LOGINKATYA“Will my father be there too?”The question slipped out before I could stop it.Nikolai looked up from where he stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the cuff of his black suit. He met my eyes through the mirror.“Yes.” He said, “He will.”I swallowed hard now, as silence settled between us for a second before he continued.“Every Pakhan, Bratva leader, and syndicate representative invited to the Concord will be there.”I let out a slow breath.“Well...”I rubbed my palms together nervously.“That would definitely be awkward.”A corner of his mouth lifted.“You could call it that.”I walked over to him, noticing that his tie was slightly crooked. Without thinking, I reached for it.“Stand still.”He raised an eyebrow but obeyed.My fingers worked carefully over the silk tie, straightening it before smoothing down the collar of his shirt. It amazed me how natural this had become.Weeks ago, I had hated this man.Now I was fixing his tie before he attended one of the
"We use the girl." Sergei said as he leaned back in the chair now.The room they were in was dimly lit, tucked away beneath one of Viktor Orlov's many illegitimate businesses. Thick concrete walls muffled every sound from the outside world, making it the perfect place for conversations that could get men killed.“We have tried it your own way, Viktor.” Sergei continued, "I think we've reached the point where trying to convince Katya to willingly help us is a waste of time."Viktor's jaw clenched."I came to that conclusion myself after seeing her at the cemetery."Lily smirked."I told you."Viktor shot her an annoyed glance."You did," he said. “And even though I didn’t want to believe it, she has feelings for him. That much is obvious.”Viktor scoffed as he thought about it even more."My own daughter."He was fuming now, as he downed another glass of whiskey.“This plan of yours.” Lily said, “Lay it out for us.”“Love is the biggest weakness a man like Nikolai could ever have.” Ser
NIKOLAI"I see the new Pakhan still enjoys making an entrance.”The amused voice carried across the grand ballroom before I had even finished shaking hands with the rest of the mafia families, which were gathered for the concord event. This was an event that I could absolutely not refuse to attend even though I didn’t want to be there.I turned, forcing the polite smile I had worn all evening to remain exactly where it was.The Concord Gathering only happened once a year, and every major Bratva family across Russia attended. This was a neutral ground where they could all talk about various things and come to decisions as a unit despite various fights going on within them.At least, that was what the Concord demanded.Everywhere I looked were men and women worth billions of dollars and even more. I had spent the better part of the last hour greeting family heads, accepting condolences for my father's death, and pretending that everything inside my organization wasn't slowly falling ap
KATYA"What if he doesn't believe me?" I murmured to myself. That particular question had been circling my head for the better part of an hour, as I paced across the room for what felt like the hundredth time.Every time I thought I had made up my mind, another doubt appeared.Tell him. Don't tell him. Tell him.I groaned and dragged both hands through my hair."This is ridiculous."If there had ever been a time I needed advice, it was now. Everything right now felt like an absolute disaster and I wasn’t sure where I stood in that. My stomach twisted now because I had been here before. The last time I had hidden something from Nikolai, it had ended with me being dragged into a dungeon. The memory alone made me shudder."I really don't want to do that again."The door opened at that exact moment and I froze.Nikolai stepped inside.His jacket was gone now, and the sleeves of his black shirt were rolled to his elbows.He stopped immediately when he saw me. "Are you okay?" he asked,
NIKOLAI"Why do you have that out?"I looked up from the parchment in my hands as I heard that. Sergei stood in the doorway of my study, one shoulder resting against the frame as his eyes locked onto the object I was holding.The Concord.Even after all these years, simply looking at it carried a certain weight. The scroll rested across my desk, its aged surface illuminated by the warm light of the lamp beside me.I had been staring at it for almost twenty minutes now. Not exactly reading it, but just lost in thought. I let out a slow breath."She asked about it."Sergei frowned immediately.“She?”“Katya”Surprise entered his eyes at this."Katya asked about the scroll?”"Yeah."The silence that followed lasted only a few seconds. Then Sergei scoffed as he pushed off the doorway and entered the room."Does that seem normal to you?" he asked. I leaned back in my chair."I don't know.""Really?" He sat down across from me. "Because it sounds pretty damn strange to me."I rubbed my j
KATYA"Are you okay?"Nikolai's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked and turned my head toward him."Hm?"He glanced at me before returning his attention to the road."You've been awfully quiet since we left the cemetery."My heart squeezed now. I hated how easily he noticed things. Especially when those things involved me."I'm okay," I replied. "That sounded convincing." He said, raising an eyebrow. I laughed softly."I am okay," I said, this time with more conviction. “I was just thinking about a couple of things that have happened recently.”"Anything I should be worried about?" he asked. I mean, this was the perfect time to tell him that my father had been at the cemetery. And how I now also shared his initial suspicion about Sergei. But I wasn’t sure how to even go about the whole conversation. I was going to have to figure it out soon."No," I said. “It is nothing too important.”Nikolai studied me for a moment, but then he eventually nodded. "Okay."We settled into
KATYAMy voice shook violently from the ache splitting my chest open so painfully I genuinely thought I might collapse right there on the balcony.Nikolai did not move.The mark from my slap still burned faintly against his cheek but he barely seemed to notice it.“You satisfied now?” I asked shaki
KATYAI sat rigidly against the leather seat with my hands clenched tightly in my lap, trying not to fidget while the city lights blurred outside the tinted windows.The dress felt obscene.Every slight movement reminded me of just how little fabric actually covered me and the awareness made heat c
NIKOLAIThe second I saw her eyes roll backwards and her begin to fall, something inside me jerked forward and I was catching her before I knew what I was doing.Her head lolled against my chest, her skin deathly pale beneath the blood splattered across her face.For one horrifying moment, I genuin
KATYAThe next morning, Nikolai came to the dungeon.I knew it was morning only because a maid had brought food earlier and judging by the exhaustion sitting heavy in my body, I had slept at some point during the night curled up on the thin mattress shoved into the corner of the cell.The food tray







