Chapter 2
Chapter Two
T he Russian teashop was warm, and the earthy scent of black tea mixed with cloves and cinnamon greeted Alex as he closed the door against the damp cold outside. He spotted his Uncle Sergei, and his cousin, Liev, easily in the empty restaurant and made his way over.
Taking his time, knowing it would irritate his uncle, Alex draped his overcoat over the back of one of the brocade upholstered chairs surrounding the small round table. He’d essentially been summoned to this tête-à-tête, and he was fucking pissed.
Over the last decade, Alex’s separation from the rest of his family and the bratva had become more pronounced. While he understood the necessity of maintaining his persona as a legitimate businessman, it still irritated him.
Alex’s connection to the Kovalyov Bratva wasn’t a secret, per se. There had always been rumors, but Kovalyov was a fairly common Russian surname. However, if someone were deeply invested in knowing, they could find the exact relationship. But what they would also find was that Alex had never been openly associated with the family’s true business.
If asked, it was a believable enough story that, as the illegitimate son of the former pakhan and his longest running mistress, Alex had inherited wealth, which allowed him to start his global empire of businesses. Very few still living knew that, until he was twenty-three, his childhood had been just as blood-soaked as any bratva prince—legitimate or otherwise.
To the world, he was Alex Kovalyov, but deep down, he was still Alexei—trapped in a world of in-between. He was Alex, the legal face of the family. But also, he was Alexei Kovalyov, son and brother of the pakhan .
Liev darted a sidelong look at his father before meeting Alex’s gaze. Liev was not only his cousin, but his closest friend and the de facto head of security at Koval International. The tight skin around his cousin’s eyes let him know this wasn’t going to be a pleasant meeting.
Though Alex rarely saw the rest of his family outside of one of their homes or offices, he wasn’t worried about being seen with Sergei here. This teashop was one of the few places in Atlanta where he could still meet his brother Mikhail’s vors without worrying about curious eyes.
Sergei poured tea from the steaming pot on the table into each of the cups, his silver hair catching the low light of the tabletop lamps. Alex took a sip and waited. He knew it wouldn’t be long, and he wouldn’t give the old man the satisfaction of asking why he was there.
His uncle’s mouth pinched in irritation as Alex brushed at the knee of his suit pants and lounged back, resting an arm along the back of the chair. It was a move engineered to annoy.
Call him childish, but Alex wanted to remind his uncle that, illegitimate or not, he was the son of the former pakhan and not someone Sergei should feel comfortable ordering to appear.
Eyes narrowing, Sergei set his own cup into the saucer with a clatter and met Alex’s gaze. “You’ve seen the article?” he asked without preamble, his voice sharp.
Alex brought the porcelain up to his mouth to sip his tea. He knew where this was going and was already fuming. “I see a lot of articles. Is there something specific you think I should be interested in?”
Sergei’s eyes flashed, and Liev shook his head, lifting his own cup to hide his smile. Liev liked his father even less than Alex did. But it was easy for Liev to laugh. No one was pressuring him to get married.
“The article and photos that woman you were dating gave to the press last week.”
“Dating is such an old-fashioned word.” Alex brushed his black pant leg again, picking at an imaginary thread as if he was bored.
In truth, he was furious. With himself as much as the woman who’d given the interview: “Starlet’s Secret Night: Inside My Rendezvous with the City’s Most Dangerous Man.”
He’d met the actress a few months before, and while he vaguely remembered fucking her, the stories she claimed to have, linking him to criminal activity, were complete fiction. What most concerned him was how she managed to have pictures taken of the two of them without him noticing.
That was a mistake.
Mistakes got you killed.
“I believe she has a movie premiering soon,” Alex drawled. “A thriller. It’s a PR stunt.”
“PR stunt or not, it looks bad.” Sergei audibly ground his teeth. “Not only did they dredge up all the rumors Mikhail has worked hard at burying about you, it hinted about your connection to him.”
Alex kept his expression bland despite the sudden anger coursing through him.
Mikhail had worked hard? Yeah, fuck that.
Alex had been straddling the two worlds in which he existed for most of his life—for Mikhail’s benefit.
“So? Get the story pulled. Or have her retract it.” He lifted a shoulder with an indolent shrug. “Mikhail is worrying for nothing.”
Sergei shoved a hand back through his thick hair. “He wants it to stop. These high-profile events… the women.”
Alex arched a dark brow. “He wants me to take a vow of chastity?” He pursed his lips. “I have to say that doesn’t sound like me. And it definitely doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy.”
Liev pressed his lips together to hold in a laugh, but it didn’t save him the dark look his father cast his way before Sergei turned back to Alex with a steely glare.
An icy feeling of premonition skated down his spine.
Fuck.
Sergei’s expression softened for a fraction of a second before it hardened again. “No man wants to get married, but the day comes for all of us.”
“You should save that for your anniversary toast. I’m sure my mother will love it,” Liev muttered.
Sergei ignored him. “It’s time, Alexei. You know Mikhail has wanted this for a while. It can’t be a shock to you.”
“Life is too short to be tied down,” Alex said smoothly, though he felt like the walls were closing in on him. “I’m only thirty-four.”
His brother had brought this up several times in recent years, but Alex had always successfully put him off. If he’d sent Sergei to give him the message in person, it meant he was serious.
Which was bad.
Very, very bad.
“Besides,” Alex continued, keeping his tone light. “It’s convenient, isn’t it? A distraction for those who want to look too closely at our connection. They focus on my antics and leave the rest alone.”
He pressed his palm over his heart. “And alas, no special angel has caught my attention lately.”
Angel . Where had that come from? An image of Madison Amherst’s face flashed in front of him, and he promptly shook it away. He’d already spent far too much time thinking about the stunning blonde.
Sergei frowned. “Mikhail is aware. He has several suggestions.”
Alex lifted the teapot to refill his cup, inwardly cursing. He wouldn’t put it past his brother to force him into a strategic marriage of some kind. And as much as Alex wished he could tell Mikhail to fuck off, his brother was the pakhan of the largest Bratva in the southeast. Saying no wasn’t exactly a healthy option.
“How thoughtful of him,” Alex murmured.
“Your role, running Koval International, comes with a public face.” Sergei huffed out a breath, his brow furrowing. “Mikhail is conscious of the fact that you bear the Kovalyov family name and appreciates what you’ve done with the Kovalyov fortune.”
Alex stiffened, but didn’t drop eye contact with his uncle. In his periphery, he saw Liev lower his gaze to his lap. The attack wasn’t a new one, but it stung the way his uncle had intended.
It wasn’t even particularly subtle, but subtle wasn’t the bratva way.
That Alex wasn’t a legitimate Kovalyov was public knowledge to everyone in their world. His mother may not have been married to the last pakhan , but she had been his faithful mistress for almost twenty-eight years. His father’s willingness to acknowledge him and raise him as his son hadn’t sat well with his wife Ivanka, Mikhail’s mother, or many of the elder members of the family. Their resentment had been carried down, to some degree, to the rest of the family.
They appreciated the wealth he generated through the legitimate holdings, but his position had always been precarious—one foot in, one foot out. Well-intentioned or not, his father’s decision after the debacle in Dublin—that Alex no longer be used as a soldier in service to the family—made him an outcast.
He was blood.
But he wasn’t one of them.
Mikhail rarely mentioned it. In fact, it was only when Mikhail wanted to send a message letting Alex know he needed to obey that it came up.
“No one is suggesting you give up your other activities. You just need to be more discreet. Wait until after a few babies… a family to solidify your place… your commitment.”
Alex abruptly leaned forward in his chair, pinning his uncle with a lethal stare. “My commitment ? Are you questioning my loyalty to my brother?”
“Alex,” Liev warned in a low voice.
Sergei didn’t back down from meeting Alex’s piercing look with a flinty one of his own. The old man hadn’t gotten to his position in the Kovalyov Bratva by being afraid of confrontation.
“Defying the pakhan comes with consequences. No one is immune.”
Several tense moments ticked by before Liev angled his head toward his father. “I told him not to lead with the whole wife thing. He didn’t believe me when I said it was going to piss you off.”
His expression turned somber, and Alex knew he wasn’t going to like what came next. “There is one other thing.”
Alex glowered at his cousin until Liev spread his hands in front of him, palms up.
“I’m just the messenger…”
Alex ground his teeth. “Liev.”
His cousin grimaced. “The powers that be need a holding company.”
“Why?”
Liev shrugged. “They are going after some government contract, and none of the other businesses will hold up under the scrutiny. Koval International has dozens of clean entities.”
Alex clenched his molars so hard he was surprised he didn’t hear them crack. “There is a reason for that.”
Sergei’s face went cold, shadows deepening under his high cheekbones. “There’s more. Mikhail wants to open offshore accounts under your real estate division. He’s got a major deal coming, and he needs to move the money.”
“That’s not an option, Sergei,” Alex snapped. “We agreed the legal business stays clean. No exceptions.”
“It’s only in the planning stages, Alexei. But Mikhail wanted you to know. Just a heads up, that’s all.”
Sergei lifted his cup, taking a sip as if they’d been discussing the weather, but Alex saw the way his gaze lingered… calculating.
Waiting to see how Alex would react.
What could he do? Ripping his uncle’s head off wouldn’t help.
He needed to stay calm. And plan.
After a moment, Sergei stood, brushing nonexistent crumbs from his suit. “Think about what I said, Alexei. Eventually, you’ll have to play the role Mikhail needs.”
“You couldn’t have given me a warning?” Alex bit out, when his uncle walked away.
Liev shifted his eyes from where he’d been following his father’s exit back to Alex. “You know he’s right. Mikhail doesn’t take no for an answer. He always gets what he wants.”
Alex scoffed.
Liev leaned in, his tone measured. “Look. You’re going to have to give him something. Getting married, or at least making it appear like you are actively pursuing a wife, is your simplest way out. Give Mikhail the win.”
Alex shot his cousin a withering look.
Liev put his hands up and rose to his feet. “It will buy you some time. Just pick someone happy to spend your money and leave you in peace.” He gazed shrewdly at Alex. “We both know the only thing you’ve ever cared about is that company. You need time to figure out your next move.”
“Fuck you.” But there was no heat behind the words because he knew his cousin was right.
Liev’s words were more than a suggestion—They were a warning.