Chapter Vadim
Vadim
My mistake was telling her I would try not to antagonise her. I loved unsettling her. I understood that now. She reacted exactly the way I would—fighting, but a touch more calculated about it.
I stood, case in hand, and stretched the other out to her. She hesitated a beat before placing her hand in mine. I helped her up while she lifted her purse from the table.
“You’ll learn how to shoot and keep the gun with you at all times,” I said, guiding her towards the fire exit.
Alternating entry and exit points had become second nature. We took the staff elevators down until we reached the back of the building. The hotel was mine, but that didn’t mean everyone inside it was loyal to the Bratva.
Bogdan stood beside the car, door open. I handed him the gun. Iskra was staring at him, and when I looked closer I could see blood spatter on his shirt and along one side of his face. I slipped my hands around her waist and nudged her towards the car.
“Stop ogling my byki,” I said, then dropped my voice. “He is the one who struck you in Istanbul.”
Her head snapped back to Bogdan, who stared into the night as though he hadn’t heard a word. She pushed back against my hands. I pushed her through the door.
“I’m sure you can concoct your revenge in the kitchen,” I said with a chuckle.
Tikhon snickered somewhere behind us.
Iskra sat in the car grumbling.
It was a successful evening with my wife and very little bloodshed.
I sat beside her and took her hand. She threaded her fingers through mine. Her wrath was focused on Bogdan and I doubted she would resist if I took her to the basement tonight. Sometimes I felt like she needed to push me to the edge. The same way I did to her.
Bogdan stared at me from the rearview mirror.
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders before turning to Iskra.
“Moy ozornista,” I whispered in her ear.
It was something she couldn’t deny.
She was my naughty girl.
I knew this because she squeezed my hand and rubbed her leg against me.
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I woke up to her weight settling on my waist. The covers shifted enough for the heat to escape. My hands settled on her hips as I opened my eyes. This was the way I needed to be awakened.
The pistol was pointed right between my eyes.
I glanced up to see her smirking.
I smirked back when my dick lengthened between us.
Her light brown eyebrow was arched to her hairline.
It took less than a second to twist my arm around hers to move the gun and grab the side of her neck to take her down. I rolled over and pinned her beneath my weight.
“Was last night not enough for you?” I said, squeezing her wrist until she dropped the gun. “If anyone else pulled that stunt, they would be dead.”
“You said it would turn you on. I was testing the theory,” she whispered, reminding me that Runa would be awake soon.
“Ever the scientist,” I grunted. “You could put your skills to use for the good of the Bratva.”
She frowned for a moment.
“Don’t you have professional cleaners?”
“It wouldn’t cut the risk if my men left less mess in the first place. Look at the state of Bogdan. He was only supposed to scoop a few eyeballs out. There shouldn’t have been any blood at all.”
“But why would he—”
Runa cut her off as I heard her grumpy little grunts as she moved around in her cot. I glanced at Iskra’s bare breasts. I’d be happy to take my daughter’s leftovers.
“I’ll get her. You put that gun away. She is too young to pick up her mother’s homicidal bad habits,” I said, climbing off her to quickly put my shorts on.
“Whatever,” she grumbled behind me. “You picked me.”
I was too focused on Runa, who was gripping onto her cot as she dragged herself upright. As soon as she spotted me she graced me with a toothy little grin that soon accompanied a squeal.
The demand to be lifted up like a printsessa.
My Princess.
I lifted her tiny body in the air, looking into her bright blue eyes, and I decided that I may as well admit defeat with this one.
How could I ever look into my baby girl’s eyes and say no?
This was a problem.
I glanced back at the gun-wielding miscreant who sat in my bed like a queen and hoped to god the next one was a son. I sighed because at this point I was serving both of them, but I didn’t hesitate to take Runa to her breakfast.
Watching them together always hit me square in the gut.
I handed Runa to Iskra. She didn’t have a care in the world as she free-fell into her mother’s arms, knowing her mother would always be there to catch her.
I settled beside them and as Runa began to suckle, she reached one hand out until she felt my jaw. Iskra glanced at me, but I looked at Runa and took her hand to kiss it before placing it back on my cheek.
My heart was here, but my mind was planning ahead to protect my growing family with everything that I had.
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The door opened, but I didn’t see who held it. I was too focused on reaching my office. Once I was inside I saw everyone seated and waiting. Valentin had made the trip for today’s meeting as he was familiar with the legalities of Sergei’s estate.
“Bogdan, Tikhon, I want you to stay in the room. You may know who he is,” I told them as I paused at the doorway.
I left them beside the door and walked toward my desk.
“Is there anyone talking about the body or the inheritance?” I asked, going straight to business.
We had spies in place and so far they had turned up empty. We had checked several men we suspected over the last year, but it had amounted to nothing but dead ends.
“Not yet,” Grigori said.
“No one will speak near me,” Konstantin murmured.
I took a seat and looked around at the rest of them. All shaking their heads.
“Ruslan,” I said.
He stood and began to talk.
“So we know he has to be between twenty and thirty years old. Someone trying to work their way up the ranks. I’ve been working with the captains and I have compiled another shortlist.”
I glanced around the room, staring at every person there. Tikhon was the youngest in the room at thirty years old, but his family were known to us.
Ruslan read out the four names.
“I think we should add Mirko to the list,” Konstantin said.
The other enforcer.
“He did climb up the ladder pretty quickly,” I said, staring at my three captains.
I couldn’t see Sergei’s son being a shestyorka. The four young men we had at the moment were aged between eighteen and twenty-three.
“Add him to the list and trace everything about them. I want the matter to conclude soon. Set up the memorial for Sergei and see who attends.”
I wouldn’t be there but Konstantin would.
“We have paperwork to sign?” I asked Valentin.
He had likely already passed the names on the list to our hacker.
“Yes, we declared him intestate and now yourself and Konstantin can claim everything.”
“Good,” I grunted. “I repeat, I want the traitor found. This is the perfect time to draw him out.”
He was young and wouldn’t have much power alone. The poor state of his father’s corpse should be a clear warning to him.
But when cornered and desperate, a rat could do anything to survive.