The Bratva’s Knocked-Up Bride (Levov Bratva #11)
Chapter 1 - Damien
There was no denying how everyone seemed to work on Levov time.
Regardless of status or connections, they had a way of making anyone fall into line, as irritating as it was. Whether for meetings, family gatherings, or anything else in between, if they were late to something…no they weren’t—you were just too early.
That very concept still applied as I found myself with my brothers in Levov territory once again. Tucked away in a conference room above one of their businesses, we sat around their big glass table while we waited for them to show up and get the show on the road.
Apparently, some sort of issue came up and they needed our help with it, but of course, they didn’t let us in on the details any sooner than the meeting. Even if it could’ve been a phone call, of course, they wouldn’t make it that simple.
Given their numbers and authority in New York, it was a bit surprising. But ever since Alex and Lara mended the bridge between our two families, Aristarkh wasn’t shy about asking for favors when he felt like it.
Regardless of our own position in the city, we weren’t prepared to fight what he or the other Levovs wanted. Especially not when they were technically our family, and it was certainly in our best interest to stay on their good side.
Alex was busy texting, and I could only assume it was Lara, while the rest of us leaned back in our seats. Daniil had his chair turned around as he looked out the bay windows while Valentin and Yuri chatted aimlessly together.
I forced out a breath. “Would it kill them to be on time for their own meetings?”
Alex didn’t look up from his phone as he murmured, “I can’t say we’d be any more punctual.”
I sighed. “At the very least, you’d think they would already be here, given how they called the meeting.”
“What, have somewhere to be?”
Scoffing, I shook my head. “Nowhere in particular…but time is money, right?”
Val chuckled. “I think we’re doing fine in both regards.”
“Unless, of course, you have a little someone waiting for you,” Yuri suggested with a lift of his brow as one of his curls fell just above his eye. “Then I’d understand why you’d be anxious to get out of here.”
“Oh, shut up.”
The twins both chuckled, then returned to their aimless chatter.
Before long, the big doors opened and Aristarkh was the first to enter the room. Benedikt and, to my surprise, Gemma were in tow, followed by the rest of the group.
While it was a relief to see them in the meeting at last, there was an unmistakable sense of tension that always seemed to linger between us. Not from animosity but from the nature of our work and the stressors that came with it. It was hard to let your guard down completely.
Like us, the Levovs took their business dealings seriously, and regardless of the mended relationship between our families, it was still a delicate ropewalk. We had to maintain our own integrity and the level of professionalism required for the situation.
Given how Ari called us all in, I had the feeling he wasn't going to be inviting us to some sort of family get-together.
"Novikovs," Ari said as they all filed in and took up the empty seats around the table.
"Levovs," Alex returned evenly with the slightest hint of expectancy in his tone. "You called this meeting pretty suddenly."
Ari nodded as he adjusted his cuffs and was handed a folder by Benedikt. "I did, and for good reason."
"And what was that reason?"
"We've been experiencing some security issues lately, and it has gotten to a point that we can't ignore it anymore," he explained, expression as stoic as always while discussing business. He gestured to his brother on his left side. "I'll let Ben and Gemma take it from here."
It was strange seeing Gemma there, given how none of their wives had anything to do with the business. However, it seemed that she was an important piece in whatever was going on.
Benedikt sighed. “Someone has been pressing their luck by trying to infiltrate our warehouses and trades. We don’t know who it is, but they’ve managed to hit some vulnerabilities we didn’t think anyone would’ve found.”
With a brow cocked, I couldn’t stop myself from letting go of a breathy chuckle. “Vulnerabilities in Levov defenses? I thought you had a handle on those a while ago?”
He forced out another breath after throwing me a vaguely irritated expression. “Regardless, nobody should’ve been able to crack any of our warehouses…that’s the problem. Somehow, some way, someone has been tipped off, and we need to find out who is responsible.”
My brothers and I looked at Ben with interest, growing curious about the information.
Alex crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “So, you’re searching for a rat?”
Benedikt nodded, and then Gemma took a step forward with her hands interlocked behind her back, expression grave. “We have reason to believe the informant is someone in my company.”
Daniil raises a brow. “The publication?”
She hummed her confirmation. “Yes. Given how I work closely with my husband and the others to both suppress and highlight stories about the world of organized crime in the city, it doesn’t seem out of the question. If someone close to me wanted to, I’m sure they could find a way to skim information.”
Alex stroked his chin absently. “How are they getting this information? Surely you aren’t having open conversations about Levov business.”
Gemma shook her head. “No, of course not. But to keep our name, and yours, out of hot water, I do what I need to. In some cases, I have to censor and redact information, which could be found by my unsuspecting employees if they look in the wrong places. If that information gets into the wrong hands, then I’m sure someone out there has no problem selling it to the highest bidder.”
After a moment of silence, while our group considered what they were saying, I looked between the two of them. “What does this have to do with us then?”
“Essentially, we need your help with surveillance. Luk already has his hands full, and he can’t put the necessary time into closely monitoring the issue,” Benedikt continued to explain. “We’re hoping you could do the surveillance and research and uncover who the rat, or rats, might be.”
“It shouldn’t be too big of an ask,” Ari piped up, giving us a measured look as he handed the folder over to Alex. “We have the resources, but we need someone to man it for us.”
“And if the rat isn’t working for Gemma?” My brother questioned as he opened the folder and glanced down at the information given to him.
“Then, at least, we’ll know and be able to cross that possibility off the list,” Benedikt answered. Despite his calm demeanor, I caught the veiled desire to get the situation under wraps in his gaze. “If that’s the case, we’ll focus our attention elsewhere.”
“I hope it’s none of my people, but it can’t be a coincidence that the interferences started soon after my publication went live,” Gemma added, expression somewhat tight with worry. “I can’t have anyone prying from the inside. Not when we’re working with sensitive information like this.”
Alex nodded as he handed the file to me next. “This must be serious if you’re coming to us for help.”
Ari sighed with the faintest hint of annoyance in his features. “It is. You know I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.”
My brother chuckled as they continued, but I was too busy looking down at the printouts, finding employee records, reports made by the Levovs about the infiltrations, and whatever merchandise had been stolen, among others.
During a beat of silence, I looked between Benedikt, Gemma, and Ari. “I have recon experience…something like this shouldn’t be a problem for me.”
Benedikt lifted a brow. “You do?”
I nodded. “I’ve tracked down a few rats before. We had a similar situation of our own once. Associates of ours have paid me for work like this, too.”
“So, you’ll take it on?”
Glancing back down at the file, aware that it only made sense, I nodded. “Sure. I’ll see what I can do.”
A mutual sentiment of relief seemed to fill the room at my agreement, and Benedikt nodded. “Good, good. I’m glad to hear that. In that case, you’ll be working alongside Lukyan and Kir. You’ll report any findings to them.”
Lukyan and Kir both tipped their heads in acknowledgment. I did the same in return, unbothered by the idea of collaborating with them in a sense. From my experience with the two brothers, they were the most laidback out of all the Levovs, and reporting to them didn’t sound so bad.
“Everything you need to get started is in that file, but for more in-depth records, Lukyan can send you a link to the digital database,” Benedikt continued, expression stoic. “You’ll be able to get your hands on the building’s surveillance, employee records, and whatever else will help. If you think of anything else, just give the word.”
Nodding absently, I sifted through the printouts, seeing a few employee photos in the stack. From what I could tell, they were recent hires. That would be a good place to start.
“I’m on it.”
“Good,” Ari said after a beat, wearing a faint yet satisfied grin. “We’re depending on you to get to the bottom of this.”
No pressure, of course.
Despite being vaguely annoyed by the fact that the Levovs were using the new-found connection between our families to their advantage, something in me was still curious anyway.
It had been quite some time since I committed myself to that kind of job, and the thought of catching whoever was potentially putting both of our families at risk was a satisfying one.
Once everything was agreed upon and the Levovs seemed more at ease knowing someone was on the case, Ari ran some additional information by us before wrapping the meeting up, and our group eventually left the establishment.
My brothers were able to go about their day mostly unfazed, but with my new task at hand, I didn’t waste any time considering what I needed to do and how I would go about it.
Before long, I found myself back home and sitting in the spacious living room in one of the plush armchairs, sighing as I sifted through the files.
The stack was significant enough to require pouring a few hours of my time into scouring every detail, so I followed the most logical method and started with the newest hires.
Gemma’s publication was still considered to be in its infancy, but there seemed to be two waves of hires: the ones brought on from the start, and others hired several months back. It seemed they were able to expand.
From what I could garner, the business was fairly impressive, and it seemed Gemma knew what she was doing. Thankfully, she had that appealing Levov money to help her get it off the ground.
Doing a quick sweep through the employee records, scanning names and images, I ran those names through my head—Erin, Raf, Quinn, Tyler…
Then, I paused on a familiar face.
Sky Ridley.
A spark of recognition moved through me then, and as I took in her features, I recalled having seen her at a few gatherings between both families. She was Gemma’s friend and had tagged along a few times.
Blinking down at her photo, I couldn’t help the slight upturn of my lip.
Even at those gatherings, something about her intrigued me. Even if she seemed preppier than what I usually went for, there was no denying how appealing she was anyway. Almost like the temptation of ruining something pure.
Before I could stop myself, my eyes lingered on her picture, then the rest of her information longer than necessary. Halting my progress, I settled on taking it all in, as if to scratch that strange itch of mine.
She had a fairly significant position in the company. In fact, she was some sort of floor supervisor. That was good…maybe she’d be able to get me some information if I asked nicely enough.
But of course, she couldn’t know about my undercover work. It had to be kept under wraps. Nobody other than Gemma or the other Levovs could know, or else I’d run the risk of tipping off the rat to the operation.
Still, looking over Sky’s file made that interest of mine grow, and the thought of visiting the office to scout the place out became harder and harder to resist. That meant having the chance to see her for myself again.
It felt like so long since the last time I laid eyes on her, and something in me was itching for it all over again.
Wearing that faint grin still, I nodded to myself as I decided it was as good of an idea as any, and the job suddenly didn’t seem like such a bother after all.