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“So why the fuck do I have guys on me wanting to know where this kid is?” Before I can say more, Marx jabs a finger at me.
“Sit down, shut up, and maybe you’ll find out.”
I grab a seat and sit my big ass down. I rub a hand down my face, my knee jiggling up and down, full of nervous energy. Then I feel a small hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Chewy coming around the side of my chair and then she plants her ass directly in my lap. She gives me an impish smile and I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her tight. Sinking my nose into her hair, I breathe in her citrusy scent. I’m already feeling much calmer than I was. Katya clears her throat before addressing the room.
“My name is Katya Voronov. My biological father is a man called Nikolai Ushakov. He made a lot of money privatising oil mines in the late 80s, because of this he has a lot of powerful friends and a lot of political pull. He’s also a cold-hearted bastard. As a child, my mother was forced to be his mistress. She was 14 when she had me, and he abused her for years. When I was 7, she smuggled me out of Russia and gave me to her sister. Her husband, my uncle, has ‘connections’. They gave us new identities, and we came to America.”
“Kaz and Kaya Voronov are covers. No wonder we could never find much on you all,” Chewy murmurs. Katya grins at her, then continues.
“We lived a relatively normal American life, although we moved around quite a bit. Then in my last year of high school-” she gives me a brief grin “-We had heard word that Nikolai had some people looking for me. For whatever reason, after a decade, he decided he wanted me back. Rhodes, do you remember what I said to you on prom night?” She looks at me expectantly and I play back the evening. She was always pretty quiet, but I remember us making out.
“You said ‘I want to choose my first’. That’s right, isn’t it?” She smiles at me and nods.
“Got it in one.”
“What did you mean by that?” Marx asks.
“The day before Prom my aunt and uncle realized I would never be as safe as they would like. I was officially 18 and my father had upped the ante with his search. To remain safe, they decided our best bet was for an arranged marriage to an old family friend of my uncle’s. My virginity wasn’t a bargaining chip, so the night with you Rhodes, that was me having a small amount of control over my life. Two weeks after we left Rose Grove, I was married to Roman Bartashev. He is Lexi’s father and still my dear friend. We may not be married anymore, but he’s a good man who has protected us. Well, as good as a man in the Bartashev Bratva could possibly be.”
“How the hell did you get a divorce from the Bratva?” Tav asks what we are all thinking.
“We grew up together. Our families are friends. Many of my uncle’s family members have married into the Bratva and Roman suggested the marriage. He needed an heir, and our families are compatible with arranged marriages. I was also a cover for who Roman was really in love with. Around 4 years into our marriage, Roman became the Pakhan and was free to be with his love. We divorced and have remained as close as we can be.” She looks around at all of us. There are around a dozen brothers in the common room along with the Tombs family. She may still seem quiet, but this Katya has a steel backbone to her.
“What do you mean ‘as close as you can be’?” Chewy asks. Katya gives her a small smile.
“My family was safe while I was married to Roman. We love each other like family, but I knew that giving up my marriage to Roman so he could be happy would leave me exposed to Nikolai again. Roman has given me the resources and protection to live my life the way I do. Yes, I am in hiding, but the dark web is where I can monitor everything. I can keep my family safe from there.”
“Can you tell us why they’re after you? I’m guessing you are the reason they came after Rhodie?” My brother asks. I can see there’s a lot working behind his eyes. Her answer is going to determine how he handles the rest of the shit coming our way. Katya takes a deep breath and looks at the ceiling for a moment before rolling her shoulders back.
“After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, criminal groups rose up. My father is a Russian oil tycoon, but in Russia, businessmen, politicians and the mafia are all the same. There is no difference between them. Many government officials are on the payroll or are part of the Bratva. My father is not Bratva, but he is an evil man who’s not above using his illegitimate daughter for his political or personal gain. I was meant to marry the son of a high-powered politician linking our two families. When I married into the Bratva instead, that caused a falling out between my father and his associate. This was bad for his business. Once he found out that I was divorced, he made a new deal. He sold me to a new suitor, a human trafficker with political aspirations. His inability to find me has led him to set his sights on my daughter. Hence why he’s come looking for you, Rhodie. Lexi was born prematurely, so to anyone on the outside, that timeline would fit with her belonging to you. I’m sorry you have been caught up in all this.”
We all look around at each other. This story is fucking mental, and yet I can tell everything she is saying is true. She is in hiding, watching everyone’s movements to keep her family safe and, for some reason, all our paths have collided.
“Has your father ever come close to getting you, Katya? Or Lexi?”
Katya shakes her head. “No. My father cannot leave Russia. He uses his Polish-American contacts. He thinks that by not using Russian manpower, it’ll keep his public records clean, even though everyone is aware of his criminal activities. Kraykowski is in charge of the business here.”
Chewy pipes up “We know who Kraykowski is. He’s a piece of shit. So, are we assuming that his sights are actually on Lexi and not on you, Katya?”
Katya takes a breath and thinks for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know for sure. But of all my father’s men, Kraykowski is the one most willing to take risks. He’s been working for my father for a long time and is not above violence and threats. If he gets his hands on Lexi, then they undoubtedly have me, as I won’t let them take her alone. My father gets to sell me, marry Lexi off, and Kraykowski gets whatever my father promised him. With me and Lexi out of the way, Roman will be significantly weakened. His family is his Achilles heel. It would be a win for my father and Kraykowski and leaves the Bartashev Bratva with an unstable Pakhan.”
I hear Marx let out a curse and all of us are left sitting in silence. This shit is a lot bigger than some douche having eyes on me or even Alan mistakenly murdering Chewy’s parents. Kraykowski over the years has been slowly expanding his territory. Rose Grove has always remained untouched as its DRMC territory, but would we be able to hold it if he had more resources and power? We are a small MC, a dozen men at the most, and only two prospects. Would we be ready for a war if it came to it? I look over at my big brother and I can see the stress lines on his face. I’m sure he’s asking himself the same thing.
“Speaking to my sister, there are lot more violent injuries coming into the ER. From what’s been mentioned, Kraykowski has taken over the territory next to the Death Riders MC, and he’s expanding into their turf. It’s not stupid to assume he may have an in with a few bikers wanting to work both sides,” Wire pipes up. Depending on how strong Death Riders MC is and whether they want war, they too may end up being a new enemy of ours. This is turning into a clusterfuck.
Chewy has remained silent on my knee for a good few minutes, but I can see her fingers tapping so I know she is busy formulating a plan.
“Ok, so, here’s what I think we should do. First, we need to gather as much information on Kraykowski, his allies, and his plans as possible. Jules, that may involve you and your network of people on the streets. Katya and I will take the dark web. Second, we need to beef up our defenses. I know that we only recently upped the security here, but I think Marx, you may need to fortify the clubhouse more, maybe even train the prospects more extensively.” She looks at Marx with raised eyebrows.
“As much as I don’t want to, I agree with you, Chewy. Katya, how long will it take you to pack some things and get yourself and Lexi here to the clubhouse for protection?”
Katya shakes her head at him.
“Marx, I never came here looking for protection. I came here to tell you how and why you’ve found yourselves on Kraykowski and my father’s radar. I’m not asking for anything-”
Marx cuts her off. “No can do Katya. This has been brought to our doorstep and we’re going to take care of it. You and yours became ours when my brother was dragged into this. We’ve been stalked and shot at and I’ve frankly had e-fucking-nough of it. So, I ask again, how long to get you and your daughter here?”
