Page 23 of Sergei

“You said it yourself. He’ll lose his shit.” I kept my tone low and steady as I added, “He will act on emotion and get us all killed. We can’t let that happen.”

“Damn. This just keeps getting better.”

“It’s better this way. Besides, he leaves for the Caymans in a couple of weeks to handle our offshore accounts.”

“He’s going to be pissed.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing with all this.”

“I’ve gotten us this far, haven’t I?” I responded, again reminding my brother just who I was and what I was capable of. Alina would be safe with me, and that was a promise I would keep.

8

ALINA

Ihad no clue what to do.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door as I listened to every word Nikolai and Sergei said. It was rough hearing everything they were saying. Nikolai was furious with Sergei.

You’ve fucked us all.

You can’t deal with Alek, the Morozov clan, and the council on your own.

Even if we all stood together, I don’t know if we’d survive it.

It was hard to hear because it was true. All of it, and it was my fault. I’d brought this trouble to their doorstep, and Sergei was risking everything by letting me stay here. If Alek found out, he would kill him. He would kill them all.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Viktor was a dear friend, and I thought the world of his mother and his brothers. I couldn’t let them suffer because of me.

I got up and grabbed my purse from the nightstand and dumped the contents on the floor. There were a few crumpled bills and some loose change, but it wasn’t much. I could see thateven before I started counting. I hoped it would be enough for another bus ticket or another night in a cheap motel, but no such luck.

Alek had watched every penny that went through our accounts, so I wasn’t able to gather much from home. And Mila had only been able to give me a couple hundred dollars. It didn’t matter.

I would find a way.

I had to.

I gathered the money into my hand, and I was about to slip it into my wallet when there was a knock at the door. Before I had a chance to react, the handle turned, and Sergei stepped inside the room. His eyes dropped to me on the floor, and the second he spotted the money in my hand, his expression darkened. “What are you planning to do with that?”

I froze.

Guilt. Fear. Shame.

It all tangled in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. “I can’t stay here.”

“And just where do you think you will go?” Seeing the storm in his eyes hit harder than any blow Alek had ever given me. “Back to him? Or someone even worse?”

“I’ll find somewhere to go,” I shot back, shoving the money into my wallet. “I won’t let you and your brothers get hurt because of me.”

“That’s not something you need to be concerned about. We can take care of ourselves.”

“You heard what Nikolai said. They will come for all of you…”

“I don’t give a damn what Nikolai said.” He stepped forward and his shadow fell over me. “You’re not leaving, Alina. Hell, you wouldn’t last an hour out there.”