Brutal Boss (Bratva Brothers 1)

MADISYN

Earlier that morning…

I don’t dare admit that I enjoyed last night with Mikhail, but what happened was purely professional. I had to sleep with him to get close, to earn his trust.

But just thinking about him makes my insides warm.

No.

He’s a monster. I can’t let him get inside my head.

I shower, dress, and head outside to grab the newspaper in the driveway when I spot a dark four-door vehicle parked in front of the house.

The gentleman behind the wheel is familiar. He’s the same man who drove the SUV when Mikhail was a passenger on that rainy night.

“Luka,” I whisper, remembering his name.

I stalk up to his car. He’s not the least bit inconspicuous. I lean forward toward the passenger window, and he rolls it down.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Giving you a lift?” Luka offers a warm, friendly smile. It doesn’t fit his personality. He’s lying. I can see through the charade; it doesn’t take an FBI agent to notice his answer is bullshit.

I don’t believe him. “How long have you been outside?”

“Long enough to make sure that ex-boyfriend of yours doesn’t pay you another visit.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Is that what this is about? Mikhail is jealous?”

“No, Mikhail wants to ensure that you’re safe. He doesn’t trust him,” Luka says. He’s more forthright than I thought he’d be. “He didn’t like that Aaron showed up at your house after you specifically told the gentleman to leave you alone.”

“Mikhail told you all that?”

Luka gives a weak nod. “I’m just looking out for you. I can give you a ride into work this morning.”

I glance back at my house. “Yeah, give me ten minutes.”

* * *

Luka drops me off at work, and I head inside the building to use the bathroom on the main floor before heading back out the double doors for the coffee shop.

I’m not going there solely for the coffee. It’s one of the meeting places to exchange information with my contact, Special Agent Savannah Blakely.

I pull my coat tight and hurry down the street. The quicker I make it inside, the warmer I’ll be. I head inside the coffee shop and brush right past Agent Blakely. I head down the hallway and around toward the back of the building. I sneak into the supply room and around the back through a hidden door that takes me into another part of the building, hidden away.

Two minutes later, Agent Blakely joins me.

“I wasn’t sure you were coming,” Savannah says. Her long blonde hair is pristine, even with the wind and cold. It’s any wonder how she looks like a fricking model. She could have easily gone undercover and stolen Mikhail’s attention.

“Well, here I am. I made contact with Mikhail Barinov last night. He was at my house,” I say, foregoing the details about us in the kitchen. “He made a private call while in my bedroom. You might want to pull surveillance to see who he was contacting.”

“Already on it.”

“And what the hell is going on with Aaron?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” Savannah is one of the few people who know Aaron and I slept together. It’s not that I want it to be common knowledge, I don’t, but she warned me it could ruin my career.

“He showed up twice yesterday, once at my job and again at my new house.”

Savannah’s eyes widen as she realizes the implication. “He’s following you.”

“He must be. He doesn’t seem to realize my assignment, and I’m not comfortable telling him if he’s not part of the inner circle,” I say.

Her blue eyes wince, and her gaze tightens. “I’ll speak with Barrett about Aaron’s behavior.”

I exhale a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to make things worse.” I throw my head back and groan. “If Mikhail discovers that Aaron is FBI, it could ruin the entire investigation.”

“Forget about ruining the investigation. It could get you killed.” Savannah steps closer. “I’m worried about you staying undercover. I think you should be pulled before it gets any more complicated. We can find someone else and start from scratch on earning the bratva’s trust.”

“No!” I should be grateful that Savannah is trying to protect me. She’s a good agent, one of the best, but I don’t want to be pulled off the assignment and reassigned to another investigation, or worse, forced to watch another agent interact with Mikhail.

Savannah raises an eyebrow. “No?”

I expel a heavy sigh and try to compose my thoughts. “I’ve already gained Mikhail’s trust. Throwing that all away is pointless. Let me do my job. Just keep Aaron far away from Mikhail and the bratva.”

“We’ve got word that the cartel is stealing from the bratva. Have you heard anything?”

I haven’t gotten any information about their business arrangements. “No, Mikhail and I don’t talk business,” I say. “He doesn’t trust me with that type of information.”

There’s a noise on the opposite side of the door, and we both fall silent. Someone is in the stock room.

Whether they’re an employee or someone who doesn’t belong, we remain quiet until we’re confident that we’re alone and no one is listening.

Savannah’s voice drops to hardly above a whisper. “You’re not part of his inner circle yet, but he will bring you in. It’s inevitable.”

“What makes you think that?” I ask.

Savannah shakes her head. She won’t talk about it. Whether she believes someone is listening in or the fact that we’re out of time, I have to head back into the coffee shop.

“Stay safe,” she says.

I wait a moment, listening on the opposite side of the storage room door.

Silence.