Page 39 of Innocent Bratva Twins

Rodion holds his hand up and waits for everyone to be quiet.

“There is another problem.”

“Of course there is,” Luka muses with annoyance.

How can I keep her safe from all of this?

How can I keep her close to me while still keeping her safe from this?

“There is another rival group that has been messing with our operations. So far it isn’t anything massive, just here and there—causing shit, making life harder—but obviously they are just getting started.”

“Who is it?” Yilian asks.

“We think it’s the Orlov family.”

“Think? So you don’t know?” Arkady remarks.

“We need someone to go check it out.”

“I’ll do it,” I say, almost immediately.

My brothers shoot me confused looks, their brows knitted tightly.

“You sure?” Rodion asks.

“I’m sure. I’ll check it out this week and have some intel for you by the weekend.”

“Great,” he nods. “Then we can meet again on Monday. In the meantime, please re-vet any new employees. We can’t have Enzo rats running around in our houses.”

“Done, we’ll get right on that,” Luka says, standing up.

“Thanks for coming through, guys,” Rodion says.

***

The Kuznetsov brothers stay to discuss other business while my brothers and I catch the elevator down to the ground floor.

We’re quiet, lost in thought, trying to figure out what is going on and the best way to deal with all of it.

We all step out of the elevator and walk through the lobby, out onto the street without speaking. It isn’t until we’re outside in the cold winter wind that Luka turns to me and says, “I’m really surprised you volunteered.”

“Why?” I ask.

“You tend to avoid the mafia business at all costs. I’ve only ever seen you get involved if you’re forced or paid to do it. What happened to you wanting to stay under the radar?”

Everyone is obviously wondering the same thing, because all of them turn to look at me, their brows raised in expectation as they curiously wait for my answer.

For a long time, I stay quiet, weighing my options.

Do I tell them the truth, or do I keep her entirely out of this?

“Dude, what’s going on?” Arkady punches me in the arm.

Tilting my head to the side, I sigh and close my eyes for a moment.

I have to tell them. They’re my family.

“There is someone that’s come into my life who I would like to protect—from all this shit, you know. Someone that means a lot to me, whom I would like to shield.”