Chapter 6 #4
She brushes aside the depressing thoughts of her childhood. The past is the past, she reminds herself. Determined to enjoy this moment, she takes a deep breath in and relishes the scents of baked goods, savory sausage, and coffee.
“How is the training going?” she asks Alexi.
Alexi looks at his team for an update. Except for the first day, he hasn’t been directly involved. With many of his men now tied up with training, even more of the day-to-day Bratva operations have fallen to him.
Ruger grins, and Phoenix pouts. Ulayna looks back and forth between them, waiting for an explanation.
“Phoenix and I made a bet,” Ruger explains. “And she’s currently losing.”
“Not yet, I’m not,” Phoenix says mulishly. “He could still wash out.”
Ruger explains, “One of the men is refusing to quit. I’ve been giving him hell, but the fucker just won’t say die.”
“What’s his name?” Alexi asks.
“You remember the guy you faced off with on the first day of training? That’s him. Name’s Mikhail.”
“And you bet that Mikhail is going to stick it out, while Phoenix bet he’s going to wash out?”
Ruger grins. “Nope. I bet Phoenix that he’s going to not only make it through training but also win the challenges.
That fucker is legit. I don’t know what his background is or where he came from, but he’s old school.
He’s obviously fresh off the boat from Russia, but he’s tough.
It’s almost like he has something to prove or a reason for wanting to come out on top. ”
“So naturally, that means you’re pushing him extra hard to try to break him?”
“Yep.”
Alexi smiles. “Good. Keep me updated.” He turns to the rest of the team members. “What about the other men? Anyone stand out to you?”
For the next several minutes, Ulayna listens in as Alexi and his team discuss the training. From her perspective, what the team is putting the men through sounds grueling.
Each day, the team pushes the men to their physical limits, then requires them to practice complex tasks and mental skills.
Alexi’s team rotates who is training them, so they can continue training for nearly twenty hours a day.
After being sleep deprived, physically beaten down, and mentally challenged, it’s a miracle that any of the men are still going.
“How many men are left?” Alexi asks.
“Thirty-one,” Bill answers.
“That’s a pretty good number for being halfway through. Better than I was expecting.”
Ulayna’s eyebrows rise. Incredulous, she says, “You started with more than a hundred men. You expected two-thirds of them to quit within the first two weeks?”
“Actually, I expected even more to drop out,” Alexi states.
“So what’s the point? Why make it so challenging?”
Alexi props his elbows on the table, considering her question.
“We all went through this same type of training.” He gestures to his fellow team members, and they nod in agreement.
“There are variations between the different countries, of course.
But every special forces group or elite team around the world goes through some sort of training program like this.
“I won’t accept anything less because I’m not looking for your average thug.
Any brute with a gun can be a gangster. I’m looking for the operators.
The men who have what it takes to handle the toughest missions and who can demonstrate their unwavering loyalty.
I’m not looking for men who joined the Bratva because they’re psychos with uncontrollable bloodlust. I want men who are smart, loyal, and determined. ”
Ulayna nods in understanding. It makes sense. She’s just glad the training she’s getting from the team isn’t as brutal.
Lost in thought, she almost misses it when Shade, sitting next to her, points his gun at her under the table.
She turns to him and smirks. When he quirks his eyebrow at her in a silent question, she gently taps her knife against the inside of his thigh where she’s had it poised since she sat down beside him.
He smiles at her and tips his head in acknowledgment of her success. She won this round, and she can’t help but feel proud of herself.
When she hears her name, she tunes back into the conversation.
“Phoenix, you’ll serve as Ulayna’s guard for the next few days while I’m in Canada,” Alexi says.
An unexpected sense of loss washes through her at Alexi’s announcement. She turns to face him. “You’re leaving?”
He nods. “The Irish have tracked a man down who might be affiliated with the Program. It’s about time he and I have a conversation.”
“How long will you be gone?” she asks. She knows it’s important for him to go. She wants him to go so they can start tracking down the members of the Program and dismantling it. But she’s gotten used to having him around.
Even when they don’t see each other much because he’s so busy, she knows he’s there. She knows that if she asked, he’d stop whatever he was doing to give her a driving lesson, sample one of her latest kitchen creations, or share dinner with her.
She’s shocked to realize that she’s going to miss him. Not just because he offers her security or because he’s helping her get revenge. She’ll miss him because she actually cares for him.
She’s never had anyone she cares about before. Her logical brain tries to think through the implications because this isn’t just a crush anymore. Is this a weakness? Should she let herself feel for him? Does she have a choice?
Her heart rate spikes, and she carefully schools her expression. Next to her, Shade cocks his head as if scenting her sudden anxiety.
She shoots him a glare to keep his mouth shut, and the corner of his mouth quirks up in a tiny smile.
“I’ll probably be in Canada for no more than a week,” Alexi says, unaware of her sudden inner turmoil. “While I’m gone, I want you to spend some time with my team. It’s about time you got to know them a little better.”
Across the table, Ruger snorts out a laugh, and Phoenix kicks him in the shin.
Somehow, they’ve managed to keep her training a secret from Alexi. It’s only a matter of time until he catches on. But for now, he has no idea that Ulayna is already spending quite a bit of time with each of them.
Well, except for Hawk. She still hasn’t managed to get close to him.
She looks across the table and gives the man a sarcastically sweet smile.
One way or another, she’s going to get him.
And when she does, they’re going to get very well acquainted.
Seeing the challenge in her eyes, Hawk grins back at her.
To Alexi, she says, “That’s a great idea. I’d love to get to know your team better.”