Brutal Boss (Bratva Brothers 1)

Savannah leaves me in peace. Aaron chases after me.

“Are you planning on telling him about last night?” Aaron asks. He keeps his voice low as he accompanies me down the hallway toward our boss’ office. The door reads Supervisory Special Agent Barrett Kingston.

It’s closed, but the doors and walls are all made of glass. The window shades are open, and Barrett gestures me to come inside.

“About last night? Are you worried I’m going to tell him that you slammed my face into the front door, and that’s why I came in this morning with a black eye?”

Aaron’s gaze tightens, and his hands bunch into fists. “You don’t want to do that, Madisyn.”

“And tell me, why the hell not? I should press charges against you for assault.”

He laughs at my threat. “Assault? I was saving your ass from that bratva boyfriend of yours. You do realize associating with known criminals can get you kicked out of the bureau.”

“You’re such an ass.” I’m done talking with him. I pull open the door to Kingston’s office and step inside, grateful when Aaron doesn’t follow me inside.

“Agent Carter, I’m surprised to see you in the office this morning.”

He steps around from his desk and shuts the door behind me.

“Please, have a seat,” he says.

I exhale a nervous breath and do as I’m asked. “You have quite the shiner this morning. Is that why you broke your cover and came into the office?”

“I take it no one saw the video recording from last night.”

“No, we haven’t gone through yesterday’s surveillance footage. Is there something that we should be looking for?” Barrett comes around and sits at the edge of his desk. “Perhaps a fight?”

“This isn’t from Mikhail,” I say, gesturing to my face.

“It isn’t?”

I glance toward the window. Aaron is in the hallway talking with James, a field agent.

I’ve tried to keep what happened between us a secret. I didn’t want anyone to think that I’d gotten special treatment from the boss or was trying to climb my way up the ladder.

But it’s gone too far.

“How is the undercover operation going?” Kingston asks. He steers the conversation away from my visible bruise and back to the case. “Any new information that we can use on the Barinovs and their organization?”

“The bratva is good at keeping secrets,” I say. The flash drive is buried in my coat pocket. I’m not ready to give it up and turn it over to the FBI, at least not yet.

“And you’re here now because something happened. Something other than that black eye.” Kingston is trying to make sense of why I’m in the office, which is against protocol. He could be yelling at me for showing up, but instead, he’s calm, albeit too calm.

“My cover was blown, sir.”

“How did that happen?” Barrett asks. He leans forward, his hands on his slacks.

“Someone recognized me from Quantico, another agent.” It is when Mikhail realized that I’d been lying to him all along. “We were at dinner, and he came up to the table. I tried to steer the conversation, but Mikhail didn’t become the boss by being slow.”

Barrett strokes his jaw, interested in the turn of events. “And he let you live?”

“I’m here now,” I say. I don’t tell him how it was dicey last night, that I thought he’d put a bullet in my head or Aaron’s, possibly both of us.

“I’m glad you’re safe. I’d like Savannah to debrief you on the mission so that we don’t miss any details.”

“There wasn’t much, sir. I wasn’t able to gather any intelligence information. His men were never nearby with any work-related responsibilities. I was kept in the dark.”

“How about at that medical center? Anything there?”

“The cartel showed up, and one of their men is on the second floor seeking treatment.” That’s not anything that the team couldn’t have gathered on their own.

“Is the bratva responsible for this occurrence?”

“I have no idea. Mikhail seemed genuinely surprised by the cartel showing up at the medical center.” I left out the part where his man was bleeding, and I accompanied him back to his home to patch him up.

Some details aren’t entirely necessary.

It’s not that I’m trying to protect Mikhail. There’s just no reason to delve into what happened. It doesn’t affect the case or the investigation.

Okay, maybe I am protecting him a little.

He didn’t pull the trigger. He could have killed me. I’m insane for defending him, but he’s not nearly as bad as Aaron Moore.

Mikhail never gave me a bruised eye. Not once did he hurt me.

Sometimes the monsters are right in front, hiding, waiting, ready to make their next move. I’m used to demons.

“Anything else?” Barrett asks.

I don’t disclose that I slept with Mikhail or have the flash drive in my possession. I should tell them both things. Even though the first could tarnish my reputation, I did it for the job. Right?

It wasn’t because I wanted to have sex with Mikhail. I shift uncomfortably.

Just thinking about him fucking me stirs my insides and floods me with warmth.

Is it hot in here?

“I didn’t get anything,” I say. “He showed me into his home, was kind, and put on a polite front. Maybe he suspected from the beginning that I wasn’t to be trusted.”

Swear to me that you’re loyal.

Mikhail’s words replay in my head.

I should betray him. He’s the devil.