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“No more wicked than you are, you opportunistic twat.”
We share a laugh as Kimberly enters the room with a platter piled high with various dishes. She sets it down in front of us, looking relieved that we’re getting along and not at each other’s throats with steak knives.
We refrain from continuing the conversation until she sits down beside me, politely clasping her hands together as she waits for us to begin eating.
Damien is too polite to start, so I dig in first.
Everyone follows.
24
Kimberly
What I’ve learned so far is that a man named Leo, the brother of the man Avraam killed twenty-five years ago, Markov, is out to get revenge. It’s simple enough, but I suspect that the danger involved is dramatically more than Avraam and Damien are willing to let on.
They downplay it at dinner, and they downplay it again as Avraam invites Damien to stay with us for the week. And then again as they build a private army to patrol the premises and make sure nobody gets through the iron gate that surrounds our little paradise.
I feel like something is coming, a great war that will shed more blood than a single drive-by could ever hope for. Danger is on the horizon, and I feel like a squirrel scurrying around the woods collecting nuts as a forest fire blows in from the east.
But Avraam is calm. He’s serious, but there’s not a hint of worry or anxiety in his eyes. Damien is the same way, sipping on cocktails in the lounge and reading books half the time he’s here, like this is a prolonged vacation instead of a preparation for battle.
Avraam won’t even talk about what the plan is. I’ve begged him to say, but he keeps claiming they haven’t finished with it, so he can’t tell me.
Frustrating. Am I not part of the Bratva yet? Is this because I haven’t agreed to marry him?
I sleep close to him at night, feeling the warmth radiating from his powerful body and finding comfort in it, but it’s temporary. The moment he opens his eyes in the morning, he springs out of bed like it’s on fire, showering and leaving the room with barely a word or a kiss.
Finally, after two weeks of this behavior and no explanation from either of the Bratva brothers, I’ve had enough. I find them in the lounge one afternoon, drinking mojitos while huddling over a map of the United States, and I stand in the doorway until one of them notices me.
It takes ten whole minutes.
Avraam jumps when he sees me, placing a hand over his heart. “Darling, you surprised me.”
I narrow my eyes at him as Damien peels his eyes from the map. “What are you two doing?”
“Making plans,” Avraam replies with a thin smile. “And you? Is there something you need?”
I scoff. “Maybe some answers. We can start there.”
Damien gives Avraam an amused look, as if to suggest that Avraam is the one in trouble, but my words are directed at both of them.
“You two owe me an explanation,” I say, waving my finger between the two of them. “What’s up with the map? What are we doing, and why is this taking so long? Leo is just one person.”
Avraam motions for me to come over, but I’m reluctant. I stand in the doorway with my arms crossed until he motions several more time before I finally give in.
I shuffle over to him, and Damien steps aside to make room for me in front of the map. It’s tapped to a table with colorful pins stuck in so many places that I can barely see what state they’re in.
“So, this is what we have on Leo so far,” Avraam says. “And all of these pins are places where Leo has been spotted. We’re looking for a pattern so we can make a hit on him without stirring up attention. If we know the time and place…” He snaps his fingers. “Then we can take him out with a single bullet. Nice and clean.”
Damien winks at me. “We have to keep Avraam out of jail this time around.”
I don’t find it quite so amusing, but Damien and Avraam laugh.
“So, we’re just tracking him down to make a hit. That’s all?” I ask. “What about all the security at the house? What about the guards patrolling with machine guns every night?”
Avraam sighs. “Yes, the security is high, but that’s because Leo is playing the same game we are. The only difference is that he’s on the move, and we’re staying in the same place. That makes us an easy target without all the security.”
That makes sense, but it’s also worrying. Whoever pulls the trigger first is the winner, and Damien and Avraam are taking an awfully long time.
