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1
VIKTOR
My office door opens and in walks Tomas, my bodyguard. He steps aside, and I can’t say I’m frankly shocked to find who’s walking in now. After all, David is who I put in charge of continuing ground orders out as I run operations back here at the Headquarters, which is ran from the Estate.
But I haven’t heard from this son-of-a-bitch in three fucking days now.
“David,” I greet, my tone serene. I’ll give him a chance to explain himself first.
He gives a sharp nod and continues his way into the room, disgruntled. And David, he rarely shows a spec of emotion. Recalling his recent promotion in the gang—the same day I had taken over as leader of the Bratva—he showed nothing but a blank stare for gratitude.
But that’s unimportant. Moving into my role as leader when Kristina Kozlov stepped down, I knew my days would no longer be the same. But it’s a life I’m willing to die for, a life I’m willing to build til’ the end—unlike Kozlov herself.
She claimed her parting was due to Jude splitting. She knew the guy fled to start a family, to live a life. And as for Kristina, it seems as if she wanted the very same—to change the course of her family history, giving her son a new direction as Jude is doing now with his own.
Despite our efforts to keep her in place, she moved on.
Last I heard she was down south, but the rumors…continue to unfold, offering no validity to what’s been said unless spoken by Kozlov herself.
“Can we talk?” David asks, voice gruff from decades of smoking cigarettes.
We’ve known each other since childhood. Living in Russia, we grew up on the same old back road, riding our broken down bikes into town to pick the pockets of tourists and sell stolen items for half their value.
I laugh thinking back at those days, how simple they were.
“Sit,” my hand sways to the right, gesturing to the leather chair in front of my desk.
Tomas closes the door, taking his place out in the hallway next to the narrow window. And David takes his seat; shoulders hunched, his leather jacket covered with a light smattering of rain.
“I need to ask a favor of you, Viktor.” The regret in his voice isglaring.
But considering David has been a life-long friend, he’s like a brother to me. And he never asked that I step into this position; I chose this. Oftentimes, I seem to overlook the fact I’m still a friend to him.
He flashes his glare to the window behind me, the one highlighting the circular drive out front. A winding path in place to meet the drive and almost a mile in length. A restful appearance, but a calculated choice—harder for a bullet to make a straight shot.
“What do you need?” I hold a firm gaze, thinking of the trouble he’s gotten himself into.
“There’s a problem. My—”
The door opens wide, stealing our focus as a young girl comes stumbling in, Tomas right behind her.
The girl looks annoyed, but timid as hell in here. Her eyes scanning the room over before reaching David. “Uncle, I—”
“Stop,” David grates, closing his eyes for a second and shaking his head. “Please, just leave her,” he tells Tomas, then his tired eyes look back at me.
But I watch as Tomas lets go of the girl, going on to close the door quietly behind him as he returns to his post in the hallway.
Now, this lost princess is looking nervously between her uncle and me before deciding to step toward David, bringing us to both rise from our seats.
Well,well,well, isn’t she adarlinglittle thing. Porcelain skin and ash-brown hair, which she’s using her thick head of hair to hide her perfect features I’m catching already.
“My niece,” David explains, looking weary all of a sudden. “Tessa.”
“She’s…?”
He nods before I can further question it. And taking another look at the girl, I can see it now.
She’sIrina’sdaughter.
