Page 33 of Ruinous Need
VIKTOR
HALF OF THE Bratva’s men will support us. It’s progress, but it could be better. Discontent with Semyon has been growing, especially among those who want to live their lives without the constant unrest that is this war with the Irish.
At the moment, the Bratva is being attacked on all sides… All because of Semyon’s dangerous game with Lisette as the prize.
With all that shit hitting the fan and, as much as I loathe it, my status as the son of the former Pakhan, we should have more support.
I run my tongue over my teeth. What’s holding people back is my reputation. I’m not known as a peacemaker, quite the opposite. That’s a problem. Semyon’s volatile, but people view me in the same way.
We’ll need more support to pull this coup off safely. Otherwise, we’re going to create a bloodbath that destroys the organization.
One more week of this public opinion campaign and I can storm the city and take control.
The sound comes to me from a distance. Even on this snowy night, with the echoes muffled, it’s recognizable as a gunshot.
Markov appears at my side, confirming what I already know.
We’re being attacked.
“Who is it?“ I growl.
“The Pakhan.”
Markov looks anguished. I know he’s on my side, but I can see the way it tears him in two to divide his loyalty.
The Bratva is his home and his family. “Half of the men are on his side, half of them are on yours. There are no guarantees. And we hear the Irish are on the way. Once they arrive, Viktor, we’re outnumbered. ”
Fear claws at my insides. They’re going to try to drag Lisette away from me. I can’t let that happen. Every cell in my body wants to fight them off to my last breath if necessary. But that would put her in danger.
Instead, I know what we need to do.
Run.
Run like the cowards I’ve been hunting for all these years. I never thought it would be me, but now, with Lisette by my side, I see how safety can matter more than loyalty or justice or facing the people you know you owe something to.
“Where’s Daria?”
“Out on security patrol,” Markov replies.
She hasn’t reported the intrusion to me. Maybe she’s been taken down. I hope not.
I guess we’re leaving alone. I looked down at my designer suit. That won’t cut it, not out in the elements. I grab a ski jacket, combat pants and a pile of outdoor gear in a smaller size for Lisette. This snowfall will not make running easy.
I did plan for this. I always have a Plan C. About ten miles along the lake, over a hill, there’s another cabin. It’s secluded and hard to find, sheltered by a bank of trees.No one knows about it — not even Markov.
We could take a snowmobile, but that would only attract attention. We’ll go on foot. Stick to the trees. And we have to hope like hell this snow doesn’t get any heavier.
The creak of a floorboard startled me and I whirl around. She looks ghostlike in her white nightdress. I pushed that thought out of my head.
She’s not dead. I am going to protect her from the Bratva — the way I couldn’t protect my mother. The way I couldn’t protect Lev.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, swiping a thumb over her cheek. “I seem to keep waking you up in the middle of the night with some disaster. But they’re here.”
Her face whitens. “The Pakhan?”
I nod.
“You’re not… Not giving me to him?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I step closer, shoving the bundle of warm clothes into her hands. Outside, the gunshots are getting closer.
“We need to go now.”
“I don’t even know how to use this,” she tells me, turning the pistol I handed her over in her hands.
“Hopefully, it won’t come to that. I’ll be by your side the whole time. I’m not leaving you.”
I know how selfish it is.
To leave the men who have agreed to fight on my behalf to overthrow the Pakhan alone with Markov in command. It will tear them in two just like it’s tearing him in two. They’re fighting their brothers, men they grew up with.
But I don’t know who gave up our location, and I have no clue how else to make sure Lisette is safe. We’re going to go it alone.
I press a kiss to the top of her head before we head out the door.
“It’s going to be freezing,” I tell her shoving a beanie onto her blonde head, her silken hair still messy from sleep. “But we’ll stay together. I promise.”