Page 25 of Trapped by the Bratva (The Valkov Bratva #5)
DMITRI
A couple of days after Hannah and I had our longer conversation about the future, I felt like we were in a good place. She wasn’t as shy anymore, and I was glad that telling her how much she mattered made her more content and confident.
I couldn’t imagine a life without any support.
My brothers had always been there for me.
My father was a good man before our uncle had him killed.
I didn’t remember much of my mother as she died too soon, but Margie was always in the background as a maternal figure.
Despite my criminal life, I grew up knowing someone would always be there for me.
Hannah hadn’t. She’d lacked that fundamental background, and I vowed to do all I could to provide it for her.
“You’re going to move out?” Alek asked when I mentioned after a meeting that I was heading out with Hannah.
“Yeah. It’s about time,” I replied. “Don’t you think?”
“Well, sure. But…” He tossed some papers to his desk and shrugged. “I’m surprised it’s been on your radar. I thought you had tunnel vision on finding Avilov and getting your revenge.”
“That’s still my focus, but what the fuck can I do in the meantime? I’m not strong enough to travel or walk the streets to look for him.”
He nodded.
“And so far, according to our men and the fucking Feds you’re determined to become allies with?—”
“Hold on.” He lifted his hand to cut me off. “We’re not becoming allies with any agencies.”
“Doesn’t seem like that to me.” I shoved my hand in my pocket while I leaned on my cane.
“Maxim made it clear, Dmitri. They don’t want to meddle with us. We have a common goal, the same target, and it won’t be an altogether bad thing to team up for this mission. Only this mission.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, this one-and-only collaborative effort isn’t going so great so far. No one knows where he fucking is.”
“He’s been hiding and lying low,” Alek agreed. “Which is to be expected. He killed his uncle to take over the family.”
Tilting my head to the side, I smiled. “Don’t you find that amusing? Or ironic, at least? You killed Uncle Pavel to take over the Bratva, too. And you’re not hiding.”
He stood taller and smiled right back. “Because I don’t need to hide from anything. Pavel—and Andrey—were running the Bratva to the ground. I took over to make it better.”
And you are.
“But Erik killed his uncle out of nothing but spite. Lev Avilov wasn’t ruining the Avilov name. He was quite successful with it, and Erik wanted that power for himself.”
That was the difference between the men.
My brother wasn’t power hungry and I doubted he ever would be.
Erik was, and I wondered if his reputation would simply catch up to him and end him before I could.
Selfish men never lasted long in the world of syndicated crime families.
Someone got them and made them pay, sooner or later.
“Will you still tell me if and when a location has been found on Avilov?” I asked. I hadn’t put him on the spot like this yet, not since he started talking about letting the Feds handle the man.
“Yes,” he replied. “I understand that your vendetta isn’t something that any of us can talk you out of. If I had been in your position, I would be feeling the same about killing my torturer.”
“Thank you.” I nodded once in acknowledgment.
“But—”
I chuckled. “You fucker.”
“But,” he repeated. “I wouldn’t let you go after him alone, not while you’re still regaining your strength.”
“Fair enough.” I pointed at him. “So long as I have free rein to pay him back in kind.”
“Of course. I doubt you’ll get your damn closure without it.”
He did understand me, after all. I left his office feeling content about the situation.
Hannah was waiting for me near a car, and I laughed at how amazed and awkward she acted about having a driver in a tinted car.
“I feel like a princess or something,” she gushed.
I tugged her closer and kissed her hard. “I’m going to spoil the fuck out of you, girl.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth and smiled. “Really?”
I nodded. “Especially with my cock.”
“I can’t wait.”
The car stopped, though, jarring us from this flirty business. We got out at the first property and toured it quickly. The second we walked inside, I knew it wouldn’t work. Too small. Weird dimensions in the rooms.
“How come you don’t want to go through an agent?” Hannah asked as we drove to the next place I’d put on my list. That was half the fun we’d had with this already, lying in bed last night and scrolling real estate sites.
“Because I don’t want to deal with someone pushing something on me.”
“Stubborn,” she agreed. “To a fault.”
“You know it,” I agreed easily.
The next place was a better fit, but Hannah seemed to nitpick about enough details that I assumed she disliked it. Even though this was new between us, I was vested in her and what we could build between us. If she didn’t like it, then it wasn’t good for us.
By the time we reached the fifth place, I realized I was having fun with this.
My ankle bothered me, but not so much that I hated being out and about.
With Hannah, I didn’t care if anyone glanced twice at my scarred face or missing fingers.
No one else’s opinions mattered. If she wanted me the way I was, that was all I needed.
As we checked out the next property, I was struck with how domestic it was to do this activity with her.
It was all too easy to picture her in the kitchen, cooking dinners with me.
Or the master bedrooms, where we’d undress and fall into bed together.
I wasn’t looking for a place to move out to, but a home to move into with her.
Throughout the day, she was happy and peppy, quick to counter my complaints with mentions of positives, always eager to look at the bright side of things. Those elusive silver linings.
She was my silver lining, and I’d never take that for granted.
At moments, she seemed uneasy, and that snagged my attention.
It wasn’t anything significant, but she’d frown or look away, awkward about something on her mind.
The only thing I could think of was her reluctance to join my family.
To become one of the Bratva with us. I had to wonder if she would ever truly get used to being a woman connected to a criminal organization, and I contemplated how I could convince her that it was worth it.
That my family was worth it. That I was worth any hardships she’d suffer in adjusting to our lifestyle.
It didn’t help that she was so young. She was na?ve in so many ways but smarter in even more.
Living under her sister’s manipulation and abuse, Hannah had been forced to mature and grow up quickly.
Her ignorance, and what seemed like her main discomfort, likely stemmed from fitting in with the kinds of people the world would be quick to label as “bad”.
“Hannah?” I took her hand and pulled her attention to me. She’d been gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows in a penthouse that I wasn’t crazy about. It didn’t seem like a place to start a family. A couple, sure, but later down the line, it wasn’t appealing for little kids.
She raised her brows as she faced me. Her smile was too quick to be sincere, but I was determined to get an honest answer out of her.
It was time to put her on the spot. “Can you commit to me?”
She parted her lips and covered her awkwardness with a smile. “Can you? Can you commit to me?”
There was that whole answering-a-question-with-a-question routine again.
“Could you commit to me and a life with me instead of only wanting to live for the purpose of seeking revenge?”
I stepped closer and slid my hand around her hip. Pressing my brow to hers, I sighed and resisted the urge to kiss her. I would, but not before I said my piece.
“I already have. I already am committed to you.” I slanted lower to brush my lips over hers. “You make me more alive every time you’re near, and you make me excited to wait in anticipation of when you will be close again.”
She caressed my jaw, smoothing her hands up until she framed my face. “Yes, Dmitri. I can—and will—commit to being with you.”
Giving in to the sweet promise in her words, I groaned and dipped lower to kiss her fully, deep and hard, with needy licks and rough sucks. I wanted to devour her, right here and now, and she noticed the need I couldn’t hide in my desperate expression.
“No, there’s not even a bed,” she said around giggles.
“Then the car.” I took her hand and hurried her toward the door. My cane tapped on the floor with a rapid tempo.
“In the backseat?” she asked, her voice still light with laughter. “Behind the driver’s partition?”
“I’ll take that sweet pussy of yours anywhere and anyhow I can.”
And that’s a promise I’ll always keep.