Chapter Two
Nikolai
I jump out of the car and shut the door behind me.
Distant bass thumps from inside the nightclub as I walk around the vehicle and look around the alley.
I’m not here to dance.
I’m here to meet Elias Agin, my informant.
I spot him farther down the darkened alleyway and immediately feel a sting. He called me about an hour ago, telling me to meet him here as a matter of urgency.
I took his word for it. Elias is the kind of guy that takes things at his own pace, cruising through life like the world is his oyster.
Nothing is an emergency situation unless it has something to do with his hair.
So, when he rang telling me to get my ass down here ASAP, I knew it was something serious.
I stride toward him, eyes set on his face.
He’s been helping me stay under the radar for the past four years, keeping me out of Aslanov’s ears.
Things haven’t always been smooth between us, but he’s done his job and he’s been rewarded generously for it.
He’s not a good man, but then again, there aren’t many good men in my world.
What matters to me is that Elias knows what he’s doing.
He’s a resourceful bastard; that’s why I hired him.
Shortly after escaping Aslanov’s attempt to kill me, I approached him and asked him to help me stay under the radar.
Elias promised to keep me hidden in the shadows in exchange for an explosive paycheck that hurt the bank a little too much.
But I had no choice, especially since Lauren and Hannah’s lives were on the line if Aslanov discovered that I escaped death.
Elias understood this and demanded double his usual fee.
Zhadnyy mudak.
“I’ll cut to the chase, Niko,” he says, kicking off from the wall as soon as he sees me approach. He comes to stand in front of me, stern eyes set on mine.
“Skazhi mne. Talk.” Whatever he’s about to tell me, it better be worth my time. I’ve got better things to do than spend my day in a dirty alley that smells like piss.
Elias exhales an uncharacteristically shaky breath. “Aslanov knows you’re alive.”
I stop short.
He what?
The words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. My blood turns to ice in my veins, and for a moment, the world tilts on its axis.
He knows I’m alive? Four years of careful planning, four years of staying in the shadows, four years of sacrificing everything to keep Lauren and our daughter safe—all of it crumbles in an instant.
This is the nightmare scenario I’ve been hiding from, the one that’s haunted every single decision I’ve made since that night in the warehouse.
I shake myself, for a moment hoping that my ears are deceiving me.
“Say that again.” I grit out, clenching my jaw so hard my teeth almost crack.
“You heard me, Niko,” Elias says. “He’s been watching Lauren and the kid,” he adds, keeping his eyes on me, searching my face for signs of unwanted aggression. He’s probably wondering if I’m going to lash out and snap his neck.
Blyad!
Motherfucker!
Aslanov watching Lauren and Hannah?
Fuck!
I abruptly turn away from Elias, forcing myself to keep my composure.
This is bad. No, it’s worse. The last fucking thing I wanted to hear today.
Or ever. This is exactly why I have been in hiding like a fucking camouflaged snake for the last four years, to protect Lauren and our daughter, waiting for the right moment to strike and take out Aslanov.
Instead, my cover has been blown.
That bastard is a step ahead of me again, just like four years ago.
Ublyudok!
Elias’ words sting like bullets to the chest. It takes all of my willpower to keep my features neutral, to suppress the rage that’s surging in me. I knew this day would come eventually, but I was hoping for more time so I could surprise Aslanov and take him down first.
Instead, I’m fucked.
Colossally.
My plans just went out the window.
And that’s not even the worst part. If Aslanov knows I’m alive, he is going to go after Lauren and Hannah. He’s going to use them to lure me out.
This is not good.
Not to mention that Lauren thinks I’m dead.
Guilt stabs through my chest at the thought of turning her simple life upside down. The last thing I want is to make things complicated for her and Hannah. They deserve their peace… but they also deserve to live.
This is exactly the reason I’ve been staying away from them. It posed too much of a risk for them to know that I survived Aslanov’s attempt to kill me. I couldn’t expose them to a secret that would threaten their lives. And now that Aslanov knows I’m alive and well, they’re no longer safe.
Blyad!
Chert Voz’mi!
I rake a hand through my hair as I turn back to Elias.
This is seriously fucked up. I cannot take on Aslanov the way I am now.
I am a fallen Bratva leader, a lone wolf without his pack.
Even Elias can see that. He called me a fucking vigilante the other day, which I took great offense to.
I am Rogov royalty, not some fucking self-proclaimed Batman wandering the streets after dark.
The Rogov name will always be a part of me.
But that doesn’t change the fact that, after the showdown at Aslanov’s warehouse complex, the mudak became an all-powerful pakhan by merging my empire into his. Sometimes, it boils my blood to the point where I feel literal steam evaporating off the surface of my skin…
Until I remind myself why I signed that goddamn dotted line.
For Lauren and Hannah.
To protect them and keep them alive.
And now that my secret has been exposed… Whether I like it or not, this has flipped everything on its head.
It means I must take action.
Right fucking now.
I exhale a breath and cross my arms over my chest. “What gave me away?” I ask Elias.
“Hey,” he says with an edge to his voice. “This piece of information was hard enough to get. You’re lucky I managed to pull a few strings. Aslanov is a resourceful guy. You know that. This is all I got.”
Pizdets.
“Fine,” is all I say, turning away to walk back to my car. I am done here.
“Let me give you a word of advice, Niko,” Elias adds.
I stop and turn back. “What?”
“You’ll need a friend if you’re going up against him.”
“I don’t have friends.”
“Don’t be so sure. Give old Popov a call.”
“Popov?” I frown. “Why would he want to help me?”
Elias takes a step closer. “He wants Aslanov dead, too. The man killed his brother, remember?”
I turn back and stare at Elias, considering his suggestion.
Sergio Popov is the leader of his own organization; therefore, we are not friends.
If anything, we’re competition. Or were.
Then again, our shared interest in seeing Aslanov dead could indeed unite us.
For a while, that is. Maybe Elias’ idea is worth considering.
I give him a curt nod, then stride back to my parked car without saying goodbye.
I unlock the vehicle, pop the car door, and collapse into the driver’s seat, hands clutching the leather steering wheel. I heave a breath, trying to contain my bubbling anger, and force my mind to think logically about this.
Come on, mudak, think straight.
Your stupid rage won’t get you anywhere.
Not now.
First things first, I have to give Timur a call. My hand snaps out to reach for my phone, but I feel the nerves close in, a cold shiver running through me.
Timur will not take this lightly. I don’t even want to think about the shit he’s going to give me for disappearing and letting him think I was dead.
Like me, Timur has always been in the Bratva, the two of us joining the family as newborns.
We learned to hold a gun before we learned to walk.
These past four years have been tough as fuck for me, but I bet they’ve been just as hard for Timur.
I stole away his life’s purpose the second I signed our empire over to Aslanov.
Come on, pridurok.
You can do this.
I mutter a curse under my breath and pick up the phone, finding Timur’s contact.
I’ve been in this situation before, finger poised over the call button in debate—do I announce my resurrection or stay dead?
He’s my oldest friend and ally, and I always knew that I could trust him, but his wife’s connection to Lauren has always been too strong.
I couldn’t afford to take risks.
Keeping all of them in the dark was the only way to protect them all.
That still doesn’t make me less of an asshole, though. Even though I did it for a good cause, to keep them safe.
But with Aslanov looking for me, their safety is gone.
Which is why I have no time to hesitate. I must warn him.
I push all of the breath out of my lungs. If I’m going to come back from the dead, I might as well make it dramatic.
My fingers hover over Timur’s contact.
Then, I hit the call button.