13. Damian
CHAPTER 13
DAMIAN
There’s a fine line between control and chaos, and tonight, it’s razor-thin.
I can feel it in the way the strip club is too quiet, in the way the air seems thick with something unsaid. The weight of unspoken truths presses against my ribs as I lean against the worn leather of my chair, watching Alaina and Konstantin by the wall. Asking for a moment of privacy with her grandfather, I moved a few feet away as did Konstantin’s men.
She’s tense, arms folded tightly over her chest, eyes flashing with barely contained fury. Konstantin stands across from her, his expression carved from stone, but I don’t miss the way his fingers twitch against the table by them, the way his jaw tightens every time she speaks.
She wants answers. She’s about to get them. And she’s not going to like what she hears.
I stay quiet, letting it play out. Because this? This is between them. I can’t shield her from this. All I can do is pick up the pieces as he’s going to shatter her world. The information recently given to me by Nitro, our tech guy is mind blowing. Truly, I struggle to believe it. I hope Konstantin gives her the truth. And in a loving way. I’ll let her handle this for herself. But that doesn’t mean I won’t step in the second I need to.
“Talk,” Ally snaps, voice sharp enough to cut. “You owe me that much.”
Konstantin exhales through his nose, staring at her for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, solnishko .” His voice is quieter than I expect, but there’s an edge to it—like he knows this will break something between them. “But this debt—it isn’t mine, but it is tied to me.”
Alaina frowns, shaking her head. “What are you talking about?”
Konstantin looks away, rubbing his temple like he’s trying to find the right words. “The debt is to your father.”
The room goes still.
Alaina sucks in a breath, confusion flickering in her eyes. “My father?” She lets out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “The father who left me? The one who didn’t give a shit about my mom or me?”
Konstantin looks at her then, his gaze heavy. “That’s the truth you were told. But it’s not the truth.”
Alaina stiffens, her breathing turning shallow. “What the hell does that mean?”
Silence hangs between them like a noose. Then, finally, Konstantin speaks.
“Boris owed Dimitri a debt. A debt he couldn’t pay.” He exhales sharply, his gaze unreadable. “So, he traded your mother for a clean slate.”
Alaina jerks back like she’s been slapped. “No.” She shakes her head violently, like denying it will make it not true. “No, that’s not?—”
“It is ,” Konstantin cuts in, his voice rough. “Dimitri owned her. But when she got pregnant, she hid it from him, kept you from him.”
Alaina’s chest rises and falls too fast, panic creeping into her expression. “She—she hid me?”
“She knew what would happen if Dimitri found out,” Konstantin says, leaning forward. “So she ran. She stole you away through Boris—sent you to us because we had established ourselves in the United States before Dimitri could find out. And for a while, she got away with it. We did paperwork to make it look like we adopted you from foster care if someone did a deep dive for him.”
Alaina grips the edge of the table, her knuckles white. “For a while?”
Konstantin nods. “Eventually, Dimitri did find out. When my Sasha died, Dimitri got word of it. He watched as your mother came to the funeral to watch from afar. He got to her. I don’t know what he did, but she told him the truth before he ended her. He sent her back to me in ashes bagged inside an urn. I buried her with your grandmother. Knowing the lengths he would go to in order to punish us all, I had to play his game. He had Boris killed. Honestly, Alaina, I’m lucky both of us are still breathing. Anyhow, he uses this to control me.” His voice drops lower, rough with something dark. “He blackmailed me into pushing his product through Freedom Falls without taking a cut from him like the Kings do. Said if I didn’t, he’d take you.”
Alaina sways slightly like the ground has been ripped out from under her. Her voice is barely a whisper. “He was using me?”
Konstantin nods. “You are the leverage.”
I exhale sharply, my grip tightening around the arm of the chair. This is the truth Konstantin was hiding. This is the shit that’s been hanging over his head, over her head.
She was never free. She was never just his granddaughter. She was collateral.
Alaina runs a shaky hand through her hair, eyes wild. “You—you’ve been working with him?”
Konstantin’s face hardens. “To protect you.”
“Protect me?” She lets out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Protect me from what, Konstantin?”
Konstantin doesn’t hesitate. “From Dimitri taking you back.”
The room feels like it’s closing in. Alaina stares at him, disbelief and something like horror washing over her face. “And now?” she whispers. “How did you plan to stop pushing his drugs? How were you ever going to get my business clean from this?”
Konstantin looks at her, and for the first time since I’ve known him, he looks tired.
“The shootout?” His voice is grim. “That was a warning. That’s why it was only one night. He wanted to remind me what’s at stake.” His gaze flickers to me, then back to her. “Without his product going through, Dimitri is going to take you, Alaina. That was to tell me he was close.”
Her breathing stutters, and I see it—the moment it truly sinks in. The moment she realizes just how deep this goes. Her hands curl into fists. “No.”
Konstantin exhales. “It’s already in motion.”
I push off the chair, stepping forward before she crumbles completely. But she doesn’t fall. She turns to me instead, something wild in her eyes.
“This is because of him?” she says, her voice trembling with fury. “All of this?”
I nod once, my jaw tight. “Yeah.”
She shakes her head, stepping away like she’s trying to put space between herself and the truth. “I was never safe, was I?”
Konstantin doesn’t answer. Because he doesn’t need to. We all know the truth now. And it sure as hell ain’t pretty. But I know one thing for damn sure. Dimitri isn’t taking her. Not now. Not ever.
I step closer, forcing her to look at me. “This doesn’t change anything,” I tell her, my voice low. “He doesn’t get to take you.”
Her eyes flicker, a storm brewing inside them. “And what if he does?”
I let out a dark, humorless chuckle. “Then we go to war.”
Konstantin exhales sharply. “If we go to war with Dimitri, it won’t be a fight you walk away from, Chux.”
I don’t flinch. I don’t hesitate.
“I don’t care. But you shouldn’t underestimate a King full of fury, driven by passion, and hell bent on protection.”
Because I don’t care if I live or die. But I am determined to see this through.
For Alaina.
She’s worth the war.
“You’re in over your head,” Konstantin begins and I throw up a hand silencing him.
“Enough, Alaina needs time to process this and I need to call in my family. Check yourself out of this one old man.”
I take Alaina by the hand, lacing my fingers in hers and leading her outside while her grandfather mutters to us in Russian.
We make it outside and climb on my bike. I grip the handlebars so tight in frustration my knuckles turn white.
This whole thing runs so much deeper than I could have predicted. Her whole life has been caught up in a Bratva she didn’t know existed. The tension in my face is sharp, but I try not to let it all show. Not in front of Konstantin’s men. He might be a big deal to them or even in his fucked up world. In mine, he’s just another man standing between me and my woman.
That right there is his death certificate.
Alaina wraps her arms tight around my waist clinging to me. I feel the tremble through her body as she presses herself against me like I’m her lifeline.
Konstantin has followed us out and stands to our right.
“This ain’t over,” I warn.
He watches me with his unreadable eyes. I don’t give a fuck what he’s thinking. He needs to understand, his time to make moves is over. He let her slip away. Now I’m going to show her where she belongs, with me.
“She needs time.” My voice is steel. “Time to process all this, time to breathe. You can’t force her into a decision when her whole world just got flipped upside down.”
Konstantin exhales, slow and measured. He’s not a man used to being told no. I can see it in the way his lips press together, the subtle tick in his jaw. But he doesn’t push back. Not yet.
Alaina doesn’t speak. She’s barely holding it together, and I sure as hell won’t let her fall apart in front of him. I shift my bike into gear and rev the engine, the low growl filling the space between us. “She’s with me from here on out. Tell your family that.”
Konstantin doesn’t move, doesn’t blink. But I see it—the hesitation, the battle warring in his head. Then he steps back. Not far, but enough.
“Take care of her,” he says, his voice clipped, controlled.
I don’t answer. Instead, I ease the clutch out and pull away, feeling Alaina’s grip tighten as we disappear into the night.
The ride back to the clubhouse is quiet, but I can feel her. Every tremor, every slow inhale, every thought she’s too scared to say out loud. I keep my hand steady on the throttle, pushing through the darkness, knowing the only thing I can do now is get her somewhere safe.
By the time we pull into the lot, the boys are already waiting. They don’t say anything as I park the bike and help Alaina off. She’s stiff, her eyes wide, but she doesn’t pull away when I guide her inside.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you settled.”
She nods, but her grip on my cut tells me everything I need to know.
This ain't over.
Not by a long shot.
I don’t waste time. As soon as Alaina is settled in my room, I shut the door behind her and head straight to the chapel. The boys are already inside, waiting. When I step through the doors, all eyes turn to me.
“Church,” I announce, and the murmurs die instantly. The air in the room shifts, tension thickening. They know whatever I’m about to say is serious.
I take my seat at the head of the table, planting my palms flat on the wood. “We’ve got a problem,” I start, my voice low and even. “Dimitri Morozov.”
A few curses slip from the mouths of my brothers. Looney, our enforcer, leans forward, arms crossed, his brows furrowed. “What the hell does a Russian mob boss have to do with us?”
I glance around, making sure I’ve got their full attention. “Alaina,” I say. “She’s tangled up in this, and that means we are too.”
Grit exhales sharply, shaking his head. “Shit.”
“He’s coming,” I continue. “Konstantin might be holding back for now, but Dimitri? He won’t. He doesn’t take kindly to people stepping on his toes, and right now, we’re in his way. I took away his power over Konstantin.”
Riot slams a fist on the table. “So what’s the play?”
I look each of my brothers in the eye. “We lock this place down. No one comes in or out without us knowing. We stay armed, we stay sharp, and we don’t take any chances. Riot you get Kelly here to prevent any leverage on Alaina.”
The room hums with agreement. No one argues. They know what’s at stake.
I lean forward. “This ain’t just about Alaina. This is about the Kings. We let one of these bastards think they can step into our territory and call the shots? We’re as good as dead.”
Silence stretches for a beat before Mellow nods. “Then we make damn sure they know exactly who they’re messing with.”
A slow grin tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Damn right.”
It’s time to get ready for war.