Second Best (Volkov Bratva 1)

I stayed perfectly still.

Whenever my father beat me, he’d rarely take me to the hospital. One day, he’d been so angry about something. I’d been skipping down the hall. He’d told me I was making too much noise and girls, especially ugly ones, needed to know when to stay quiet. He’d torn my dress, removed his belt, and whipped me until there had been blood.

It was the first time he’d used his belt.

The doctor had no choice but to use stitches to help heal the wound. The scar had remained. For several months, he never came near me. I did get more toys after that.

The memory of it was so strange and sudden. Along with many others, I’d pushed it to the back of my mind so I didn’t think about it.

Life got easier that way.

I said nothing.

The sound of the door opening had Sergei tensing.

The doctor cleared his throat as Slavik came into the room.

“What is going on?” he asked.

I saw his shirt was covered in blood. There was some bruising on his face, and I saw a cut on his side that already had a white bandage covering it. Life was so unfair. Why did he have to look so good while I got to look like this?

“She had some superficial wounds. The glass wasn’t too deep. She has a couple of cuts, but in a few days, they’ll heal. I see no reason to apply stitches.”

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Leave,” Slavik said.

With the way he looked at me, fear raced down my spine. I don’t know what was happening right now, but the doctor quickly packed away his stuff.

Sergei hesitated, but Slavik repeated the order.

Alone. I stared at my husband.

“You knew that man tonight,” Slavik said.

“Not personally, but I recognized him. He worked for my father.”

“Do you have any idea why he’d attack that party?”

“He’s an idiot?”

“This is not a joke.”

“I have no idea. I’ve been trying to figure out why they would attack the party. None of it makes any sense to me.” I told the truth. I had nothing to hide.

****

Slavik

The attack had come from the Italian mafia. They were Fredo’s men, but I also noticed they were not his close, most trusted men. They were a small group of soldiers, and several men had been outsourced with clear training. I already had my computer guy run a check on all of the men we’d killed. Their IDs had to be fakes.

I’d expected an attack at the party, but not from Fredo.

We had enemies far and wide. Some from within the Bratva.

Ivan had taken the brotherhood into a new era, and some preferred the old ways of dealing dirty and hiding in the shadow. However, Ivan had an idea that expanded across all areas. It was why we were all wealthy and had several businesses across all industries. It gave us ties across the entire world and not just in one city.

Where the old generation was happy to be on the streets, taking on the weak, Ivan went after the strong to make his force even stronger. We all worked together.

Staring down at my wife, I had to ask the questions now. Ivan wanted her for questioning. With how she looked, she wouldn’t survive it. She’d been petrified. “What is going to happen?”

“Volkov wants to talk to you.”

Her lip wobbled. “Of course he does.” She nibbled on her lip. “I had nothing to do this with. I swear. I saw an opportunity with Roger Hampton, it’s not a ploy.”

“I know.”

She gasped. “You do?”

“I saw the way the man attacked you. I was getting to you. If you’d been part of this, you’d have seen it coming.” I had no doubt she was innocent of this attack, but now, I was curious. Her father sent in those men, knowing we’d turn to her.

I rounded the table and looked down at her back. There were several cuts, and the doctor had put some Band-Aids on the worst ones. The others already had dried blood on them.

“Change quickly. Ivan doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

She stood up, holding the towel to her chest. “If … if I have to die tonight, will you be the one asked to kill me?”

I gritted my teeth. She knew our world so well. From the look in her eyes, she seemed devastated. I’d never taken the time to read people for these kinds of emotions. I wasn’t sure if I liked what I saw in her eyes.

“Get dressed,” I said. Without another word, I turned my back and left the bedroom.

I folded my arms and waited. Sergei stood, ready and waiting. Over the past few weeks, I’d started to notice the way he looked at my wife. I didn’t like it.

“Sergei, you know your job is to protect my wife,” I said.

“Of course, sir.” He bowed his head, performing all the necessary respectful moves, but I didn’t see it, and he knew it.