Chapter 35 Sera #2
She gives Liev and me an arch look. “I’m dying to hear this story, but right now I need to go distract the raging bull before he breaks something important.”
I nod stiffly, not wanting to talk about it, more than a little worried I’ll cry if I try.
I knew he’d be upset but the things he said… I had no idea that’s what he thought about me.
Liev puts his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. “You okay? Want me to murder-face him?”
I know he’s trying to make me feel better, but his shoulders are still tense.
“I think you already did that,” I sniffle, the tears threatening to spill. He tugs me into his chest and presses his lips to my hair.
“I’m sorry he’s unhappy about this, but nothing he said is true. You know that, right? There’s nothing I want in life other than you.”
I pull back and swipe a finger under my eye to get rid of the moisture. “Well, duh! I’m awesome.”
His chest rumbles against me. “Ready to go home, Little Warrior?”
“Yeah, let’s go home, Gangster.”
It’s not until we are in his car that I realize I don’t know where home is. Does he mean my apartment? I don’t even know where he lives.
Ah, the realities of a spontaneous Vegas wedding.
His fingers drum the steering wheel. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nod, staring out the windshield at the row of parked cars glinting under the late afternoon sun. “Yeah just... processing. Brady’s always been like that. He’s better since Elizabeth, but this was old-school Brady.”
“He’ll come around.” Liev’s voice is steady, but there’s a quiet edge to it, like he wants to say more but is biting his tongue.
“Where are we going?” I ask, glancing at him as he merges smoothly with the Atlanta traffic. “We haven’t exactly discussed the living arrangements.”
“Wherever you want, malyshka. Your apartment, if that’s easier. Or my place?”
I lean back, crossing my arms. “Ooh, the big, scary gangster’s lair. I’m not sure I’m ready for that. Is it all black leather and chrome? Separate rooms for... you know… business?” I waggle my eyebrows.
He keeps his eyes on the road, face deadpan. “No, we like to keep torture separate from home life.”
My mouth drops open. For a second I’m not sure if he’s serious—then he winks.
Relief bubbles up through the lingering ache in my chest, and I laugh, the tension from earlier easing a fraction. “Good to know. Wouldn’t want to accidentally wander into the wrong closet.”
“I have an apartment I stay in a lot. It’s here in the city. It’s close to the clubs which is convenient for late nights. I have a house north of the city, near my cousin’s place. It’s pretty… lots of trees.”
“Two places?” I tease, poking his arm. Then I snort, remembering his flimsy excuse about needing a job, even though my heart flips over in my chest remembering why he lied. “More expenses?”
He smirks. I roll my eyes.
“The house might be too far though for you to commute every day to Elite,” he adds, voice thoughtful.
My mind flashes back to what happened at Elite, the hurt still raw in my chest.
He glances over. “Or we could find a new place together. Something central. Whatever you want to do.”
I chew my lip, staring at the dashboard. “I’m not sure I want to work there anymore.”
“Don’t make any hasty decisions.”
I arch a brow at him. “Like getting married to a mobster I’ve only known for a couple of weeks?”
He grins. “Yeah, like that.”
I laugh, but it’s short-lived. Exhaustion crashes over me like a wave. “Let’s go to my apartment. It’s close. We can decide tomorrow. I’m wiped.”
At my door, I punch in the code and turn the handle.
The door swings open, and I freeze.
My apartment is trashed.
Drawers are yanked out the contents strewn across the floor.
My few plants have been dumped out, and my books are covered in soil, and papers are scattered like confetti.
The couch cushions are slashed, stuffing spilling out in clumps.
Kitchen cabinets hang open, most of the dishes shattered on the tile floor.
My heart slams against my ribs. “What the—”
Liev drops his bag, pushes me behind him, and draws his gun from his waistband. “Stay here.”
He moves slowly through the space, scanning the room.
I follow a step behind anyway, ignoring the order, my own weapon pointed down and ready.
The bedroom’s a disaster—mattress flipped, the clothing from my closet covering the floor, and my jewelry box upended on the dresser.
Nothing obvious is missing. The TV is still mounted on the wall, and my few decent pieces of jewelry are on the floor.
Liev checks the bathroom and the closets. “Clear. No one’s here.”
I sink onto the edge of the bedframe, knees suddenly weak. “How? This building’s secure. Doorman, alarms—Brady set it all up after... after Aaron. No one should be able to get in.” My voice cracks on the last word. “I guess I should call the police.”
He crouches in front of me, warm hands settling on my knees. “No need. I’ll have the security footage pulled. Because you’re right, the average thief couldn’t have gotten in here. We need to call Brady, too.”
I hesitate. “After what he said? I don’t—”
“He needs to know.” Liev’s voice is gentle but firm. “This could be connected to Vegas, to the Taggerts. He has resources that could help.”
I exhale. He’s right. I dial Brady.
He picks up on the second ring. “Sera? Look, about earlier—”
“Someone broke into my apartment. It’s ransacked.”
“What?” His voice sharpens instantly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just pissed.”
“I’m on my way.” He hangs up.
Liev paces the small living room, the furious back-and-forth reminding me of a large predator trapped in a too-small cage. “Check and see if anything is missing.”
I sigh and move through the wreckage. I stiffen when I notice the charging cord dangling uselessly from the side table. “My personal laptop is gone. But I think that’s it.”
“They were looking for something,” he says grimly. “Maybe they thought it was on your computer.”
“Like a password?” We exchange a look.
“The bitcoin password? But what’s changed? Why go to these lengths now?” Brady asks from my doorway where he’s let himself and Elizabeth in.
“If you hadn’t been such an ass earlier,” I say, voice sharper than I intend, “I was going to tell you about all the things that we’ve learned.” I quickly summarize how Taggert Construction owes money to the Kovalyov Bratva. “And I think those two men in Vegas were after me. Not Keke.”
“What?” Brady’s expression has grown progressively darker with each sentence.
“Too many things have happened over too short a period of time,” Liev says.
“I agree with Sera. I think she’s being targeted.
The agitator at the Chicago protest came out of nowhere and seemed focused solely on her.
Keke was already in the car. The text messages…
and if Finn finds some sort of tracking and listening app on her phone… ”
“It has to be the Taggerts,” I add.
Brady’s face hardens. He steps closer to Liev, voice low. “How do I know it’s not your people putting her in danger? They might have tossed this place looking for the password for the money they’re owed.”
Liev doesn’t flinch. “Sera is a Kovalyov now. Mikhail knows we’re married.
He’s even offered me a more powerful position—my father’s old seat.
If he thought Sera was the obstacle to him getting repaid by the Taggerts, he would have mentioned it.
” His eyes narrow. “There’s no threat from my bratva.
As my wife, she’s one of them now. Being married to me protects her. ”
Brady’s nostrils flare. “Protects her? By dragging her deeper into your shit? You think that—”
“Enough.” I stand, hands up between them. “This isn’t helping.”
Brady exhales hard through his nose. “Come home with Elizabeth and me. Our place is secure.”
Liev shakes his head. “We’re going to my house north of the city. It’s safe and behind two sets of gates.”
Brady opens his mouth to argue, but Elizabeth touches his arm. “Let it go. Sera’s right. This isn’t the time.”
I gather what I can salvage, clothes, toiletries, and a few sentimental things that somehow escaped the destruction. Liev runs a soothing hand down my back.
“Just take what you need for the next few days. We can come back.”
I nod, throat thick. Between my phone possibly being bugged, my home being violated, and my laptop missing, I feel stripped raw, as if every ounce of my privacy has been ripped away.
Liev presses a kiss to my temple. “I’ll find out who did this, Seraphina. And I’ll make them pay.”
“I get to help.”
“Of course.” He kisses my temple again and straightens when my brother says my name from the bedroom doorway. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
I don’t look up, shoving shirts into a duffel. “What?”
Brady closes the door behind Liev. “I’m sorry. Earlier... I was out of line. I panicked. Seeing the rings, hearing about Vegas... It hit me wrong. You’re my sister. I just want you safe.”
I yank the zipper closed with more force than necessary. “By calling me stupid? Yeah, that helps.”
“That was wrong. I’m sorry.” He shoves a hand through his hair. “I know you’re not a kid anymore, but you will always be the baby sister I need to look out for.”
“No, I’m not.” My voice comes out cold. “I’m your younger sister, yes. But I’m not a baby, and I don’t need someone to look out for me all the time. Other than Aaron, I do a pretty good job of living my life. Are you going to hold that over me forever?”
Brady winces. “That’s not what it is. It has nothing to do with Aaron.
You can’t understand, but I will always worry about you.
The first time mom put you in my arms when I was twelve years old and you opened those big eyes to look at me.
..” He presses a hand to his chest. “I was a goner. You’re my sister, and I will always look out for you. ”
“Well, fuck,” I sniffle, tears threatening for the second time today. “When you say it like that, it’s kind of hard to be mad at you.”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “I am pretty charming.”
“You’re something.” But I smile back despite myself.
Brady glances at the door. “But that—”
“How long did you know Elizabeth before you knew she was the one? Pretty sure I know Liev better than you knew her. I’ve been living with him for the last two weeks.”
“Calling me a hypocrite?”
“Yeah.”
He heaves a sigh and steps closer. “I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“And?” I lift my eyebrows at him.
“I’ll be nice to the overgrown fucker,” Brady grumbles.
“Good.” My shoulders finally relax. “He loves me, Brady, and I love him. He’s not who you think he is.”
Brady studies my face for a long moment, then lets out a long breath and pulls me into a tight hug. “If you love him, he can’t be all bad, I guess.”
“I mean I love you, so clearly my judgment is flawed—Ow!” I yelp when he pinches my side.
The door slams open against the wall, and I laugh at my husband’s thunderous expression. “Just sibling shit, all good here.”
Liev glares at Brady but says nothing. He grabs my bag.
Brady hugs me again, whispering in my ear. “Okay, that got a couple brownie points from me.”
“Why are men so dumb?”
“It’s the Y-chromosome,” Elizabeth calls from the other room. “Scientifically proven.”
They are still bickering as we lock the apartment door and head for the elevators.