KONSTANTIN IS BREATHLESS AS he enters the back room of the restaurant, and I look up to him in surprise. He’s frantically searching the room. As soon as his eyes meet mine, he rushes to the table.
“Devyn’s brother is planning something,” he states as he tries to continue to catch his breath.
I watch him, wondering what the hell he’s talking about and then wondering why he isn’t with Devyn. It’s evening, not early, but not too late either. I’ve just had the men vote on taking over the Irish territory. They were all in favor, willing to assist in taking Patrick O’Neil out and helping Aidan take power; of course, I’ll be the one with true power over the area.
“Which brother?” I ask curiously. I’ll be talking to him about staying with Devyn in just a minute.
“Callum. She wanted to see her friend Shannon. After all that shit went down at the party, she was worried,” Konstantin explains, looking guilty. He damn well should. In no way should he have been there with her, not at fucking all.
I don’t say anything and wait for him to continue. “He was coming out of the friend’s apartment and told her that having me wouldn’t help her when it was time for shit to go down.”
“Where is she?” I ask as my blood turns to ice in my veins.
“I made sure she was safe in the apartment before I came here. She has a guard outside her door and one on the perimeter.”
Standing, I announce that tribute is over. Money has already exchanged hands; the rest of the evening was for partying anyway. The men must notice that something is amiss, and a few ask if I need assistance. I readily take them up on it.
Two men are not enough security right now. What the fuck is he thinking? He knows that someone should have eyes on her person, at all times, especially when shit is going down. If anything happens to her, I’m holding him personally responsible.
I have a sick feeling forming in my stomach. That feeling is telling me that whatever Aidan thinks is going to take place in a few weeks between the Italians, the Irish, and Devyn is actually taking place imminently.
I don’t follow even one of the traffic laws as I make my way toward my apartment. Luckily, I’m not too far. I place a call to Aidan, who curses under his breath at the news, but tells me to keep him informed. He’ll be keeping an eye out and an ear to ground on their side of town.
Pulling into the parking garage, I look around for anything suspicious. I spot a car that isn’t Bratva, isn’t normally in the place its parked in, and is bright fucking red—which stands out like a sore thumb. What a goddamn idiot.
Exiting my vehicle, I lift my chin to Konstantin and then nod my head toward the car. He narrows his eyes and we hurry to the side that can’t be seen from the stairwell and elevator exit.
We both draw our guns as we watch the two exits. My eyes are on the stairs, and he’s focused on the elevator.
“I’m sorry, boss,” he murmurs as we wait.
“You had no way of knowing something was going down. I just found out today, myself. I didn’t even have a chance to warn you,” I explain. It doesn’t take away the fact that I’m pissed as fuck. He should have known to have her in his sights. This is not something I should have to explain. “In the fucking future, you leave only two men on my wife, none close to her person, and I’ll fucking gut you.”
“Yes, sir. Oh, fuck,” he hisses as we watch not only Callum, but Breanna and Shannon exit the stairwell. Callum is dragging Devyn behind him like a ragdoll.
I stand, my gun pointed directly at them, leaving Konstantin hidden for the time being. “Did you really think I’d let you just walk out of my own apartment complex with my wife?” I ask, arching my brow.
“You will,” Callum sneers.
“Nyet,” I bark. “She is no longer an O’Neil. She is Devyn Vetrova,” I state.
As hard as it is not to watch him, I ignore Konstantin, who is quietly and stealthily slipping around the car to get behind the group of people standing between me and my wife.
“I don’t give a fuck what she is. She’ll always be an O’Neil, and we’ll always have control over her. You make one more move toward us and Brenna will blow her brains out,” he grins. Brenna steps out from beside him with a gun pointed at Devyn’s head.
“If I kill her, then it’s all over Callum,” Brenna whispers.
A muscle in Callum’s cheek jumps. “You kill her and I’ll whore you out,” he warns. Her eyes flash with heated anger.
“You made me promises,” she hisses. “Devyn wouldn’t be hurt. You told me it would be a quick deal.”
My eyes flick to my wife. She isn’t crying or shaking, though I know she must be terrified. She’s standing strong and firm as she waits for her man to handle her cunt of a brother. Or maybe she’s just that fucking shocked that all of this is going down.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Konstantin slides up behind Shannon and Callum. I make a decision, one that could anger my wife, but I’d rather have her at my side and angry than taken from me.
“I lied, you stupid fucking bitch,” Callum growls.
I point the gun at Brenna’s face and pull the trigger. The bullet goes directly into her forehead, and she falls. Konstantin shoves Shannon to the side before he wrestles Callum to the ground, wrapping his hand around his wrists and holding him still.
Turning my gun on Shannon, I pull the trigger and watch that cunt’s head explode as well. Callum can’t die yet.
“Come to me, Devyn,” I demand.
My eyes shift from the pile of dead bodies on the floor, to my wife’s pale but beautiful face. Without hesitation, she runs to me.
Konstantin’s voice rings out as I hear him talking on the phone. I have the desire to kiss the fuck out of my Devvy, to make sure that she’s okay. I have to hold off on that, as I have business with her brother first. Against everything inside of me I force myself to deal with Callum.
“I won’t tell you fucking shit, ruskie” he spits. I walk over to him, keeping Devyn at my side, then I point my gun at the center of his forehead.
Tipping my head to the side, I keep my face impassive. “Did you think that you would get away with taking what’s mine?”
“She’s an O’Neil until the day she dies. Owned by our family, and ours to do with as we wish,” he spits.
I lean down so that I can whisper. “You’re a sick piece of shit, you know that? But you’re wrong. Devyn is mine, my wife, owned by me, my fucking property, and I decide her fate. Have fun in hell, O’Neil. When you’re there, you can tell my father hello,” I grunt before I pull the trigger.
I watch as his brain sprays out behind him. I know I’m a sick fuck, because I smile as I watch the bits of blood, brain, and bone hit the concrete.
Wrapping one hand around Devyn’s back, I turn her around so that she doesn’t have to look at her brother. My other hand fists in her long black hair, tilting her head before I consume her. The kiss is rough, hard, and owning.
I fill her mouth with my tongue and take, not giving a fuck if she’s wanting to give. She’s mine, and she’s breathing, and she’s right here in front of me for the taking. When I can no longer kiss her, I press my forehead against hers, keeping a tight grip on her hair and back, trying to catch my breath.
“Thank you,” she breathes. I close my eyes. “I thought I would never see you again.”
“That wouldn’t fucking happen. I would find you, devochka. I’ll always find you,” I whisper.
Her arms wrap around my waist beneath my jacket, and she curls her fists in my shirt, balling the material as she hiccups a sob.
“They were going to give me to some Italian guy. They said if he didn’t like me that they were going to whore me out,” she cries softly.
My heart fucking breaks into a million pieces as my rage bubbles to the surface. I wish I could bring them to life so that I could torture them before killing them. “There is nothing for you to worry about,” I state calmly. Inside, I’m about to fucking explode.
“My own brother, my own sister, and my best friend,” she whimpers.
“Devyn?” a voice calls out. I turn around, shielding her from whoever it is, only to see that it’s Aidan.
He looks from the dead bodies on the ground to Devyn and takes a step toward her. “Go to him, devochka,” I murmur.
She steps back and rushes past the bloody bodies to her eldest brother, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest while she cries. “It’s okay,” he coos. “It’s all going to be okay,” he ensures. “I should have stood up to father a long time ago, protected you better,” he whispers.
“Vetrov,” he calls out. I lift my head. “Thank you. I am at your service, your loyal servant,” he states. Devyn looks up to him and then her watery face meets mine.
“Fei?”
“We’re family, officially,” I state. Aidan smirks as he turns Devyn toward me and gives her a little push.
I close the distance between us so that she doesn’t have to step over the bodies again. Tugging her into my arms, I hold her close, so close that every inch of her is touching me.
“Aidan, when this shit is done tonight, I want you to come over to the Oleandr. Meet me tomorrow mid-morning, and we’ll finish what I just started,” I announce. He lifts his chin.
“See you then,” he pauses. “Don’t expect me to call you boss, Vetrov.”
I almost laugh. I don’t. Instead, I lift my hand in a half wave. Oh, he’ll fucking call me boss, because that’s exactly who I am to him. I’ll let him have his pride for now, but I’m keeping a close fucking eye on him.
I don’t know what the hell has just happened. My brother, my best friend, and my sister are all dead, and Aidan and Timofei are talking as though nothing has happened. Now, Aidan is claiming to be Fei’s loyal servant. I am completely baffled by everything, and I think it’s time that I demand some explanations.
“Cleanup crew is here,” Konstantin announces.
Timofei’s lips touch my temple and he whispers. “Let’s go upstairs.”
I cuddle closer to his body, closing my eyes as I pass the three dead people, all of which I considered family. I don’t open them again until the elevator doors close. Timofei and I ride in silence, and I try not to think about what’s just happened, the details of it at least, and the fact that my brother and sister were in some sort of creepy, incest relationship thing. I shiver in disgust as Timofei tugs me a bit closer.
Once the elevator car door opens, we step out together. I stay silent until we’re inside of our apartment. I try not to look around, not wishing to relive the nightmare that just took place less than an hour ago. Instead, I decide to try and talk to Fei.
“Please tell me what’s going on,” I plead, knowing that it’s probably my best angle on getting info from him.
“I need to make a few phone calls, then I will,” he promises.
I watch him walk away, but he doesn’t leave me alone. He walks over to the window and places his phone against his ear.
I don’t stop myself from listening to his side of his conversation.
“I want you to find those two fucks who were supposed to be watching my wife and bring them in. I want them breathing because I’m going to be the man who watches them take their last breath,” he growls.
He doesn’t wait for a response as he ends his call and shoves it into his pocket; only then does he turn around to face me.
He lets out a breath and runs his hand over his face before he threads his fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands gently. Then he speaks. What he says blows me completely out of the water.
“Aidan came to me, just a few hours ago. He wanted me to help him overthrow your father. Apparently, your father made some kind of deal with the second in command of the Italians. That is why he tried to renegotiate our contract, cutting the time down from a year to three months for you to be pregnant. He was trying to play me, Devyn. Play the Bratva and use you to do it.”
I think about his words and my brow furrows. “Callum was in on it with my dad,” I mutter. “And Brenna and Shannon,” I state as I look around.
My eyes fly around the room, searching for what, I don’t know. I feel like running, like getting far away from New York, from Brighton Beach, and Staten Island and just—everything.
Timofei pulls me into his arms and cradles the back of my head with his hand, his fingers tangling in my hair while the other clamps tightly onto my hip. Leaning down, his nose skims mine and his mouth closes over my own. I let out a long exhale and then a whimper as I lift my arms and wrap them around the back of his neck.
“Nobody will hurt you. Nobody will take you from me, not ever, devochka. You’re mine, my wife. In my arms is where you’ll stay,” he murmurs against my lips, his warm breath washing over my face.
“I’m not strong. I’m not the strong Bratva wife you need,” I whimper. He pulls his head back slightly while his fingers tighten.
“What do you mean you aren’t strong?” he asks. “You watched me kill your own family, and you didn’t bat a fucking eyelash.”
“I allowed them to take me. Hell, I walked willingly, just hoping that you’d save me. I wasn’t strong enough to try and save myself,” I admit.
He grins slowly and shakes his head once before he speaks. “That wasn’t weak. You were being smart. Your sister had a gun pointed at your back. Obviously, they were not right in the head.”
“No shit. You know my sister and brother were screwing?” I ask, scrunching my nose up in disgust.
Timofei’s eyes widen and his jaw goes slack. “What?” he says in awe and disbelief. All I can do is nod while he continues to stare at me. “That’s… I don’t even know what that is.”
“Incest,” I deadpan.
His eyes narrow and then he gives me a grin. “You’re going to be okay, Devvy. I got you,” he murmurs before he lowers his head slightly and his lips brush mine.
“I can’t get pregnant,” I blurt out. His head lifts as his eyes widen in surprise. “Well, I mean, maybe I can, one day, but my father had the doctor give me the birth control shot right before our wedding. I didn’t know what it was. He just gave me a physical and a shot. Dr. Pavlov is the one who figured it out and told me. It could take over a year for me to conceive, Fei,” I ramble.
“Your fucking father,” he growls. “He’s fucking dead. His plan was never to let me keep you.”
Timofei releases me, and I stumble backward as he starts to pace the room. He’s agitated, running his hand through his hair, and then he stops and faces me. “All of this was a fucking game, Devyn. He gave you to me with a timestamp because he already had another plan for you, for him, for the mob.”
“I don’t understand?”
“He wanted the Bratva behind him, and then he wanted the Italians at his back. He was doing all of this to gain even more power and money, through marriage and duty—using you, Devyn.”
My eyes water at his words, at their meaning, and then I think about how when Callum doesn’t return with me, my father will be on the hunt for him. Brenna’s husband, as well. When she isn’t home for him to abuse, he’ll wonder where she is. All of these things will no doubt happen sooner rather than later.
“I need to go,” he says and turns away from me.
I rush after him and wrap my hand around his wrist to halt his movement. He turns his head slightly to the side. Without pausing, I slip between his body and the front door, my hands on his chest and my eyes staring up into his blue ones. His face is etched with obvious worry, and for some reason, it makes my belly flip at the sight.
I lift my hand and cup his cheek with my palm before I wrap my other hand around his trim waist.
“Stay with me, Fei. Please don’t leave,” I whisper, looking up into his eyes, holding his strong body as tightly as I can. The softness of his beard slides against my hand as he leans against my hold and closes his eyes. “I love you, Timofei,” I state.
“This will all be over soon, at least this part. The rest of the shit, my crew falling into line, and your brother gathering a crew of faithful men, it will take time. But you’re not going anywhere, Devyn. You’re nothing to anybody else, and they can’t fucking have you. What your father wants out of you, he can’t have. You aren’t his to do with as he pleases anymore. All of you is mine,” he breaths as he lowers his face. His lips take my mouth in a hard, fast kiss. “But, devochka, in order for me to ensure that this is over soon, I have to go.”
“Take me with you,” I softly demand.
“Konstantin—.”
I interrupt him, my voice harsher and louder than it ever has been. Dammit, I’m scared, and there is no way I can accept being with Konstantin while he goes out into whatever situation he’s going to put himself in, one that is definitely dangerous.
“You’re taking me with you. This is my family, and this is all because of my family.” I stomp for emphasis, and Timofei smiles instead of the scowl I anticipate.
“Okay, devochka moya. You can come with me, but you stay right next to me the entire time. You listen to what I say, and you do what I tell you to, yeah?” he asks as his eyes search mine.
“Why are you letting me come?” I ask, expecting way more of an argument.
Timofei grins and his hand comes up to wrap around my ribs, his thumb running against the underside of my breast. “Because, Devvy, what went down, seeing you held at gunpoint, it scared the fucking shit out of me. The fact that you were almost taken from me, and where you were about to be sent… I want you at my side where I can see you, touch you, and feel you.”
“Let’s finish this.”
“It’s done, devochka. All that’s left is simply a formality. Come, your brother waits,” he grunts.
We walk out of the apartment together and ride down the elevator. I’m scared that as soon as it opens there will be those three dead bloody bodies piled up waiting for me. Yet, when we step out, I’m surprised to see that all traces of them are gone. There’s only a faint red stain on the concrete where they bled.
Konstantin is waiting by a car, and he dips his chin toward us, his worried eyes searching my face. I give him a small smile and his lips twitch at the sight.
The three of us pile in the car. I sit in the back as Konstantin and Timofei are busy making phone calls in front, and I don’t want to be in the way of whatever they need to do.