Stay Toxic (Semyonov Bratva #1)

Prologue I

Boys. Ew.

— Brecken’s secret thoughts

brECKEN

Eight months ago

“Hey.”

I looked up at the hesitant voice and smiled at the school librarian.

“Hey there, Viveka!” I chirped. “How’s that book going?”

Viveka, the quiet book nerd who had a dirty side a mile long, smiled at me. “Doing okay.”

That smile didn’t reach her eyes, though, and I wondered if it was her husband again.

Her husband had come up to the school multiple times over the few years that she’d been working at West Dallas High with me, and I hated him more each time he came in.

I could tell he was abusive just by the way that Viveka cringed every time he came near her.

And now she was pregnant, though she hadn’t shared with anyone that she was. I only knew that she was because I’d walked in on her in the staff bathroom stuffing a pregnancy test in her pocket.

When I’d asked about it, she’d shared and told me how scared she was.

That was a few weeks ago, and each time I saw her, I wondered if she’d shared with her husband yet or not.

“It’s a pretty good one,” she said as she sat down.

My best friend, Jolessa, came into the break room, her lunch tote under her arm.

She sat at the table and smiled. “Hello, ladies.”

“Hey, Jolessa.” Viveka smiled at her, though it wasn’t as sincere as the one she’d just given me. “How are you today?”

“Fantastic,” she answered. “I found a new boy-toy.”

“Boy-toy?” I snorted. “Who?”

“No one you’d know,” she said evasively before she turned toward Viveka. “What book are you reading today?”

The quick change of subject made me curious, but I decided to give her the out…for now.

“A new one about dragons,” she said. “You’d like this one.”

“What’s the story about?” I asked. “Other than dragons, of course.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “It’s about this woman that’s in an abusive situation. She gets pregnant and she runs.”

“I’d never run,” Jolessa said. “That’s not something that’ll ever work out.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Why not?” she parroted. “Well, for one, if you’re in an abusive situation, you always run and get caught. It’s like every single thriller ever written. I’d rather be on my home turf.”

Jolessa did have a point, but…

I rolled my eyes. “Home turf or not, if you’re scared that your situation would hurt you or your baby.” I looked to Viveka, who was listening intently. “You run. And if you can’t run, or you’re afraid you’ll get caught, you go to the scariest man in the city and ask him to protect you and the baby.”

“Who would that be?” Jolessa rolled her eyes.

Jolessa lived in dreamland.

She had no clue that life was hard.

Sure, life wasn’t hard for Jolessa. Never had been or ever would be, but there were bad things happening all around her. It was like none of that affected her, though.

“I mean, here, right now?” I asked. “I’d find a scary person who you know you can trust with your child.”

“Like who, though?”

I thought about it for a second and then said, “That guy that recently made the national news. He’s a crazy dangerous millionaire. From some crime syndicate?”

“I saw some millionaire make the news recently,” Jolessa said, eyes thoughtful. “He spent years and years looking for his kidnapped sister and never gave up the search to find her.”

“You’d know that he’d watch out for your baby.” I nodded in agreement. “And has the means to pay for protection.”

“That’s all too fantastical.” Jolessa rolled her eyes. “Nothing like that ever happens in real life. You’d get caught, then suffer more. What’s the point in leaving?”

“Saving your unborn child from certain death?” I offered up sarcastically.

She waved that away. “It’s a book. It’s just drama for drama’s sake.”

I didn’t think this was all made up. I thought maybe this was Viveka trying to get some advice without actually outright asking for it.

“What is?”

I smiled at my boyfriend, Rupert, as he came into the room. “Hey, Ru.”

“Ru-Ru,” Jolessa chirped, smiling so wide at him that I rolled my eyes. Those two and their weird, quirky relationship. “Why don’t you give us your opinion?”

“What opinion would that be?” he asked as he came to sit between Jolessa and me instead of just taking the free seat on my side.

Jolessa laughed and scooted over.

I didn’t scoot over, but I did lean into his warmth.

He didn’t put his arm around me like I expected, but then he covered it up by reaching for his lunch that was still dangling from his shoulder.

“If you were trying to save your baby from an abusive father situation, what would you do? Try to run, or try to stay home and work it out?”

Rupert unzipped his lunch box and said, “I guess I’d need to know more details.”

I sighed.

Rupert and his details.

By the end of the discussion, Rupert and Jolessa were in agreement. The woman couldn’t run.

After lunch was over, and Viveka and I were walking toward the senior hallway, I said, “I’d run, Viveka. I wouldn’t give it a second thought. I’d find the scariest man that I knew, and I’d beg him for help.”

Her eyes met mine, and I wondered if this was a book scenario at all.

She smiled, patted my hand, and said, “Thanks for everything, Brecken.”

I watched her go and had a sinking feeling in my gut.

The next morning, when the news of Viveka’s resignation spread like wildfire among students and staff, I knew.

She was scared and running, taking my advice.

Which broke my heart.