The Russian Pakhan’s Forced Bride (Lukov Bratva #1)

Chapter 1 - Roman

The dim lights in the VIP lounge cast an amber glow across the crushed velvet walls, illuminating our crystal tumblers and turning the deep-colored brandy a warmer hue.

Between the shuffle of cards and the clinking of ice against our glasses, there’s deep, relaxed laughter coming from my siblings. In the distance, the sound of a busy casino floor—an echo of our success, truly—only adds to the night’s excitement.

Sergey, the third eldest, huffs and leans back into his leather seat while dropping his hand of cards on the table. He throws Mikhail an irritated glance while shaking his head.

“You always cheat.”

Mikhail, grinning ear to ear, reaches forward and claims his prize, dragging the pile of cash towards himself before neatly stacking it. “I do not…I win. And you lose badly.”

Sergey scoffs. “Right…and Ivan is a saint.”

Ivan, sitting at the far end of the sectional with a woman perched on the armrest beside him, lifts a brow at the mention of his name. He chuckles, hardly paying attention to the game unfolding nearby. “That’s what they call me. For good reason.”

“And you all lose focus far too easily,” Nikolai hums while swirling the drink in his glass. He lounges beside me with his usual calm exterior despite the debauchery happening around him. “We’d be able to get back at Mikhail if you could string two thoughts together a little quicker.”

I snicker at that, chuckling over the rim of my glass while they sling their usual light-hearted jabs at one another.

It’s a usual Friday night, and despite missing our little sister, Elena, our spirits are high. Even while my brothers continue to bicker aimlessly, there’s normalcy in how loud they are. It speaks of their loyalty, and how we’re all prepared to die for each other—kill for one another, if necessary.

We aren’t like most siblings in many ways, but not once have I ever wanted to trade them for anyone else.

It’s a packed night for our casino, with lights flashing from afar, along with laughter and shouts of excitement from the patrons. Every spin of the roulette wheels, the slide of chips across tables, and the practiced shuffle of cards all remind me of everything we’ve put into this place.

I own it from top to bottom, yet I built it with all of them. There are pieces of us in every inch of the place, in every level of consideration, and because of it, the casino is our frequent spot.

We have many other businesses, but there’s something special about this one. In a way, I think we all feel it.

“Give me that,” Sergey mumbles as he snags the deck of cards from Mikhail before shuffling with smooth efficiency.

Mikhail huffs in return, then glances over at me. “Did you hear about what happened by the docks today? With the Nikolaevs?”

My eyes narrow at the mention of the rival family in question. “No, I didn’t…normally, you’d come to me about this before we start letting loose for the night.”

He gives me a vaguely sheepish smile. “Well…normally. But can you blame me? It’s been a long week.”

“Long enough to make you forget how imperative it is for us to stay on top of the situation, apparently.”

Sergey chuckles, letting an air of ignorance surround him. “What, concern ourselves with weaklings like the Nikolaev’s when we could be basking in the fruits of our labor?”

I give him a disapproving look. “We all know better than to underestimate anyone in this game. While I’m inclined to agree they’re nothing but bugs under our feet, Maxim has survived this long…he can’t be written off that easily.”

While bristling at the idea, well aware that I’m right, Sergey sighs and continues shuffling. “Cockroach is more like it…”

After a moment, my gaze flicks over to the woman hanging onto Ivan, and I gesture towards the exit. “You—out.”

She deflates somewhat, looking disappointed as she turns to Ivan as if to ask if she has to listen. But as I furrow my brows at them both, Ivan guides her to her feet and ushers her out. Cluing in, a streak of fear moves through the woman, and she leaves wordlessly.

Once the door shuts, I turn to Mikhail and harden my gaze. “And you…tell me what happened.”

With his hands up in surrender, he gets to it while the room’s atmosphere shifts, leaving some of that light-hearted banter behind.

“Alright, alright…one of our caught wind from the employees that the Nikolaevs have been sneaking men in at night. They’ve been skimming some of the shipments and paying off a few of our guys…

while they’ve been keeping it low-key, it’s still an escalation. ”

“Maxim’s getting cocky,” Nikolai murmurs, brows pinching together while he looks at nothing in particular.

Ivan huffs to himself. “Obviously, he didn’t pay attention to how something similar ended for the Barone family.”

“And it will be his reality soon enough,” I return, feeling the irritation building within me at the mere thought of anyone trying to pull one over on us. “We need to put him back in his place…with something that will send a message.”

“We could always hit him with force and be done with it,” Nikolai adds, seemingly liking the idea. “It would make an example of him and his goons.”

“That’s too easy…they’ll be expecting it,” Mikhail murmurs while he absently rubs at his chin. “He’ll be preparing for some kind of forceful retaliation.”

Sergey hums with a faint grin. “Let him brace…it will still be fun to break him anyway.”

“No,” I say, quieting them with a dismissive wave of my hand. “As much as I’d enjoy that, I don’t plan on pulling every pair of eyes in our direction…least of all the Feds.”

Violence is easy…and it’s also not at all the subtle man’s way of doing things. Maxim has enough people to cause some suspicion if his forces are suddenly wiped out…and that kind of slaughter is hard to erase from the public’s attention.

Instead, I need to remind Maxim, who runs Vegas. To get in his head and make him question his every move until he’s frozen with indecision.

Fear is a powerful thing, so long as you know how to twist it.

“Then we’ll do something discreet,” Mikhail suggests with a knowing glint in his eyes as if he already has something in the works.

“If you already have a plan, don’t be shy,” I mumble, wishing he had already gotten to it before dragging the matter out for us all. “Spit it out.”

Faint amusement settles within his features while he leans back with ease, clearly well aware he has something worth using. “Since I knew the Nikolaevs were causing trouble again, I did some digging myself…and I found something you might like to manipulate.”

Ivan sighs. “Out with it.”

A chuckle escapes Mikhail before he finally continues, “It seems Maxim has a secret he has worked hard to keep hidden…apparently, he has a younger sister. One with very few records. She was quite the ghost to track.”

A sister…

As far as any of us know, Maxim is an only child. Or, at the very least, the only one still alive.

But if he has a sister…that changes things. Significantly.

With my gaze entirely focused on Mikhail, I lean a bit closer. “Go on…”

He grins, pulling out his phone and swiping through some photos before showing me the screen.

“Her name’s Viktoria Nikolaev…hails from Russia just like her brother, of course.

Her photos were hard to trace, and any information was even harder to find.

It isn’t much, but with some tenacity, I’m certain we’ll be able to locate her sooner rather than later. ”

Without missing a beat, I take in the young woman displayed on the screen…medium, dirty-blonde hair…brown eyes…unmistakable freckles. She’s bright-faced and admittedly beautiful—not that I’d ever give the Nikolaevs any credit.

Still, the longer I take in her image, the faster those gears begin turning in my head.

Lifting a brow, my eyes slide up to meet Mikhail’s. “…and that’s all you have on her?”

“I said the information was hard to find, didn’t I? She practically doesn’t exist,” he murmurs, allowing me another moment to look at her before pulling his cell away. “Besides…it only makes sense that Maxim would want to hide her away.”

Sergey chuckles, forgetting the deck of cards altogether as he sets it aside, clearly more invested in the topic at hand. “Yeah…from men like Roman, isn’t that right?”

“Exactly,” Mikhail muses, surely well aware of the thoughts moving through my head.

I can’t deny it. The temptation is strong. Right there and ready for the taking.

Considering the options in front of me, I hum to myself and pick up my glass, giving it a slow twirl.

This conflict with Maxim and his cronies has been going on far longer than I ever would’ve hoped, and while that’s the name of the game, it isn’t something I want to contend with forever.

Eventually, I need him to learn his place and to respect those boundaries, lest he wants to be crushed entirely.

And with this Viktoria under my control, I have every reason to believe I can accomplish exactly that.

If I can bind her to myself, then her brother will get the message loud and clear—I’ll stop at nothing to prove nobody does it better than me. That nobody is willing to go to the lengths I am to keep my place at the top.

And with his sister at my mercy, I’ll be forcing his hand. For good.

Given how clean Maxim has kept her slate, it’s obvious she’s dear to him. At the very least, she’s some kind of asset, and if I can take that from him, then I’ll have the upper hand I’ve been looking for.

Viktoria could be the key to making him submit entirely. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage to scrape up his resources for myself.

A heavy feeling of anticipation and flickering amusement lingers in the room while my brothers stare back at me, waiting for my response. Waiting for some kind of sign that the plan is one I’m willing to work with.

While it’s certainly short notice, and I’ve hardly given it the thought I should, I lean forward with the glass balanced between both hands and give Mikhail my rapt attention.

“Dig deeper…pull all the resources together that you can,” I murmur, well aware of what I’m proposing, and the clear intent behind my words. “I want to know more about her...everything about her.”

If there’s one way to force a man into submission, it’s to go for the ones he loves. And if Maxim is even the slightest bit of a man, taking his sister away will make him crumble.