36. Lev
Chapter 36
Lev
I keep waiting for a bunch of armed men to come swarming into our house.
Instead, Valentin sits at our table and accepts tea from my wife. He makes small talk with her about children and about his wife. There’s nothing outwardly threatening about him, but I know the pakhan .
He’s a clever man. Brutal and efficient when he needs to be. There’s no way he’d ever show up here in person after putting a silence order on my head unless something important happened.
I’m on edge as Carmie eventually joins us. She sips her tea and keeps on pretending like everything is totally normal.
“I shouldn’t take up more of your time,” Valentin says, turning toward me. “Your wife here is overly polite.”
“She doesn’t know any better yet.”
“Stop that,” Carmie says, swatting at me. “He’s just uncivilized, that’s all.”
Valentin’s tight smile suggests he knows a thing or two about barbarism, just like me.
Nobody speaks. I get the sense Valentin’s waiting for me to send Carmie away, but that’s not going to happen. She’s as much a part of this now as I am, and I want her here by my side. Valentin gets visibly impatient, glaring at my wife before finally breaking the stalemate.
“You killed Jovan,” he says, his tone cold and steely. If he thinks that’s enough to scare Carmie away, he’s insane. She already knew about that misadventure.
“Purely in self-defense,” Carmie says for me.
Valentin seems surprised. Then his face softens and he laughs. “You two don’t have secrets from each other.”
“She’s aware of my business since it impacts her, too.”
The pakhan nods to himself, considering. “She’s the reason Adriano came to me, not you.”
“I had my brothers talk some sense into my cousin.” Carmie spreads her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture. “I guess it worked.”
Valentin grunts. He turns his teacup in a slow circle. When he speaks, there’s no trace of emotion in his tone, like he’s giving a lecture to a class of bored teenagers.
“I’m angry with you, Lev. You killed a very useful member of my organization without asking me permission first. You did this during a very sensitive time when he was dealing with a very frustrating issue. Now, I’ve been left scrambling to find a way out.”
“What can we help you with?” Carmie asks.
“We’re beyond that.” Valentin stares at me the whole time. I meet his gaze and refuse to back down. If I show any weakness right now, he’ll pounce on me like a young silverback gorilla taking down the injured alpha. “There are men that believe I should kill you. I haven’t because I know you have potential, and I understand that what you did had nothing to do with me. Still, it was disrespectful, and I cannot abide it. So I chose a silence order, hoping you’d get the message. You murdered Jovan instead.” Valentin holds up a hand before Carmie can jump in again. “Self-defense or not, I don’t really care. That man was useful.”
“I agree, pakhan . He’ll be hard to replace, but I’ll find a way.”
“No, you won’t. You and your wife are going to leave the city. I’m giving you this chance purely because my wife likes the pair of you, and she’s my better half, and also as a favor to Adriano. But don’t mistake this clemency for weakness.”
Carmie looks panicked. She stares at me then at Valentin. “We can’t go anywhere,” she says.
“You can, and you will.”
“Please, this is our home. Lev can fix this. What was his father doing in Canada?”
Valentin looks annoyed. “Don’t push your luck.”
“Lev can take it over. You said there’s a problem and you’re having trouble dealing with it. Let Lev figure it out.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because it would make Adriano and the Marinos happy, and it would also take care of everything else. If we fail, we’ll stay in Canada and never come back here. If we pull it off, you’ll have a good excuse to bring us back into the fold, and everyone’s happy again. For you, it’s win-win.”
I stare at my wife in awe. The nerve of this woman. The girl I married would never have gone toe-to-toe with the pakhan of the Zeitsev Bratva, and yet here she is, negotiating.
It’s remarkable. It’s unbelievable. And it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
This is the Carmie I’m falling for. This is Carmie the warrior.
“She’s right,” I tell Valentin, leaning forward. “I’ll take on my father’s problem. Let me fix it for you. If I can’t, you’ll never see us again.”
Valentin shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. He’s visibly frustrated. “This is Bratva business. You’re not Bratva.”
“I was and I can be again. I didn’t betray you. I took care of my father because he deserved what happened to him. Give me the opportunity to make amends with you.”
This is as close to begging as I’ll ever get. If Carmie weren’t here and she wasn’t involved, I would’ve left the city already instead of stooping to this.
But she loves it here. This is her home. Her brothers live here, and her fencing coach is here. This is where she needs to be, and if that means putting myself at Valentin’s mercy, at least for a little while, then I’ll swallow my pride and do it.
Valentin finally looks at me and nods. “You have one chance,” he says.
“Thank you, Valentin.” The relief in Carmie’s voice breaks my heart.
“I need you both on a plane to Quebec City tonight.” He gets up from the table.
Carmie’s eyes go wide. “Wait, what?”
“That’s where you need to be if you’re going to solve my problem. Get to Quebec City and wait for further contact. Do you understand?”
“Yes, pakhan ,” I say, motioning Carmie for quiet. She’ll miss a week or two of fencing, but that’s a small price to pay.
“Don’t make me regret this.” Valentin turns and storms out of the house. I watch him go, and once his car is pulled down the street, I lock the door and face my wife.
She seems tentative. “I’ve never been to Quebec before.”
I burst out laughing. Fucking hell. I storm forward and pull her roughly into my arms. She squeals with surprise as I bury her mouth with mine, bruising and dominating her, taking her lips and keeping them as my prize.
This woman. This fucking woman. “You stood up to Valentin. You negotiated with him.”
“I was just being practical,” she says, her cheeks flushed and happy. “I didn’t really think about who I was dealing with.”
“You’re lucky we’re not dead. God, you crazy woman. I’ve never wanted you more than I do right now.”
She beams at me. “You think it’s hot when I stand up for us?”
“I think you’re fucking sexy when you’re strong.” I squeeze her ass and kiss her again. “Now, I’m going to drag you up into my room, and I’m going to break you down until you’re a ball of quivering bliss.”
“What happened to me being strong?”
“You can struggle if you want.” My grip is iron and I’m grinning like a wolf. “But I’m getting what I want.”
And it turns out she’s not interested in a fight when I throw her onto our bed and feast.