“The marriage was proposed as an alliance, but it’s no secret Makar Azarov would do anything for her. She was the one who demanded he make it happen and get Dad to agree to it.”
“I know all of this, Dmitri.”
Looking around us, he leaned even closer to me. “Do you know she’s requested your movements be reported back to her?”
This made me stop walking. “She what?”
“She has some of your men keeping her updated on where you go. She asked Simeon to do it, but he managed to talk his way out of it, saying he’d been given guard duty somewhere else.”
Dmitri, my father, and I had our own guards who acted as our replacements in situations, and Simeon was my third in command. “Who did she manage to get?”
“I don’t know that yet, but Simeon is asking around, so we should know soon.”
“Fuck,” I ground out, pushing my hand through my hair.
“Just watch your back, Taras, because I don’t trust her.”
The look I gave him conveyed the fact that I didn’t either, and that I never had.
Giving him a sharp nod, I raised a hand and swiped two fingers through the air, a sign of respect and farewell in our Bratva. Getting one in return, I walked toward my car, opening the door and climbing in the back seat.
Turning on the engine, Yakov turned in the passenger seat and looked me over.
“Where to?” my first in command asked, frowning when he saw how tense I was.
“The Road Kings,” I growled and then held a hand up. Holding his own up, he stopped Zoran, my second, from setting off toward the MC. “Simeon was approached by Donna to relay my movements to relay. Have you heard anything?”
Looking at me in the rearview mirror, Zoran frowned. “Yes, we’re looking into it. He told us while you were in the meeting.”
“Yobanaya suka,” Yakov muttered the Russian version of fucking bitch.
Rubbing my fingers over my chin, I leaned back in my seat. “That’s true, but this just means I have means to start a conversation with her father.”
I saw Zoran’s eyes crinkle in the reflection in the mirror and shook my head.
The duties ingrained in you from birth in the Bratva could be ones that didn’t phase you, that went against what you wanted, and ones that derailed you from life as you knew it, but family came first no matter what. The marriage alliance was something I hadn’t wanted to do.
Still, at a time when the other factions of my family were making moves to increase their standings in Russia—something that would help my family here, too—I’d gone into the marriage with a plan.
Unfortunately, the part of my plan where I would explain it to Nell first had gone to shit.
Now it was time to get on the path that I wanted.
The alliance between our families, mine and Nell’s, was essential to me, but only because it would make life easier for her. If we didn’t get along, family occasions would be strained and awkward, and life would be stressful for her. It also meant I’d know she was safe at all times, and could speak to her family to make it so.
My focus was on her and the boys—and only them—when it came to this particular alliance.
It was time she knew how much I loved her and our sons.
Putting the car in drive, Zoran started for the compound as I planned how to break it to Bruce.
And then, as always in my life, I got a call from Vadim requesting a meeting. My plans would have to wait, but I was going to tell Bruce soon.
Nell was mine, and it was about time everyone knew that.
Chapter Nine
Nell
After the explosion, my car had been a write-off. The good news was, though, that my insurance had agreed to pay out on it after reading a report from the police and seeing photos of the damage to it. I was upset because I loved the car, but I guess it wasn’t exactly baby friendly.
I hadn’t had a chance to get a new vehicle yet because I’d been distracted by Walker and Hendrix, so Dad had loaned me one of the Club’s GMC Yukons until I did.
I wasn’t supposed to drive for another couple of weeks, though, but I’d kept that news to myself. And boy, I regretted my bad decision every time I made sharp turns or had to press down hard on the brake.
Still, no pain, no gain. Right?
At least that’s what I thought for the first five minutes. After that, the pain was so overwhelming I almost pulled over to the side of the road to call Dad to send someone to help me.
My hands were already shaking when I pulled up in front of the clubhouse, and then I had a flashback to the last time I was here and the blast.