Chapter 14
Alexi stares at Ulayna, his mind not comprehending what he’s seeing and his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
When she’d raced out of the darkness, looking like the hounds of hell were chasing her, he’d nearly had a heart attack. But seeing the triumphant look in her eyes and those colorful scraps of fabric clutched in her hands, a different kind of emotion takes over.
He holds her by the shoulders and looks her over fully. She’s breathing hard, bloody and dirty, her long hair is coming loose from her braid, and tracks of tears stream down her face. But she’s also smiling. Her eyes are bright, and she’s flushed with excitement.
Instinctively, he clasps the back of her neck with one hand and tips her head back to look at him. Like his fingers have a mind of their own, they tangle in her soft hair and hold her captive.
“You snuck into the challenge?” he demands in a gruff voice.
“Yes,” she says.
“And got all four flags?”
“Yes,” she says again.
“With no weapons and no support?”
She scowls at him as if insulted by the hint of accusation. His gaze moves from her face to the faces of his men gathered around them. Some of the men are glaring at her in anger, but others are staring at her with raw expressions of respect and admiration.
One of the men looking at her with righteous anger says, “Pakhan, she shouldn’t be—”
Alexi cuts the man off with a furious glare, hitting him with the full force of his authority as Pakhan.
Quickly realizing his mistake, the man bows his head in deference to Alexi.
Alexi’s expression softens slightly as his attention moves back to Ulayna.
For a long moment, he looks into her eyes. And as she stares back up at him, he feels his world shift. He feels his entire being realign as if she’s his new gravity, the only thing keeping him attached to the earth.
His other hand joins the first, tangling in her hair, and his mouth crashes down on hers. He doesn’t care that his men are watching. He doesn’t care that he’s too old for her or that she deserves a better life than what he can give her. She’s his.
Mine. The word seems to reverberate through him as he claims her mouth in a brutal, demanding kiss. Unlike the kiss they shared earlier, he doesn’t hold himself back. He doesn’t encourage her to open up with gentle nips and nibbles at her soft lips. He demands entry.
His tongue sweeps inside her mouth as she gasps in surprise. His lips caress hers with bruising force, and their teeth clash.
The kiss goes on and on—for a few minutes, for an eternity, he doesn’t know or care.
When he finally pulls back, she’s gripping his forearms and staring up at him with lust shining in her eyes.
Someone in the crowd clears their throat, and Alexi jerks back to reality. Many of the men are shuffling their feet uncomfortably, but Liam and Brian are grinning.
“Another one bites the dust,” Liam mumbles and winks at him. “Cara will be so excited.”
Alexi shakes his head at the Irishman and turns to face his men. He tucks Ulayna into his side, and she fits there as if that’s exactly where she belongs.
“Gentlemen,” he announces to his waiting men. “It seems we have an unexpected winner of tonight's challenge.” He glances down at the small woman in his arms and can’t help smiling at her. And as she looks up at him with such hope and trust, he knows what he has to do.
He looks back at his men, his expression turning serious.
“The next challenge begins immediately.” He gestures to Liam and Brian.
“The Irish are holding something for me. You have one week to figure out what it is, find it, and retrieve it. You may use any means necessary, short of killing their men. But if any of you hope to win against Ulayna, you had better bring your A game. You’re dismissed. ”
As his men disperse, Ulayna turns in his arms. “You’re going to let me participate?”
“Yes,” he says. “I don’t like it. I’d much rather you spend your time relaxing and living the life of luxury, but you’ve proven you can handle yourself. If this is what you want, if this is the life you want, then it’s yours.”
Even as he speaks, he’s not sure if he means the life of working for the Bratva or a life at his side. He’s too overwhelmed by the new gravitational pull she seems to have on him to process his own words.
“Thank you… Alexi,” she says with a shy smile.
He laughs, suddenly feeling lighter than he has in days. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the Irish,” he says, taking her hand in his and tugging her toward the two men who are pretending—badly—that they’re not eavesdropping.
“This is Liam and Brian,” Alexi says as they reach the Irishmen. “Liam is the head of the Chicago faction of the Irish, and Brian is his second-in-command.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Liam extends his hand for a handshake, but Alexi growls at him and tucks Ulayna against his side.
Liam just smiles.
“Hey,” Brian says to Ulayna with a smirk. Then to Alexi, he says, “I texted Cat. She’ll be here any minute and can take a look at her wounds.”
Suddenly remembering that Ulayna might be hurt, he lifts her and sets her down on the hood of a car so he can see for himself. He takes in her torn clothing and blood-smeared knees and elbows.
Knowing she won’t want him to overreact, he bites down on the snarl that wants to escape. Once he’s sure he can talk with a rational voice, he asks, “How did this happen?”
Ulayna shrugs like it’s no big deal, but can’t fully hide her grimace of pain. “I used a grain chute to make a quick escape. It was quicker than I was anticipating, and I had to slow myself down by pressing against the sides.”
“A grain chute?” Liam asks incredulously. “As in the metal tube that goes from the top of the grain elevator all the way to the bottom?”
Ulayna nods.
“That’s twelve stories tall. Brian and I used to dare each other to do it as kids, but we never got up the nerve.”
Alexi shakes his head at her. “Never do—”
Ulayna cuts him off with a glare, daring him to finish that sentence.
He drops his forehead to hers and amends, “Please, Ptichka, don’t take unnecessary risks.”
She places her small hands on either side of his face and forces him to look at her. “I had to do something,” she says. “Just a few days ago, you called me a child and said that my time would be better spent painting my nails.”
Liam and Brian both raise their eyebrows at him as if to say he’s insane, but Alexi ignores them.
He gives Ulayna a heated look. “I think we’ve established that I don’t think of you as a child.
” She bites her lip and smiles back at him.
Taking a step back, he sighs. “And I think tonight has proven that you can hold your own, even against my men.”
When a pair of headlights cut across the space behind them, they all turn to watch as a black SUV pulls up and parks. A large man with a twisted nose that’s clearly been broken more than once climbs out and nods to Liam and Brian before opening the back door.
Two women climb out, smiling and looking around excitedly. The first is curvaceous with wild, curly hair. The second woman is willow slim with elegant features.
“Cara!” Liam barks before stalking toward the second woman. “You are supposed to be at home, resting.”
She waves him off. “If you think I’m going to sit at home on my butt for the next six months, you’re insane.”
Alexi frowns at them in confusion until he sees Liam’s hand go to Cara’s belly. A look of pure adoration washes over the man’s face.
“Congratulations,” Alexi says sincerely.
“Thanks.” Cara beams, then swats at her husband’s hand in annoyance. “We’re not even three months in, and this man has become an overprotective ass. Lord help us when the baby finally gets here. He’s going to be insufferable.”
Liam hovers over the woman as she retrieves a bag from the back of the SUV and comes forward. Alexi rolls his eyes. He can see what Cara means. It’s as if Liam is expecting an attack or a meteor strike at any moment, and plans to stop it with his body.
The other woman laughs at their antics and steps forward to introduce herself. “Hi,” she says. “I’m Caterina. Most people call me Cat.” She tips her head toward Brian, who winks at her. “I’m with that one.” They share the type of secret smile that only lovers can have.
When her attention turns back to Ulayna, she says, “Cara and I are both nurses. Brian mentioned that you might need a little first aid.”
Beside him, Ulayna nods. Reluctantly, Alexi lets her out of his grip so Caterina can check her over.
“Ouch,” Caterina says when she bends down to take a closer look at Ulayna’s knees.
Cara walks up to them and places a large bag on the car's hood. With quick efficiency, she and Cat clean and bandage Ulayna’s abraded knees and elbows.
“There,” Cara says, tossing a pair of blue rubber gloves into the bag. “Now that that’s done, let’s talk about when we’re going to get together for brunch.”
“What?” Ulayna asks, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.
“Alexi has been keeping you all to himself, which is selfish and rude.”
Caterina nods in agreement. “Plus, it’s not fair that Hadley already got to meet you. She’s been bragging about it nonstop.”
“Give me your phone,” Cara insists, taking her own phone out of her pocket.
Befuddled, Ulayna unlocks her phone and hands it to Cara. Cara taps the two phones together until they vibrate. She hands Ulayna’s phone to Caterina, who does the same. Pleased, she gives the phone back to Ulayna.
“Now you have our contact information, and we have yours,” Cara explains.
“Uh… Thanks?” Ulayna says, making it sound more like a question than a statement.
As she packs up the medical bag, Caterina adds, “Our next ladies' brunch is on Sunday. We’ll send you the details.”
And with that, the two women wave their goodbyes and leave.
“What just happened?” Ulayna asks Alexi.
He chuckles. “Those two women are forces of nature.” He lowers his voice and whispers dramatically, “You might think Liam and Brian run the Irish Mafia, but it’s their wives who have the real power.”
“Hey!” Brian scowls. “We heard that.”