Page 53 of Brutal Reign (Bratva Kings #3)

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

HOPE

“Mama, look what I can do!” Kin calls from the shallow end, attempting what he generously calls a backstroke. Water splashes everywhere as his little arms windmill, but he’s grinning from ear to ear, completely fearless.

“I see,” I say, swimming beside him. “You’re getting so brave in the water.”

It’s not just in the pool. In the short time we’ve been here, he’s blossomed.

He laughs freely, asks for what he wants, and runs through the halls like he owns the place.

It’s like watching a different child emerge, the one he was meant to be.

Even at a very young age, he understood Simon’s tolerance was limited, that one wrong move could change everything.

“Pavel said he’s gonna teach me how to dive,” Kin announces, adjusting his goggles. “He said when I get bigger, we can dive for treasure like pirates.”

“Pirates, huh? Maybe some swimming lessons first.”

“Alexei takes swimming lessons.” He says it so casually, but I know better. Last night mattered more to him than he can put into words.

And it meant more to me too.

To sit around that table laughing with Kira, Sofiya, and Liza, realizing these people aren’t villains. They’re complicated, damaged, and fiercely loyal. Just like my father was. Just like I am. It’s been so long since I’ve had friends, since I’ve felt that easy camaraderie with other women.

“Mama, I’m hungry,” Kin announces, paddling over to grab onto the pool’s edge.

“What do you want for lunch?”

“Pierogi!”

I smile. Already he’s developing preferences for the food, the people, and the life here. He’s even beginning to accept Pavel as a stepfather. But he’s more than that. The truth will only hurt more the longer I hide it.

“I think we can arrange that. Are you ready to get out?”

“Five more minutes?” he asks hopefully.

“Okay. Make it count.”

As I watch him splash around, clearly in no hurry to leave our little water paradise, I make a decision. Tonight, after Kin goes to bed, I’m going to tell Pavel everything. About Chen, about the inheritance, about the timeline that’s been moved up, and the danger my father’s old friend is in.

And more than anything, I need to tell him about Kin being his son.

It’s time to stop trying to handle everything on my own. It’s time to trust the man who’s proven over and over that he’ll put us first, no matter what.

The inheritance is still important; it’s my security, my safety net, my father’s final gift to me. But it doesn’t have to be used to escape. It can mean freedom in a different way. Freedom to choose this life, this man, and this unexpected family we’ve built.

“Okay, time to get out,” I finally say, though part of me could stay here all day, floating in this perfect bubble of happiness.

“Just as I’m about to join you, you’re getting out!”

The deep, resonant voice sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with the water temperature. I turn to see Pavel emerging from the house, and my heart stutters.

He’s wearing navy-blue swim trunks that sit low on his hips, revealing every inch of his incredible torso. The way the light catches on his damp skin makes him look like some kind of Norse god who decided to take a vacation from Valhalla.

“What are you doing out here?” I manage, breathless. “I thought you had work.”

“I did,” he says, a smile spreading across his face as he catches me staring. “Still do, actually. But I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to swim with this little water dinosaur over here.”

Kin’s face lights up. “You came to swim with us!”

“Sure did,” Pavel says, diving cleanly into the deep end and surfacing near us with barely a splash. “Can’t let you have all the fun without me.”

The sight of him cutting through the water with powerful strokes is impressive. I swear, everything about this man turns my insides to liquid heat.

Kin paddles over to Pavel like an eager puppy. “Pavel, can you do tricks? Can you hold your breath for a really long time?”

“Slow down there, water bug.” Pavel laughs. “Let’s see what you’ve been working on first.”

I float nearby, watching Pavel give Kin his complete attention while my son demonstrates his ‘swimming skills’.

But watching them together, seeing how naturally Pavel fits into this role, how much Kin clearly worships him, solidifies what I have to do. I can’t keep lying to either of them. They deserve better. They deserve the truth.

Even if it terrifies me. Even if I’m not sure I want Kin growing up in this world of violence and danger. Because the alternative —continuing to live this lie—feels worse than taking the risk. Knowing Pavel the way I do now, I trust that he wouldn’t force this life on Kin.

Kin swims up to me. “Pavel says we can go to the ocean one day and see the fish swimming!”

Pavel’s eyes find mine over Kin’s head, and he winks.

“That does sound pretty cool,” I agree. “Although, I might be better at lying in a lounge chair with a margarita on the beach. But I’ll watch you two.”

Kin shakes his head. “You won’t see any fish that way.”

“Alright, little man,” Pavel says. “I think it’s time we capture your mama and drag her to our underwater lair.”

“Yeah!” Kin shouts with glee. “Make Mama our prisoner!”

“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty,” Pavel says with mock solemnity.

Before I can escape, Pavel’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Fire shoots through me at the skin-to-skin contact, and I bite my lip to keep from making a sound.

“Looks like you’re coming to our underwater kingdom, angel moy,” he murmurs in my ear, his voice like gravel. “No escape.”

“Oh no,” I say with exaggerated drama for Kin’s benefit. “Whatever will I do?”

Pavel’s mouth finds mine in a soft, claiming kiss that makes my toes curl. When we break apart, Kin makes gagging noises, but there’s a big smile on his face.

“Yuck.”

Pavel chuckles, his arms still wrapped around me. “When’s nap time?” he whispers. “Because I need you out of this bikini.”

My core clenches at his words. “One hour,” I whisper back.

“Perfect.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “That gives me just enough time to properly interrogate my prisoner.”

I wake to a gentle touch on my shoulder. Pavel’s face comes into focus above me, and I automatically smile. It’s the perfect way to wake up. I must have dozed off beside Kin after reading him his bedtime stories.

But something’s off. There’s a weight behind Pavel’s expression that makes me uneasy.

“Can we talk?” he asks quietly, his words further putting me on edge.

I rise, smoothing Kin’s blanket, and follow him. Not to the kitchen, nor the living room. To his office. Where Syndicate business happens.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Everything’s fine,” he assures me.

Hours ago, we were laughing in the pool, our bodies tangled together during Kin’s nap. Everything felt perfect and real and right.

I planned to confess everything tonight and lay my own vulnerable truth bare. But his closed-off expression tells me the time for my confession has passed. He has something to say, and I have a feeling it’s not what I want to hear.

He closes the office door behind us, and I perch on the edge of the leather chair across from his desk, my hands twisting in my lap.

“I need to tell you something,” he begins, lowering himself behind his desk. He drags both hands down his face, then leans forward with his elbows on his knees. The gesture is so unlike his usual controlled demeanor that my anxiety spikes higher.

“Just say it. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

Regret flickers across his features. “Dinara hacked into your encrypted messages. She found your communications with Chen Wei going back to when you were still with Simon.”

I stiffen. “What?”

Pavel’s expression doesn’t change, but his knuckles whiten on his desk.

“After I brought you here, I needed to prove to my brothers you weren’t a threat to us.

That meant digging into your past, your connections, and the people closest to you.

” His voice drops lower. “That’s why I gave you the tablet, to see who you’d reach out to. ”

I blink at him, the words sinking in like knives. I’d known they might be watching, but to hear him admit it outright makes me feel sick.

“You set me up,” I rasp.

“I did.” Pavel closes his eyes briefly, his jaw tight. When he looks at me again, guilt is written in the harsh lines around his mouth.

“Me? A threat to the Syndicate?” Hurt and betrayal swirl inside me like a storm.“Maybe you should have done your homework before forcing me to marry you and live here.”

“It’s complicated. You know that. I knew you hated Simon; I saw it with my own eyes.

But I had to show the others, and for that I needed more to go on.

” He runs his hands through his hair, frustration radiating from every line of his body.

“The messages Dinara found between you and Chen made it clear you weren’t involved in triad business or with Simon willingly. ”

I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, congratulations on discovering what I could have told you from day one.”

Pavel winces but presses on. “You’re not a traitor, but something felt wrong about Chen. We looked into him, and we have reason to believe he’s working for Simon.”

My head jerks up. “What are you talking about? You think you can read a few messages and suddenly know everything? He’s spent the last few months trying to help me. He was the only one who had my back when everyone else abandoned me.”

He runs a hand over his face, a frown creasing his brow. “There’s no way Chen could have touched your trust fund. The bank requires your biometrics to release that money, which means he couldn’t have done it without you being present. That supposed in-person meeting is a set-up to capture you.”

I shake my head. “You have the wrong idea about Chen.”