Chapter 16 — Nial
The long mahogany table dominated the center of the dimly lit room, the scent of tobacco and vodka wafting through the air. Bratva elders sat on both sides, dressed in impeccably tailored black suits.
“She’s a pain in my ass, and I want her gone,” Vika said, his gaze shifting across the faces in the room. “That fuckin’ bitch has to be put in her place.”
“You do realize who her handler is, right?” Ivan asked him, a subtle reminder that he was trespassing on dangerous territory.
Vika shot a quick glance in my direction, his jaw tightening in an attempt to mask his fear. “That’s why I’m here,” he continued, taking his eyes off me. “He won’t let me kill the bitch.”
My fingers curled into fists on both hands as an immense surge of rage coiled in my chest. If it weren’t for these elders, I would’ve beaten that prick to death already.
One of the elders, Petrov, turned to him. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated. “Nial has made himself her guardian angel or something.” His voice dipped, laced with disdain. “He’s always watching over her from the shadows.”
A man named Alexei smoothed his brown hair backward and chipped in. “Vika is right. If the girl is a problem, she should be treated as such.” His gaze swept across the table. “We must eliminate her.”
“Exactly,” Vika said. “Rules are rules.”
I hadn’t said a word since that brat began running his mouth. I just sat there in silence, listening and observing. The only reason Vika’s proposal might be considered despite my involvement in the case was because of his father.
The man, like my father, was feared and revered by every member of the council of elders. If he had his stupid son’s back, this would be a tough case to dissolve.
And that’s why I didn’t want her getting mixed up in this shit again. As powerful as I was, there were forces bigger than me, authorities and powers that could override my command in a heartbeat.
One of them was Vika’s father, my Uncle Vladimir. The chances of Kiera getting out of this unscathed were slim. At this point, I could only slow down the process, but eventually, they’d come for her head.
“What do you have to say about this, Nial?” Petrov asked me, his voice cutting through my thoughts.
I paused, remaining as calm as always. “This discussion is highly unnecessary.”
Vika groaned, letting out a low, frustrated growl.
I continued regardless, “Killing a lawyer mid-trial would draw unwanted attention to us. And we don’t need that right now.”
“So what?” the brat snapped. “You just expect me to sit back and watch her ruin my life?”
“Pretty much, yes.” My lips curled into a faint self-satisfied grin.
His frown deepened. “You son of a—”
“Enough!” Petrov thundered.
Vika was already on his feet by now, glaring at me as though he stood a chance. The idiot was a decade younger than me. And I was forty years old. I was older, stronger, and more experienced—that shit bag wouldn’t last five minutes in hand-to-hand combat.
For a thirty-year-old man, he had the brain of a fuckin’ teenager. His father’s influence was the only reason he even sat at the same table with me, let alone the elders. Without Uncle Vladimir, Vika was nothing but trash.
“Is there a particular reason why you’re protecting this lawyer?” Petrov asked me.
“I’m not protecting her,” I said, “I’m trying to save the Bratva from a potential crisis.”
“Bullshit!” the dimwit snapped.
“Vika, raise your voice at me again, and I promise it’ll be the last time you’ll ever speak.” I met his gaze, watching his anger fade.
My words were spoken calmly but laced with venom. He felt the impact and swallowed hard, fear glinting in his eyes. As stupid as he was, he knew better than to try me when I’d activated “kill mode.”
Not even his father could save him from me.
Ivan leaned in and whispered something in Vika’s ear. Seconds later, a faint grin appeared on his face as he reclined in his chair, winking at me.
I knew instantly that whatever Ivan had told him must have had something to do with Kiera. Her current location, perhaps.
Petrov brought the meeting to an end, saying the case was adjourned until next time.
On my way back home, unease gnawed at me, and Vika’s cocky smirk wouldn’t stop replaying in my head. I felt it in my gut that the asshole was up to no good. In this world of ours, there were a million ways to make people disappear and make the whole thing look like an accident.
Vika had used that technique countless times. What’s to say he wasn’t going to use it again? He was desperate to get rid of her. And a desperate man was capable of anything.
“Turn the car around,” I said to Boris. “Take me to Kiera’s.”
He stole a glance at me through the rearview mirror and did as I told him.
After a short drive, we pulled up outside her apartment, and he killed the engine.
“Wait here,” I said, stepping out of the car.
I closed the door behind me and began walking toward her entrance, fingers undoing the button of my suit. My shoes scuffed against the pavement, my heart racing as I neared her place.
Why in God’s name was I feeling so anxious? It was just Kiera. Not the Queen of England. I raised my hand, about to knock, when I noticed her door was slightly ajar.
My breath hitched, my hand instinctively reaching for the gun tucked in my pants. I looked back at Boris, signaling him to run a quick survey around the building.
He understood the mission and climbed down from the vehicle.
I grabbed the door handle, gently pushing it open as it gave way with a faint creak. Alert, I stepped inside, my shoes silent against the wooden floor.
Her place was cramped and a bit stuffy. The lights were on, the air smelled of freshly brewed coffee, and the TV was on. Her jacket was draped over the headrest of a couch in her living room.
A pile of textbooks and crumpled papers was scattered across a low coffee table. An open laptop with a lit screen sat on the couch, surrounded by more books.
The cup of coffee on the table was still steaming hot, indicating that she was around somewhere. At first, I thought she had been attacked or even taken by Vika’s men since the door had been open.
But there was no sign of forced entry—no signs of struggle. Kiera wasn’t the kind of woman to go down without a fight. She’d broken the nose of one of my men the last time I sent them to abduct her.
The girl was a fighter. She killed four men in a car crash three nights ago. If they truly came after her at her apartment, the whole place would’ve been turned upside down by now.
Boris called my attention from outside the window across from me. When I met his gaze, he signaled to me that the coast was clear. Only then did I lower my weapon.
If she hadn’t been attacked, then why was her front door open? Where the hell was she?
I found my way to her bedroom, my gun tucked away in the back of my pants. The room was relatively small, and her bed was no bigger than the one in my dungeon. It was made to perfection, covered with clean white sheets, a blanket, and two pillows.
Her window was open, the white curtains swirling in the cool breeze. The scent of her perfume filled the air, a constant reminder of how badly I missed being around her.
I walked over to a nearby table, drawn by the desk frame sitting on top of it. It was a photo of her outside a courtroom in her full regalia, the black gown and the wig.
She looked stunning and professional.
I picked it up, admired the framed photo for a moment, and then set it down. That’s when my eyes caught something else—a test strip poking out from underneath the page of an open book.
Curious, I slipped it out, and my heart stopped instantly. It was a pregnancy test strip. And it read positive.
“You really need to stop following me,” her voice came from behind. “And last time I checked, breaking and entering is still a crime.”
I turned around, still trying to process what I’d just found out. “What is this?” I held up the strip.
Her eyes widened, as if caught off guard.
“You’re pregnant?”
Silence.
I could almost hear the sound of her racing heart from across the room. Although she failed to respond, I knew for sure the child was mine. The timing, plus the fact that I was her first, all pointed toward me being the father.
That realization almost knocked me off my feet as a mix of emotions flooded my heart.
Things had just gotten more complicated.