Chapter 16 - Konstantin

Dahlia was no longer in bed. Jumping up, I dressed and headed downstairs. I found her seated at the kitchen island, chatting to Mila.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Mila said, grinning.

Nodding at her, I kissed Dahlia on the cheek. "Good morning, sugar. Did you sleep well?"

Dahlia smiled at me. Her eyes sparkled, and she had that amazing glow about her. "Yes, thank you," she replied in a light tone. "I was wondering," she added.

Before she could talk further, I interrupted, feeling sure I knew what she was about to say. "Can you please stay at home today and rest? I want you to have a calm and relaxing day after all that has happened."

I noticed the displeasure as she lowered her gaze to the table before her. She wasn't happy with my decision. But she needed to get rest. Rubbing her back, I leaned closer as I spoke softly. "Stress isn't good for you or the baby, sugar. I am asking, please?"

She turned to me, taking my face in her soft hands as she replied. "Okay, I will stay home and rest."

Pulling her into my arms, I hugged her tightly as I spoke. "Thank you, sugar." Pulling away, I kissed her sensually. "Have a nice day," I added as I headed out. It was my fault. All the stress she's having is due to me. If only I hadn't allowed her to be part of the job, she wouldn't have gone out shopping with the others.

Pulling out of the garage, I scolded myself for placing her in harm's way and causing her more stress. But I was determined to fix the situation. I headed to the office as my brothers would be there, and I needed their assistance.

I was plagued with the belief of being the cause of Dahlia's stress. I needed to fix the mess I created. This other Bratva family had to be stopped once and for all. Entering the building, I headed to Leon's office.

Knocking twice, I waited for a reply from within. "Yes," I heard Leon call out. Opening the door, I peeked inside. "Hey there," Leon said, looking over his laptop. "Come in; you know you don't have to knock."

Entering, I walked to the chair on this side of the shiny wooden desk. As I flopped down in the chair, filled with dread, I spoke. My voice sounded unfamiliar even to me. By the look on Leon's face, I knew he heard the anxiety. "I need to protect Dahlia."

"Konstantin, you know we are here for you. Whatever you need, just name it," Leon replied as he rose from behind the desk.

"Yes," I replied, staring past him out the window.

Feeling Leon's hand on my shoulder brought me back from the vast emptiness I was drifting into. Glancing up, I nodded. "We need to find these people," I added as I stood.

"Let's see if Piotr is in, and we can make a plan," Leon said as he walked out the door. I followed him to Piotr's office. My mind felt as if it had been disconnected from my body. Twice now, I could have lost her. I could not allow that to happen.

Piotr was on the phone with a client. We sat down and waited for him to conclude his call. "Well then, brothers," he said, placing the phone on its stand. "Did I forget a meeting?"

Loen smirked. "No, but Konstantin needs our help with this other Bratva family," he said.

"What do you need from us, brother?" he asked without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to assimilate my thoughts before speaking. "I must stop these people who are trying to harm Dahlia."

"Right," Piotr replied, rising from behind his desk. "Let's see if Mila has come in yet."

We moved down the hall to Mila's office. Piotr was about to open the door when we heard her speaking behind us. "Morning, guys, looking for me?" She pushed past us, opened the door, and entered her office. Mila's office was nothing like any of ours.

All our offices spoke of authority. They were organized and could be classed as work-orientated. But not Mila's office. This space was hers, and so was her room. Nowhere else could you see her personality more prominently displayed.

She had a mixture of badass posters, ornaments, and sayings all over the place. Yet, there were always one or two things in bright colors that stood out. I called these her unicorns.

"Right, boys," she said as she turned to us and sat on the edge of her desk. "How can I help?"

"I need information on the Bratva family targeting Dahlia," I huffed. My patience was thin, and I wanted to get moving before anything else happened.

"Great stuff," Mila replied in a chipper tone, moving to her computer. Her system was amazing. There were three screens against the wall behind her. Leo and Jamie had come through and assisted in setting up her system. It had the latest hacking programs with the best blocking and tracing capabilities. "What am I looking for? Searching for the name Aleksandr or Dahlia doesn't give me anything. We know the company is a front, and Aleksandr is on the board. More than that I couldn't gather last time. Remember?" Mila added, groaning.

"Try searching for any links to the company she worked for," I said.

Everyone turned looking at me. "Give me a second, okay," I added, trying to remember the name. "It was Folcan Industries, right?" I finished, pleased with myself.

Mila turned her head sideways, grinning broadly at me. "Yes, but are you sure they have something to do with Bratva? Last time, we made up a lot of the information as you wanted to convince her, but there was nothing real there."

"It was the company she worked for. Her cousin got her the job. I know they are Bratva; I feel it in my gut. So, yeah, I'm sure." I said confidently.

"I'm surprised you remembered the company name," Leon said, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah, stop teasing me," I retorted.

"Go grab us some coffee, guys. Let me work my magic," she said as she started typing in code.

I felt frustrated. I wanted to grab her and shake her until I got answers. But I knew this wasn't going to work. She needed space to do what she does. I followed Piotr and Leon to the lounge. As I walked, I clenched my fists and then shook them out. My nerves were shot, and I wasn't sure coffee would cure what I had.

We had just sat down with our coffee when Alyssa arrived, bringing gifts. She had stopped and bought some delights for breakfast. I watched as my brothers dug in, stuffing their faces. My stomach was a tight knot. I couldn't even think of eating.

Turning to my brothers, I could hear my anger surfacing as I spoke. "Once the information comes through, we need to make contact. Whether this turns from peace talks to war, I know I can rely on all of you."

"We will always be there no matter what, you know that," Leon replied calmly. "Even if you are annoying," he added, smiling.

Walking towards him, I felt my anger subduing slightly. Punching him lightly on the arm, I smiled as he spilled his coffee onto the table. Placing down his cup, he turned to me, holding his shoulder. "That hurt, bro," he said, rubbing it.

Maybe that was harder than I intended, but I was sure it wasn't. Piotr laughed as he spoke. "You know we always have your back. But let's first try and sort this out in a civilized way, okay?"

"I would never put any of you in harm's way or in danger without good reason," I replied snootily.

"Yes, yes," Piotr replied, grinning. "But that is why we'll decide together on a plan of action."

I saw the skepticism in both their faces as they looked at each other and back at me. I flashed them my middle finger and walked to the window. After a while, I sat back down. The waiting was eating at my insides.

An hour later, Mila came storming in, swearing like a sailor. "I tried," she spat. She grabbed the sides of her hair, clutching her hands full, and pulled them as she continued. "I can't penetrate their network. I did find Aleksandr on their board, though. His last name is Dubow."

Mila walked to the double couch by the window and plopped down into it, putting her hands over her face. "I can't get any other details." Looking up at me, I could see the anger in her eyes.

This information was worrisome. It could only imply that they were bigger than I had thought. It meant they were powerful, but I still needed the information. Pacing up and down the room, I tried to think of another way to gather the details required.

"We could ask Leo, Evelina, and Jamie if they could assist," Piotr suggested.

Stopping in my tracks, I turned to him. I felt like grabbing his face and kissing him. That was a brilliant idea. "Yes, I'll give them a call," I said, heading out to my office.

"Wait," Mila called after me. Stopping in the doorway, I raised my eyebrows at her as I asked. "Yes?"

"This family is powerful, and they could be dangerous. Let me talk to them. I can share what I have tried. Maybe they could just give me better directions as to what to do," Mila spoke as she walked toward me.

I watched as Mila headed back to her space. Glancing back at the others, I spoke calmly, feeling slightly better. "I'm heading home to be with Dahlia. Let me know if they find anything."

Arriving home, I found Dahlia in the practice room. "Hey sugar, what you up to?" I asked, walking in.

Dahlia smiled at me. It felt like I had just walked into a ray of sunshine as the room lit up. "I thought some exercises would ease some of the strain in my back," she said softly. "I was practicing some of the punches you showed me."

"Nice," I replied, kissing her cheek. "How about a soaking bath? That is sure to relax your muscles."

"Mmm, that sounds tempting," she replied, taking my hand.

"A bath it is, then," I said as I scooped her into my arms and headed upstairs. I placed her down in the chair in my room. "Just sit tight while I draw the bath," I said as I walked to the bathroom.

I added some lavender oil and a relaxation bomb to the tub before heading back to the room. Holding out my hand, I waited for her to get up. Dahlia took my hand and followed me to the bathroom. "Your bath awaits, my lady," I said, closing the door.

Dahlia turned. Taking my face into her soft hands, she kissed me passionately. I couldn't resist pulling her into my arms. As we kissed, I felt her hands fumbling with the buttons of my shirt and took hold of them. Pulling back from our deep kiss, I smiled at her as I spoke. "I want to pamper you."

I assisted her in ridding herself of her clothing and watched in awe as she got in the bath. Bending next to the tub, I lathered her in soap and bubbles. I washed her back, her legs, and feet. She giggled as I did this.

Her laughter filled the room. I felt like I was surrounded by exotic birds in a rainforest. She was so special. I wondered if she knew what power she had over me. Once she was done bathing, I picked her up and wrapped her in a large fluffy gown.

I carried her to my bed and laid her down. Sitting next to her, I grabbed the massage oil. "Turn on your stomach for a bit," I said, opening the bottle. I massaged her back, legs, arms, and neck.

"I can get used to this," she whispered as I was about done.

"Rest, sugar," I said, kissing her cheek. "I have something to check on. I'll be back in a bit, though." I added as I left the room.

I had to follow up with Mila and the others. Hopefully, Dahlia would get some sleep and feel better once she woke up.

Mila had just arrived home as I entered the kitchen. "Any update?" I asked, pouring two cups of coffee.

"Leo and Evelina are looking into it for us," she replied, taking her cup. "Leo said he'll give us a call in the morning."

"Thank you, Mila," I said, walking out to the porch.

I was about to rinse my cup when Piotr returned. "Hey, how are you two holding up?" he asked.

"Good, thanks, but I feel tired, I think I'll turn in for the evening. See you in the morning."

"No problem, sleep well," he replied as I walked out.

I slid into bed beside Dahlia, trying my best not to wake her. I felt calm, holding her even with everything milling around my mind.