16. Lev
Dammit.
Watching me put a bullet in that mudak’s head was the last thing I wanted Brooke to see. Especially when I know something between us has fractured. Witnessing a man’s murder has taken us another step back. I can see it in her beautiful face. The wariness. The fear. She’s wondering if I could ever turn that violence on her.
I brush my thumb over her cheek. “I will do whatever I have to when it comes to your safety and that of the bratva.”
I need to reassure her that she will never know that side of me. That I will not only protect her from my enemies but from that side of me too.
But it doesn’t change the facts. Brooke has seen something she can never unsee.
It was an error in my judgment, bringing him to my home. But I’m fucking exhausted. The plan was to get the information out of him, then dispose of him as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I walk with Brooke back to our room and sink down on the bed beside her. With our heads resting on the pillows, we face each other.
“I know what you saw tonight has frightened you, zayka. But tonight, I saved hundreds of people from becoming his victims.”
“I know. But you did it so easily. You didn’t hesitate taking his life.”
“Because I know what he is capable of and what he’s already done.” I reach over and brush stray strands of her hair from her face. “He put his hands on you and threatened you and our baby. What do you expect me to do?”
“I get it. I mean, when I think about our baby, I know I will do whatever it takes to protect them too,” she says softly. “But seeing it…”
“You need to understand that when I find Vlad, I will do the same thing. Take his life easily. Except it won’t be quick like a bullet to the head. It will be far more brutal because it has to be done. This is my world, zayka.”
I see the wariness in her eyes. No, not wariness. Fear. And it damn near kills me to see it.
But for this to work—for her to live in my world—she needs to hear this.
“War is coming, and more blood will be shed. To keep you and the bratva safe, I have to act swiftly, and sometimes that is bloody.”
She looks away.
“I’m scared,” she whispers.
I trace soft fingertips over her cheek and along her jaw, and she brings her gaze back to me. “You have nothing to fear. I will always keep you safe.”
I pull her into my chest and hold her as she falls asleep. But sleep eludes me. Even with my sweet bratva lullaby sleeping soundly in my arms.
Because tonight, Brooke caught a glimpse of the true darkness of my world and the kind of things I have to do, and now my instincts tell me we are entering troubled waters.
Because what will she do now that she knows what I’m truly capable of?