Chapter 3
Ulayna aimlessly wanders the manicured gardens of Alexi’s estate. Unlike the mansion’s interior, the landscaping is spectacular.
A tall rock wall surrounds the entire estate, with wrought-iron gates spaced strategically around the property.
Peacocks gallantly display their plumage along the manicured paths that meander through the grounds.
Spread across the gently sloped hills are pockets of mature forest, lush rose gardens, and even a secluded pond.
If it weren’t for the guards patrolling the area, it would feel like walking through a historic palace garden.
Ulayna twirls a flower in her hand and lets her thoughts wander as aimlessly as her feet.
After introducing her to his team, Alexi had laid out a crazy plan.
His idea had been to create a brutal, competitive training program for his men, followed by a series of challenges.
The men who completed the training and won the challenges would form two new teams. They’d then rotate with Alexi’s team to take assignments and oversee security at the estate.
With the added workforce, he’d be able to barter with the Irish for the intel they had on the Program.
That’s why Alexi had wanted her to be a part of the conversation. He wanted her to know that even though it’s taking months, he’s still working to find the men responsible for the horrors of her past and eradicate them like vermin.
Ulayna bites her lip. She’s a little surprised at her reaction to Alexi’s plan.
He’d wanted her to know that he was actively working to protect her and seeking vengeance on her behalf.
But all she’d been able to think about was that if she could train with the men, she wouldn’t need Alexi to protect her.
She’d be able to defend herself and get her own vengeance.
She’d be able to make sure that no man was ever able to enslave, torture, or touch her again.
With that in mind, she changes direction and heads to the other side of the compound to go find Alexi’s team. They’re in charge of developing the training program, and she wants to know if she can get training too.
There’s no way she can train with Alexi’s soldiers. She doesn’t even have the basic skills that they do. Plus, a woman training with the Bratva? It’s just not done. Even Phoenix doesn’t train with them, only with the other members of Alexi’s elite team.
But maybe there’s a way that Alexi’s team can train her on the side? Or maybe she can watch the men’s training, then practice by herself? However it has to happen, she wants those skills.
She pauses for a second outside the hulking bunkhouse building. Taking a deep breath, she pushes the door open and heads inside.
She looks around. It looks like a lavish version of a dormitory common room.
There’s a huge TV on one wall, surrounded by deep leather couches in a U shape.
A row of long dining tables separates the living room area from the industrial kitchen.
And a broad staircase in the far corner leads to the second story, where the bedrooms must be.
For some reason, she expected dozens of Alexi’s men to be hanging around. But thankfully, the only people around seem to be Alexi’s team. Ruger and Hawk are seated on a couch, engrossed in a soccer game on the TV, and Phoenix is in the kitchen making a cup of tea. Otherwise, the place is empty.
Catching sight of her, Phoenix nods in her direction. Ulayna joins her in the kitchen and sits down on a barstool at the large kitchen island.
“What brings you to our humble abode?” Phoenix asks as she pours hot water into a mug and adds a tea bag. She lifts the pot in Ulayna’s direction, silently asking if she’d like a cup.
Ulayna smiles in gratitude and nods. “I wanted to talk with you about Alexi’s plan.”
A deep voice rumbles from right next to her. “Planning to watch?”
She stifles a scream and whirls around to face Ruger. “How did you— But you—” She points at the couch where he and Hawk were sitting just seconds ago. She thought they weren’t even aware of her presence, yet they managed to sneak up behind her.
Ruger smiles charmingly. Hawk smiles too, but on him, it looks more like a threatening grimace.
Ulayna turns her attention back to Phoenix, whose eyes are alight with humor. Phoenix sets a cup of tea down in front of her. Grateful for something to do with her hands, Ulayna grips the warm cup and takes a cautious sip. Warm flavors of orange and bergamot explode across her tongue. Yum.
Next to her, Ruger takes a seat on the barstool, and Hawk leans against the counter, cleaning his fingernails with the tip of a wicked-looking knife.
“Don’t lie,” Ruger says in a teasing tone. “We know you’re excited to come watch the training so you can see me with my shirt off.”
Ulayna glowers at him, then does her best to ignore his hulking presence and turns her attention back to Phoenix.
She takes another deep, grounding breath. Once her scattered thoughts are back in order, she asks, “What do you guys think of Alexi’s plan? Is it crazy?”
“Yes,” Phoenix replies without hesitation. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great plan.”
Ruger adds, “Most of Alexi’s plans are crazy. That’s what makes our team so successful. His ability to think outside the box and to come up with solutions that no one else would have saved our asses more than once.”
Ulayna takes another sip of her tea and thinks through their responses. “So you’re going to help plan the challenges and train the men?”
“Yes,” Phoenix says.
“You’re going to teach the men how to fight and use weapons?”
Suspicious, Phoenix stares at her for a few seconds before answering.
“Most of the men already have a good foundation for those things. What we’ll be teaching them is more nuanced than that.
Part of that is hand-to-hand combat and weapons training, yes.
But it’s also about tactical protocols for breaching buildings, extraction techniques, and how to set up a clean hit and remain invisible. ”
All teasing gone from his tone, Ruger adds, “All of that is in addition to some truly hellish physical and mental challenges.” He smiles devilishly. “We’re going to beat them down and see which ones stand back up.”
Ulayna grits her teeth in determination. She’s tired of feeling powerless. “Can I join the training?”
Phoenix chokes on a sip of her tea, and Hawk steps forward to pound her on the back.
Ruger’s smile widens until he looks almost deranged. “Yes. If you want to join the training, little one, then you should.”
“No,” Phoenix asserts as soon as she’s recovered. “She’s not cut out for it.”
Ulayna lifts her chin in defiance. “You don’t think I'm strong enough?”
Phoenix sighs. “Mentally, yes. You’d wipe the floor with them. You’ve endured more in your short life than any of them could dream of in their worst nightmares. But physically? You can’t compete with them.”
“Plus,” Hawk says, “the men would never take you seriously. They’re Bratva soldiers. They would either coddle you or step on you to get ahead.”
Ulayna spreads her hands out flat on the counter, using them to ground herself. She needs this. She needs the skills they can teach her. She can feel it in her bones, in her soul.
“Please,” she says. She looks up at each of them, holding their gazes with a sure and steady look. “I have been powerless my entire life. I need to learn to defend myself.” She pauses, weighing her words. “And I need the skills to get vengeance for what was done to me.”
“I think we should train her privately,” a deep, gravelly voice says from directly behind her.
She squeals in surprise and whirls around to see Shade and Bill standing there.
Where did they come from?
Bill smiles at her, a gold tooth winking in the light. “I think we need to work on her situational awareness first.”
“And weapons and munitions,” Ruger adds.
“And surveillance tactics,” Shade says.
Ulayna looks at Hawk, expecting him to add something to the list, but he just winks at her and continues playing with his knife.
“No, we can’t,” Phoenix argues. “Alexi would—”
“What Alexi doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Ruger says, grinning mischievously.
Struggling to suppress a sudden surge of hope, Ulayna darts her eyes back and forth between Phoenix and the rest of the team.
After a long pause, Phoenix throws her hands in the air, giving in. “Fine! But I’m going to oversee her hand-to-hand combat training. You oafs wouldn’t know the first thing about teaching a woman our size.”
Like a lifeline, Ulayna clutches her teacup between shaking hands. “Really? You’ll teach me to do all that?”
Phoenix shrugs. “Every woman should know how to defend herself.”
Ruger winks at her. “And any woman who plans to stand beside Alexi had better be able to have his back.”
Ulayna frowns, confused by Ruger’s comment. She’s not sure what he means by standing beside Alexi. But she brushes it off, too excited at the prospect of training.
Her mind is spinning. With the skills they could teach her, she’d not only be able to protect herself but she’d also be able to hunt down the men who enslaved her and destroy the Program.
With Alexi, she’ll get to live life and experience all the things she’s missed out on. And with his team, she’ll learn to be a weapon so she can claim her vengeance.
Resolute, she looks up from her tea and meets Phoenix’s eyes. “When do we start?”
Phoenix grins, and the other team members whoop in delight and excitement.
“Hell yeah!” Ruger claps her on the back.
“Finish your tea, little one,” Bill says. “There’s no time like the present. Alexi is busy with Bratva business for the next couple of hours, so we might as well get started.”
“Now?” Ulayna looks down at her outfit. “I should probably go get changed first, don’t you think. Converse sneakers and cutoff shorts aren’t exactly fighting clothes.”