

Viktor did not react.

“But not yet.”

Because timing was everything and patience was power. Because if Misha Chernykh had secrets, then I would uncover every single one of them before I decided exactly how she would die.

“We wait,” I said.

And wait, we did.

Chapter 3 - Misha

“Who are you and where is Misha Chernykh?”

The question met me before I had even taken three steps inside the warehouse. I did not stop immediately but tried to assess the tone of his voice. I could sense it was not aggressive. Not yet, at least. But it wasn’t casual either, since there was an edge beneath it as if he had expectations, and my existence had completely shattered them.

Good.