Page 119 of The Bratva King

“Yes.”

“And they just... blow up cars? In broad daylight?”

“When they want to make a point, yes.”

I can’t breathe. They’re here. Of course, they are. But it has to be a different family. A different war.

I swallow against the lump in my throat and turn on the water to hide my shaking hands.

“And they just blew up your car?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“This has been an ongoing feud?”

“Not like this,” he says. “Gabby, I think I need to tell you who I am.”

It feels like my head is underwater, and my pulse is rushing in my ears.

“Okay,” I squeak.

I reach for a towel and dry my hands, putting some distance between us.

“My brother is pakhan in New York,” Nikolai continues. “Head of the Bratva there. In our world, there are several families. Russians. Italians. The Irish. Chinese. Put us anywhere on the planet, and we’ll fight for territory. My brother is at the top of the food chain in New York. My other brother, Maksim, is in Miami. He does a better job getting along with everyone. I’ve ignored the Italians here for too long. Today, they escalated.”

Pakhan. Bratva. Italian mob.

I knew what Nikolai was, but I didn’t understand how deep it went. Or how close it reached to my old life.

“Gabby.”

I blink. He’s watching me with those intense blue eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Am I okay? No. Nikolai’s family is tied to New York, and my son is asleep down the hall, while men are blowing up cars to get to him.

“I don’t think...” I stop and start again. “Maybe it’s not a good idea for us to stay here.”

His expression hardens. “No.”

“Nikolai, someone just tried to kill you. They killed your driver. They hurt Pasha. What if Luke had been in that car?”

“He wasn’t.”

“But he could have been!”

I begin to pace. My hands are shaking again, and this time, I can’t make them stop.

“You’re safe,” he says. “They were sending a message.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can.”

I want to scream. “Nikolai, be reasonable. What happens when they realize Luke and I live here? What happens when they decide the best way to hurt you is to hurt us?”

“That won’t happen.”