Page 11 of Toxic Salvation (Krayev Bratva #2)

KOVAN

“You call that a punch?” I laugh right in Waylen’s fucking face.

Waylen hits the sparring mat hard, his head bouncing against the foam padding. I advance on him where he lies, sprawled and wincing.

“I’ll make the next one count for more,” he spits.

“Causing a scene was unnecessary,” I advise him.

Waylen sits up slowly, one knee drawn to his chest for balance. Blood trickles from his split lip. “Maybe. But the punch was well-earned.”

“It was amateur hour. If you’re planning to defend your sister’s honor, you’ll need to do a hell of a lot better than one weak-ass sucker punch.”

Waylen climbs to his feet, fists still clenched. The veins in his forearms bulge with tension. “You promised me you wouldn’t hurt her.”

“Believe it or not, hurting her was never the plan.” My jaw clenches. “I regret what happened. But?—”

“What actually happened?” Waylen interrupts.

I stop cold. “She didn’t tell you?”

“She won’t talk about you at all. That’s how I know you really fucked her up.”

“It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that she’s pregnant?—”

“For such a smart bastard, you act stupid as hell sometimes.” Waylen’s face screws up with disgust. “Don’t you get it? She’s pregnant—that’s exactly why it matters. You didn’t just break her heart—you knocked her up, too.”

He thinks he’s being clever, winding up for another sucker punch while talking up a storm. I see it coming from a mile away and sidestep, so his fist catches nothing but air.

“Fuck you!” he curses, stumbling forward into the empty space I just vacated.

“Real graceful,” I snort. “I should recruit you for the Bratva. My enemies would laugh themselves to death before drawing a weapon.”

“Shut the hell up. I’m not a gangster.”

“Neither am I.”

Waylen cackles like I just told a joke. Then he straightens up, rolling his shoulders. “Vesper says you’re planning to keep her here against her will. How’s that for ‘not a gangster’?”

“It’s for her safety. Hers and the baby’s. She can go wherever she wants—she’ll just have a security detail.”

“You can’t actually expect her to move back in here? After what you did?”

“This is the safest place for her.”

“I’d argue the safest place for Vesper is about a thousand miles away from you, give or take.”

“Maybe. But that baby changes everything. I’m going to be in her life whether any of you like it or not.”

Waylen touches the back of his head where it hit the mat, still scowling. “You want Vesper here? Then you get me, too. I’ll be here every damn day, watching your every move.”

“Be my guest.” I shrug. “Hell, move in. Make the commute easier.”

Waylen stares at me. “You’re serious?”

“It’s a big house. And Luka’s missed you. Can’t say much for the kid’s taste, but he’s only nine.”

“You just want a built-in babysitter.”

“Is it so hard to believe I want what’s best for him? I just swallowed my pride and offered you your job back. Doesn’t that tell you something about my motivations?”

Waylen doesn’t look convinced. “Was that supposed to be you giving me my job back?”

“I wasn’t getting down on one knee, if that’s what you were hoping for.”

His fists finally unfurl. “You’re going to have to, if you want me to say yes.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m dead serious. You want me back? You’re going to have to beg.”

“You’re out of your goddamn mind.”

“I’m coming back either way, Kovan. Trust me—you want me on your side if you expect this arrangement to work.”

“Christ, you’re annoying.”

“Is the begging going to start anytime soon?” Waylen checks his watch with theatrical flair. “I’ve got places to be.”

I grit my teeth. “Fine. Waylen Fairfax, you’re a pain in the ass, but you’re good at your job. Great at it, actually. I want you to come back. I want you to be Luka’s tutor again.”

“Not bad.” He crosses his arms, looking smug. “Now, let’s discuss compensation.”

“You had a generous salary.”

“Then you fired me. So if you want me back, you’ll have to make it worth my while.”

“Fucking extortionist. Fine. Ten percent raise.”

“Double up and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“You want me to double your pay?” I laugh out loud. “For the exact same job you were doing a month ago?”

“What can I say?” He bobs a shoulder. “Bad decisions have tough consequences. You shouldn’t have screwed my sister and then treated her like garbage. Consider it an asshole tax.”

I grimace, but in the end, I extend my hand. “Done.”

He looks shocked that I caved so easily. “Just like that?”

“My hand’s getting tired, Waylen.”

He grabs it and squeezes hard enough to crack bones. The pressure feels deliberate. “I want a nice room, too. One with a garden view.”

“Pick any one you want. I couldn’t possibly care less.”

“And my mother needs a room, too.”

He thinks he’s pushing me, testing my limits. But I’m already ten moves ahead. “I already offered that to Vesper. Annabelle can move in whenever she’s ready.”

Waylen blinks, processing this. “You’re… you’re actually okay with that? Our mother is really sick. She’ll need constant care. Medications. Hospital visits. Expensive treatments.”

“I can handle all of that. As for around-the-clock care, I know an excellent oncology nurse. After my team vets her, she’ll have a room right next to your mother’s.”

Waylen squints at me for a long moment. “That’s a lot of concessions for a woman you supposedly threw away a month ago.”

“I didn’t throw her away because I wanted to. I ended things because I had to.”

A line appears between Waylen’s eyebrows. He looks puzzled, working through something. “You love her,” he says at last.

“Drop it, mudak .”

“Holy shit. You do actually love her.”

“I said drop it. Just take the job and the room and get out of my face.”

Instead, Waylen steps closer, his jaw jutting forward aggressively. “You know what? I was just starting to like you.”

“I don’t need you to like me. I don’t need anything from you.”

“See, that’s your problem, Kovan. You think you can handle everything alone. But no man is an island, no matter how powerful he thinks he is.”

“You don’t know me.”

“No, I don’t. And I thank God for that every single day. But my sister had the terrible judgment to fall for someone like you. Worse, she’s carrying your baby. So here’s what I need to know: Do you have a plan for keeping them safe? Both of them?”

“What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” This pisses me off more than it should. “That’s exactly what I was doing when I broke up with her. Then she shows up after a month and tells me…” I run my hands through my hair. “The baby caught me by surprise, alright?”

“Someone never got the birds and the bees talk, hm? You ever heard of a condom?”

I shoot him a death glare, only to realize the bastard is actually smirking.

“Look, I get that you’re trying to step up now,” Waylen continues, more serious now. “But I need you to keep your distance from Vesper emotionally. She’s been through hell lately. She doesn’t need you going hot and cold depending on your mood. She’s not your personal stress ball.”

“I know that.”

“Good. Don’t worry—I’ll be around to remind you every day.”

“ Blyat’ .” I push past him toward the door. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

“A family,” Waylen calls after me. “Better late than never, right?”