The Enemy of My Enemy, Pt. 2 (The Bratva Duets #2)

Prologue

Someone had tried to kill my wife, but that wasn’t even the worse of it. The worst thing about it was that she believed that I was the one behind the hit on her life. She believed that I wanted her dead, and it was incredible just how far from the truth that was.

Nevertheless, it was what she believed, and I didn’t have any idea how to make her see just how very wrong she was.

In only a matter of a couple of weeks, I was already so obsessed with my wife that I could hardly think straight.

I was so obsessed with her that I was ready to turn my back on everything that I’d ever known to avenge her.

Of course, with her being a Marchetti and me being a Korolev, the list of our enemies was endless, and with Aurora not speaking to me, I had no way to narrow down that list. Right now, all I knew was that her assailants had been Russian, had been because my wife had killed them all.

One woman against four men.

As for where she was now, instead of calling me when she’d been bleeding out on the pier, she had called her brother, and I still don’t know how he’d gotten so far into Korolev territory without someone alerting us.

Of course, it could have been assumed that he’d been welcomed now that we were related by marriage, but that was also something that was very far from the truth.

No matter my marriage to Aurora Marchetti, our families would never be freely welcomed like that.

Regardless, when I had failed to keep my wife safe, she was now back home with her family in Marchetti territory, though I had no idea where exactly.

I just knew that she was alive, believed that I was behind the attack, and that she was healing safely somewhere, surrounded and protected by her family, and that was a bitter fucking pill to swallow.

There was also how I’d been a big enough asshole to let her believe that I was fucking someone else while she’d been fighting for her life, and that was a regret that was going to follow me to the grave.

Even though it wasn’t true, that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that she believed it, and I wasn’t sure if she’d ever be willing to hear the truth on that.

Of course, that would only matter if I ever got her home, and that was another thing that felt like it was up in the air right now, and I could admit that I wasn’t handling it very well.

Even though I had my best people looking into what had happened to my wife, nothing felt like progress without Aurora in my bed.

Just then, my phone rang, and as I saw my father’s name flash across the screen, I knew that I had no choice but to answer. Even if he wasn’t my father, as the Korolev Pakhan, I was obligated to always answer his calls, even if I didn’t feel like speaking to him.

“Yes?” I asked as soon as I answered.

“How are you faring?” he asked evenly.

“My wife was stabbed and shot, and she believes that I am behind it,” I replied drolly. “How the fuck do you think I’m doing?”

After a second of silence, he said, “I am going to ignore that since I can see that you are not handling this well, but speaking as both your father and Pakhan, you need to get your shit together, son. You are no good to this situation if you cannot get your head on straight.”

“Someone tried to kill my wife,” I repeated. “How would you feel if it were your zhena?”

“Your mother is of different character than your wife,” he pointed out. “The situations are not the same. Had it been your mother, she’d be dead.”

While that was true, his point was still invalid. “That hardly matters, and you know it. Someone attacked a Korolev, and even if Aurora is a Korolev by marriage only, she’s still a Korolev.”

Ignoring that, he said, “What you need to focus on is that your wife is alive. If you’d been a grieving widow, I’d give you extra consideration, but that is not the case, Viktor. Aurora is not dead, and you need to get your head in the game.”

“It is in the game,” I bit out. “I haven’t slept a wink, and I am in constant contact with Kasimir.”

Again, after a few seconds of silence, he said, “She’s alive, Viktor.”

“Yeah, she is,” I agreed. “And if I know my wife, right now, she is gunning for revenge, and it’s very likely that the Marchettis are preparing for war right now.”

“I’m aware,” he replied quietly.

“And you’re not worried?” I asked, a bit surprised by his lack of concern.

“I’m not afraid of war,” he reminded me pointedly.

Yeah, before my wife, neither had I been,” I replied seriously.