Chapter 22

22

NIKOLAI

" Y ou're late," Nadia hisses the minute I walk into my own office back at the Petrov buildings. She is sitting with her combat boots crossed on my desk, and she is filing her sharp claws down to an even finer point with a knife.

For the past two weeks, I have been late to everything and spacing out in meetings.

My mind is constantly consumed with thoughts of Gwen - wanting to pull her close and carry her back to my bed. I yearn for one of us to apologize and for her to acknowledge that she belongs to me and that she also feels this intense connection between us.

I know she feels it too. I see it every time her body quivers when my fingers trace down her spine or our eyes meet, showing me that she feels the same irresistible attraction towards me. But something is holding her back, and the side of me that craves pain wants to understand hers. I want to kill whatever is making her run away from me. That is the thought I'm most consumed with. How do I stop her from running away again?

The squeak of Nadia shifting her boots on my desk brings me out of my thoughts and I roll my eyes, making my way over to her, tapping her calf. "What about custom do you not understand?"

Nadia slides her boots off of my desk, leaving a small trail of dirt along my desk. "I'll understand custom when you tell me what our father meant by bastard." She takes the knife she had been filing her nails with and plunges it into the wood of the desk.

I pause, taking a deep breath through my nose, not looking Nadia in the eye, because despite our meeting with Boris being three weeks ago and I have told Nadia Boris meant nothing by the term bastard, she is like a dog with a bone. Nadia asks me every chance we get. Last time, I told her there is bliss in ignorance and she tried to fucking stab me.

A part of me doesn't want to be the one to pop the bubble of our "Angelic Mother." Nadia and Aleksandr still don't know the venom our mother had for Boris. They don't know the only way she could get back at him was by cheating and making him a cuckold. They don't know that there is a possibility we are all someone else's. And if they find out that I am a bastard and then we find out that they're not, Nadia with a bloodbath the size of Manhattan, or Alek if they were to play into the politics, should be the rightful head of the Russian Mafia. I should be nothing. I should be a glorified bodyguard for my siblings, or a punching back, or a weakness. If I have it my way, they will never know and this will be a thing I take to my grave along with so many other secrets Boris has left me to carry.

"Nadia, do you trust me?" I look at her from the corner of my eye, and she shifts in her seat, eyeing me suspiciously. She pauses and I narrow my eyes at her, rolling my jaw. "It's a simple question."

"It used to be, Nik. I could easily say I trusted you with my life." Nadia leans forward, her fingers wrapping around the handle of the knife lodged in my desk. "But you are hiding something."

"Have I ever put your or Aleksandr's life in danger?" I growl, turning so that I am hovering above Nadia with my fingertips sprawled against the desk. "Have I truly given you a reason not to trust me? When I asked you to be my right hand, you pledged your life to mine. What did I tell you?"

She swallows sharply. "That if any of us go down, we all go down together."

I give her a wide, creepy smile. "Just like the string orchestra that played as the Titanic went down. You, me, and Aleksandr go down with the fucking ship, Nadia. It's that simple. Now I am keeping my promise, but baby, if you want to jump ship." I tap the desk and her crystal eyes gloss over. "Then allow me to help you. "

"Was that a threat, Nik?" she snarls, the knuckles around her knife handle turning stark white.

"Was that knife in my desk a threat?" I give her the smile that only showcases my top layer of teeth, and I lower my eyes at her. She laughs, biting her lip and contemplating her next moves. If I was an enemy, she'd pop that knife out of the desk and slice my neck open, faster than I can get my gun out. Lucky for me, I am her brother, even if it is truly just by a half.

Her voice comes out in a sadistic whisper, "We can't fight right now, bro, there is a war outside those doors."

"I agree." My head shoots up to see Aleksandr leaning against the doorframe of my office. "It would be stupid of us to kill each other with the Yakuza and Italian breathing down our necks."

Nadia doesn't keep her eyes off me as she speaks. "So we just let him lie to us?" I don't take my eyes off of her as Aleksandr shifts against the frame of the door, staring at me from across the room.

"No." Alek crosses his arms over his chest and kicks off, walking closer to us. "All secrets come to the light, Nadia. It's only a matter of time, but until then, the Irish are coming to discuss how we keep the Yakuza at bay. "

I scoff, dropping into my desk chair as Nadia pulls the knife out of my desk and closes it before tucking it in her bra. "You think it's smart for us to get in bed with the Irish?"

"The Yakuza destroyed one of our warehouses by the Hudson, left a calling card and everything. They want us to go to war, and they are sure they are going to win," Nadia says, tucking the arm of the chair underneath her knees.

"The Irish are still recouping from their war with the Polish last year," I say, but before Aleksandr can counter me, a knock is at the door. Aleksandr doesn't keep his eyes off me as he yanks the door open and my secretary, a petite brown-skinned girl with a slick back ponytail and big glasses, peeks her head in. "Yes, Lily?"

Aleksandr's intense gaze shifts down to Lily, almost piercing through her. She startles when she notices him looking at her and grips my door frame harder. "Jeez, Alek," Nadia scolds. "You're going to give Lily a fucking heart attack. Stop looking at her like that."

Nadia's voice is stern but Aleksandr doesn't flinch. Instead, he leans in closer to her. Lily was sort of a childhood friend of ours, always quiet with her nose in a book. After her father passed away four years ago, I paid for her to finish college at Yale with a double major in political science and British literature. She now works for us as my secretary, thanks to a hefty salary that I offered as an incentive, but why Alek is looking at her like he would bite her head off is beyond me.

"Nik," Lily squeaks, trying to blend into the wall. "Mr. Doyle and a group of Irishmen are here."

"Thanks, Lil," I nod, and she gives me a tight smile before slipping out of the room. Aleksandr's eyes remain fixed on the spot where Lily had been standing instead of returning my gaze.

Nadia leans forward, pulling my attention back. "Well, boys, it's time to go down with the ship."

The boardroom is a battlefield, with the Irish positioned around the perimeter like a well-oiled army ready for battle. Their eyes are sharp and their muscles tense, exuding an aura of confidence and power. Many other men would shit their pants at the show of power they have, but I know I am the safest man in this room.

Nadia is a fucking beast who could possibly have the highest body count of murders in this city, maybe even this country. If provoked, we would unleash a wrath that these men can't even imagine. One whistle and five of them would be dead, while Alek crushes Doyle's skull in a headlock with a purpling black eye. We are not just murderers; we are sadistic killers who revel in every drop of blood spilled. And if these men dare to start something, it would only give us the perfect opportunity to release our pent-up frustrations towards each other, and maybe some of the frustration I had towards Gwen. Missing teeth and destroyed suits would be a small price to pay for the adrenaline rush of a good fight. I'd probably be thankful for the opportunity.

"Mr. Doyle, I see you and your men have made yourself comfortable," I remark, smiling as I walk in, unbuttoning the middle of my suit jacket as I make my way to the head of the table, opposite Doyle .

Doyle snorts through his nose, looking over as his right hand man Edward speaks on his behalf, "Better safe than sorry, gentlemen and lady."

"Oh Eddy, honey, we both know from my high school days I am no lady." Nadia laughs, taking her comfortable position to my right and swinging her boots up on the desk. Edward gives her a short snort, and she gives him a wicked smile that on anyone else would be charming; on her, it's downright sadistic.

"Stop with ya' flirtin', Edward, we are here on business," Doyle scolds, shifting in his seat.

"I always say business and pleasure go together." I smile, and Doyle growls, flexing his muscles, before spitting on my floor and leveling me with a glare. The room is silent for a moment, but I continue to smile. "Don't you worry, the cleaning lady will get that."

Aleksandr jumps in, "I am sure you have been aware of the increasing pressure from the Yakuza on our operations." His voice is steady and commanding as I lean back my chair, eyeing the Irish leader across the table.

Doyle nods, his expression serious. "Aye, we've been keeping tabs on them. It's strange, though, for them to come after you."

"Why is that, Doyle? We are the biggest fish in the pond," Nadia chides in a teasing manner before pouting her bottom lip out at him.

Doyle's nose flares, and Edward cuts in, "Your father Boris always had a close relationship with the Yakuza. You both have had a truce for years, and we don't understand why they would back out of that deal if your transition to power was so smooth. "

Aleksandr shifts in his seat, his eyes narrowing. Nadia's body stiffens slightly but she masks it with a whistle. I, on the other hand, come up with a lie quickly. "It's precisely because of that relationship we're in this mess. They know our weaknesses. They think they can dismantle us."

Nadia catches onto the lie quickly, tapping her fingers against her thighs, her eyes cold. "We need to change the game. A truce between us and the Irish, and possibly the Italians, could turn the tide."

Doyle clicks his head to the side, his tone skeptical. "And why should we trust you? Boris was intimate with the Yakuza. What makes you different?"

I lean forward, my gaze intense. "Because Boris is no longer calling the shots. I am. And I intend to protect what's ours and our allies at any cost."

Nadia kicks her boots off the table with a wide smile. "Besides, you don't think we came here without incentive, did you?"

"You've wanted the Upper East Side for a while, right?" I say with a smirk because Doyle shoots up straight in his seat.

"What about it, Nikolai?" Edward's eyes narrow.

"Join us and we'll call it neutral territory for just us," I say.

Doyle smiles toothily, leaning in forward. "Let negotiations begin then."

By the end of the meeting, we agreed upon a temporary truce with a neutral Upper East Side and we gave them 10% of our property in the Bronx. The minute we were sure they were out of earshot, Nadia turns on me. "Is that it? Did you fucking know Dad was in bed with the fucking Yakuza?"

I wring my hand through my hair, my eyes wide. "No, I did not fucking know!"

"So, this war is starting on behalf of Dad?" Nadia growls, her lips tight and eyes murderous.

"I would bet money on it," Aleksandr responds calmly. Nadia lets out a guttural scream, breathing heavily, and I walk closer to her.

"Nadia," I breathe.

"Move. I am going to kill him." She speaks through tight teeth, and I believe her. Daddy's little girl is going to kill her Daddy and as much as her doing that would solve like three problems for me, I stop her.

"I'll meet with Boris. Get the full picture. Once I have the information, we'll solidify our plans," I speak, and she narrows her eyes on me.

The room falls silent, with only the sound of her heavy breathing. She breaks the silence with a low, icy whisper. "If I find out you knew about the Yakuza, or you are working with Dad against us, I will have your fucking head, Nik. I won't hesitate, brother or not."