Page 41 of Bratva Brother’s Bride

Lev is quiet for a moment. I can see him thinking, his brow furrowing as he works through the problem. “I might have something,” he says finally.

I look up. “What?”

He pulls out his phone and scrolls. The screen casts blue light across his face, turning his skin an ashy pale.

Siberia aged him. It aged both of us.

“Dmitri had a secret apartment downtown, near the old meatpacking district.” He holds up the phone so I can see the screen. An address glows in the dim light of my office. “I found it in some old correspondence. He used it for meetings he didn’t want anyone to know about. Meetings with people outside the organization.”

I take the phone and study the address. It’s in a part of the city that used to be industrial, before the developers moved in and started converting warehouses into luxury condos.

I snap, “Why am I just hearing about this now?”

“Because I just found it.” He takes the phone back and slides it into his pocket.

I’m already reaching for my jacket. The weight of my gun against my ribs is familiar, comforting. “Let’s go.”

Lev holds up a hand. “Not yet. We need to be smart about this. If Anton knows about the apartment, he might have people watching it. We need to scout the location first, make sure it’s safe.”

“Then we’ll scout it tonight.”

“Tonight works.” He pauses. His eyes meet mine and I can see the question forming before he asks it. “What about Vera? Are you bringing her?”

The image of her flashes through my mind. When I left her, she’d been glaring from across the gym.

“No,” I say. “She stays here with Oksana.”

“Wise choice.” Lev stands and stretches. His spine cracks audibly, making me wince. “I’ll make the arrangements. We’ll leave at nine.”

I find Vera exactly where the cameras showed her, curled on the couch with a book, still in workout gear. She looks up when I enter the room, her expression guarded.

“Busy?” I ask.

She closes the book without marking her page. “Just passing the time.”

“I need to go out tonight. Business.”

Her expression flickers. Something that might be disappointment, or maybe relief. It’s hard to tell. “When will you be back?”

“Late. Don’t wait up.”

She nods and reaches for her book again, but I don’t move from the doorway. There’s something I need to do first.

“Come with me,” I say. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

She hesitates, then sets the book aside and stands. Her socks are silent on the hardwood floor as she follows me down the hallway to the front entrance. Lev is waiting by the door, checking his phone.

He looks up when we approach. His eyes move from me to Vera, assessing her in that quick, efficient way he assesses everything.

“Vera,” I say. “This is Lev, my second.”

Lev holds out his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Vera takes his hand briefly. Very briefly, I notice, though nobody comments on it. “I’m sure.”

Vera crosses her arms over her chest. She doesn’t meet his eyes, instead choosing to glare at the floor. Her dark hair spills over one shoulder in soft, silky waves. I’ve seen her look at Konstantin the same way, like she’s trying to figure out where the threat is coming from.

Lev shifts his weight. He’s not used to people being suspicious of him. Usually he’s the one being suspicious.