Page 3 of The Russian's Bought Bride

To that, Mikhail forces out a vaguely annoyed breath, and I can almost hear him weighing whether to push further. Finally, he asks, “You in the city?”

“I sure am.”

“Then maybe show your face,” he says. “It’d be nice if our brother remembered he’s part of this family.”

Rather than suspicion, I only find expectation and loyalty—the thing I’m quietly breaking every time I pick up that other phone.

“No need for dramatics. I’ll come by later,” I say, because it’s easier than arguing.

“You better,” Mikhail replies. “And don’t start something I have to clean up.”

A faint chuckle escapes me, not entirely trusting myself to make any more promises. “When have I ever done that?”

He snorts. “You want a comprehensive list?”

“Maybe another time,” I tell him, already pulling the phone away from my ear. “Deal with the shipment.”

I hang up before he can respond, and silence settles back into the car. It feels heavier now, making the two worlds I exist in with two versions of myself very apparent.

In one, I’m exactly what they think I am. A Lukov enforcer, and the one they send when things need to be handled up close without hesitation.

In the other…I’m something else. Still as willing to get violent and just as dangerous, but pointed in a different direction, and focused on a different goal.

If they knew what I was doing and just how deep I’ve gone without telling them, I wouldn’t just be dealing with their anger. It would be a kind of betrayal, given the nature of it all.

One wrong move could implicate them all, and that’s the last thing I want.

Staring out at the clinic again, I pull in a deep breath.

If they did find out somehow, I don’t know what they would say, or if they’d even understand, but I can’t let that stop me.

This is about people like Arthur Young and everyone else who don’t have armies behind them. Who don’t have the kind of power that can protect them from the worst of the worst.

People like Danielle.

For a moment, I consider picking up the folder again before I catch myself and pull away.

Focus, Nikolai.

I don’t need to know her, and I don’t need to care about her beyond what’s necessary to finish this.

But a quiet voice in the back of my head doesn’t quite agree, almost like it’s telling me,you already do.

Ignoring it for now, I try to put my mind back on the right track.

Tomorrow night, I’ll walk into that building as a buyer, shake some hands, and let them think I’m just another man looking to profit off desperation. When they show me what they’re really selling, I’ll end them. Not just the surgeons or the front-facing staff, but all of it. I’ll leave nothing left to grow from it again.

I glance at the time, catching how late it is.

I should leave to get some rest and prepare, but I sit a moment longer, watching the lights flicker behind the glass and picturing the rooms inside. As clear as day, I see the operating tables, the false promises, and the look of hope on a young woman’s face as her dad is wheeled inside.

My fingers curl against the steering wheel, making my knuckles turn white.

One night.

That’s how long Arthur Young has before he’s taken away for good.

Chapter 2 - Dani