Forbidden Bratva Virgin (Dubrov Bratva #18)

Chapter 1 - Yulian

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

That quote by Sun Tzu flickers through my mind as I walk into the crowded event.

I don’t imagine he was encouraging me to sneak into my enemy’s masquerade ball with my identity hidden behind this black satin mask, but hey, whatever it takes to keep my enemies closer.

I can’t shake the suspicion that they’re planning an attack against my family, and I refuse to sit back and wait like my brothers. Patience is lacking in me.

I’d rather be prepared.

I weave my way past other guests walking up the marble steps.

The people around me are invited guests, wearing beautiful gowns and slick suits, all of their faces kept secret behind lace and satin and a wild array of unique masks.

My name isn’t on the list at the door, but I’ve scouted a way in around the side.

So once I get up the stairs, I dart left towards the staff elevator being used by the catering company this evening.

It carries me up onto the same floor as the party.

Eighteen, the light above the doors flashes before they slide open into a kitchen.

“Tony, where are those appetizers?” I shout as I walk in. Several tuxedoed men turn towards me, looking worried.

“Sir, the appetizers are already heading out to the party. Was there a specific one you wanted? We’ve followed the schedule to the minute.”

“No, no, that’s good. Did Madison tell you the guests wanted more champagne?”

“We’ll have a few more bottles opened and circulated, sir,” he says professionally. I had an inside guy give me the names of the event organizers. Had to at least sound like I belonged around here when I took a chance getting in this way.

“Good, good, thank you,” I murmur.

I brush the caterer away and head deeper into the kitchen, pretending to inspect trays of food. “This looks great. Keep it up,” I declare, then walk past the waiters and into the venue through a side door.

My mask conceals the top half of my face, leaving only my mouth and jaw uncovered. Walking into the party, I’m immediately struck by the intimate nature of the lighting and decor.

The venue is over-the-top extravagant. The Kroliks sure as hell know how to throw a party. A live band plays on a stage at the far end of the room.

There are red crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, white sheer drapes with red fairy lights twinkling behind them flow from the ceiling to the floor, and candles flicker in every corner.

It’s dim, romantic, and secretive, something I’d expect to find in a modern gothic castle.

Every woman in here tonight must feel like a princess.

And every man, like Dracula himself.

I chuckle to myself. I shouldn’t be here. I am a sworn enemy of the Krolik family. But behind this mask, no one will question who I am or what I’m doing.

My brother, Arkady, and his lovely wife, Tania, are hell-bent on keeping a distance from the new Krolik leader, Tania’s cousin, who took over from Boris Krolik after his death.

But I’m not comfortable staying back and just waiting for something to happen.

If Artur Krolik is planning a move against my family, I want to know.

I’m here for information. Intel. If there is no plan against us, then fine, I’ll step back and wait, too.

My other brothers agree with Arkady. Keep a watchful eye from a distance.

Sure, our family’s style is to stay out of this Bratva business as much as we can, but Boris was a dangerous man, and I don’t want to take any chances with Artur. I know Boris was already feeding him bad information about us Andreevs. He already hates us.

He might make a stand by attacking us as a show of force. I can’t just sit and do nothing until he makes the first move.

“Champagne?” The waitress is wearing a simple black dress, holding a tray of glittering champagne glasses, bubbles floating up through the gold liquid.

“Thank you,” I nod, lifting one off the tray. She smiles at me, her glossed lips curling. Behind her mask, her eyes glimmer with mischief.

I’m not here to flirt or admire beautiful women.

I’m here on business. Turning my back on her, I scan the room.

It’s so hard to tell who’s who. Everyone is someone else tonight.

They’re wearing their bolder personalities, laughing louder than usual, perhaps flirting more, too.

The seductive atmosphere is going to cause mayhem the more champagne these guys consume.

I assume the whole point of this masquerade ball is for the new Krolik leader to hunt down some new alliances. He needs to grow his strength in this city, and I’m sure some of Boris’s old allies want nothing to do with him or his family after what Boris did.

Artur Krolik has his work cut out for him. That would explain why he went all out on this party.

I just fucking wish I could work out who is who.

The masks are a bonus for me, to stay hidden, but also an annoyance—everyone else is hidden, too. I only need to work out where the Krolik family is and try to stay close to them for the evening.

A little eavesdropping. A little silent mingling.

Across the room, I hear someone shout a hearty greeting: “Artur, my boy, so good to see you!”

My eyes immediately dart in that direction, and I see an older man slap a younger man across the back. “You did a great job with this event.”

The younger man doesn’t smile. His mask is similar to mine, the top half of his face covered.

Artur. The oldest of the three Krolik brothers.

I study him from a distance. His stance, his broad shoulders, and sternly set mouth.

He speaks with quiet authority. It’s hard to work out what type of person he is, because from here, he just looks like I’d expect any of these other assholes to.

“What are you plotting?” I whisper to myself as I lean against the bar, watching him. I’ve got all night. And I imagine that the first few hours are just going to involve a ton of people greeting and sucking up to him.

The new kid in town. A lot of money and a lot to live up to.

Those who knew and liked his uncle—not that I can imagine anyone genuinely liking that asshole—will want and expect Artur to be the same.

Those who had shit with his uncle won’t want Artur to be anything like Boris.

I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.

Glancing around, I overhear a horribly familiar voice. Someone I’ve dealt with in the past, although I wish I’d never met. He was hired to take out my oldest brother, and I intercepted the deal and renegotiated in our favor. He’s the leader of a well-known assassin family. Dimitri Smirnov.

There’s only really one reason you’d want to interact with a family of assassins.

Could Artur be planning to use them to attack us? I have to get closer and see what I can find out.

Pushing away from the bar, I head deeper into the crowd, closer to Artur.

“Oh my word, I’m so sorry,” she blurts out as she bumps into me, and I almost spill my champagne all over her.

I chuckle. “It’s okay, you wouldn’t get the brunt of it,” I tease, but when she looks up at me, the sight of her steals my breath away.

Even behind her red lace mask, I can see she’s beautiful. But not just beautiful. She’s otherworldly.

Her eyes are narrowed, her mouth pulled tight, and her shoulders tense.

“Are you okay?” I ask, gently reaching out to her and brushing my hand down her arm. “Did something happen?” My voice is tight now. She looks panicked. Scared.

“No, um, I’m okay. I just….” she glances over her shoulder nervously.

“Come on,” I slip my arm around her waist and guide her away from the crowded space to the side of the room. It’s quieter and calmer here.

“Hang out with me for a minute and clear your head,” I suggest. “These parties can definitely get overwhelming.”

She tilts her head to the side and lets her eyes wander over me. The slightest smile touches her lips. “I suppose you think this is a smooth move?”

“A what?”

“I’m not interested,” she says pointedly. “You and every other man in here can literally—”

A low laugh rumbles through me, interrupting her. “Darling, honestly—I mean, you’re gorgeous, anyone can see that. But this is the last place on earth I’d come to pick up a woman.”

“Is that so?” she asks, curiosity spiking. She looks less stressed now.

“Especially a masked ball. How would I know who is who? A person could really get themselves into trouble here.” I grin at her, and her lips curl up at the corners into a radiant smile. Fuck. She’s gorgeous. And I am flirting.

“A person really could get into trouble here,” she agrees with a light giggle.

Oh. She’s flirting, too. My eyes graze over her.

The red dress, adorned with crystals, accentuates each perfect curve of her body.

A slit that runs from the ground up her thigh, reaching her hip and teasing my imagination.

I clench my jaw, reminding myself that I’m here to gather intel, not to pick up strangers, no matter how much electricity I feel sparking between us.

But the reminder is lost somewhere in the back of my mind when she licks her lips, and those gorgeous blue-green eyes, ocean-like and enticing, look right up at me.

She has a feline quality. Elegant, mysterious, bold, and teasing.

“What’s your name?” I ask, knowing I should leave, knowing I came here for different reasons. But she’s captured me with that intense gaze. A thousand stories could be written in those eyes.

“Kat. And yours? I thought everyone knew everyone here? The who’s who of the city,” she huffs sarcastically, glancing around the room with a bitter expression.

“You aren’t enjoying the party, Kat?” I laugh.

“Not really. Everyone is so pretentious.”

“You must be…”

Her shoulders straighten, and she presses her lips together, her nose scrunching in disapproval when her eyes land on someone she knows across the room.

“Sorry, I have to go. Thank you for distracting me for a bit.” She pauses for a second, then Kat reaches out, and her fingers trace my arm gently.

Her eyes lock with mine. My skin ignites as though touched by flames.

My heart beats faster, and I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath.

For a second, we aren’t here. We’re completely alone.

Everything is silent. All the noise, the guests, the music, the party… it’s gone. There is only her.

Then, just as quickly as I bumped into her, she’s gone.

A wave of panic rushes through me as I spin to follow her. But she’s disappeared between the bodies of guests, slipping through the crowd.

She can’t just leave like that. I want to talk to her longer. I want to know more about her. I want to dance with her.

What the hell, Yulian? Pull yourself together.

I take a deep breath, fighting an intense rush of emotions that I don’t really understand. What the hell just happened? That was pure attraction, like I’ve never felt before. It was as though our bodies spoke words our minds didn’t even process.

Staring into the crowd, I search for her, but in the sea of masks, it’s impossible. She’s vanished. It’s better this way. I’m not here to meet someone. I’m here to work. To keep my family safe.

If I had carried on talking to her, I would’ve completely forgotten what I’m doing here.

But still, my eyes are searching.

Groaning, I clench my jaw and force myself to start looking for Artur instead. But he’s gone, too, and if I don’t get it together, this whole night, sneaking in here, putting myself at risk—it will all have been for nothing.

With one last desperate glance over the crowd for her, I drag myself to the bar to get a shot of something to clear my head.

Then it’s back to looking for intel.

I’m here for my family. Nothing else.