Page 48 of The Bratva’s Monster

And while I might not be official Bratva, I know enough to know that they are not supposed to be on this side of town.

I turn to leave as a cold fear grabs my heart and I nearly run into someone coming in. “Excuse me⁠—”

I have to take a step back as I look up into the face of the man who stopped me that day I met with my father. Beautiful women have a bad habit of becoming targets and cannon fodder in wars if they don’t pick the right side of the street to stand on…

“Mrs. Pavlova,” he says with a smile. “We have got to stop meeting like this.”

A cold reality hits me. If he’s here at the same time as Stefan, then he must be Irkutsk. Shit.

He steps close to me, looking around himself as if trying to make sure we won’t be heard. “What are you doing in here? Are you following me?”

My mouth goes dry and the words leave my brain. I’ve never wanted to run so badly in my life.

“Josef,” I hear behind me. “Ask the lady if she’d like to join me.”

I swallow as Josef’s eyes dart over my head, then back to me. “Looks like Stefan wants to have a word. Come on.”

He takes me by the arm and pulls me. I yank my arm out of his grip and he grabs me again.

“Don’t make a scene,” he says through clenched teeth. “We don’t want things to get messy.”

I let him pull me out of line and to the table in the back of the room. They won’t kill you in public, I say to myself over and over again. They won’t kill you in public.

As soon as we’re in front of Stefan, all conversation stops. He looks me up and down quickly, then to everyone and no one at all, he says, “Let me talk to her alone.”

Everyone clears out, casually walking all the way out of the cafe without so much as a single objection. Josef shoos away the remaining customers, then leaves himself, but not before pausing and giving me a final look over his shoulder as he goes.

“Sit,” he says. I don’t move, so he adds, “Please.”

I will my feet to move and take the chair right in front of me. He says, “Rostov men have always known how to pick them. If you don’t mind my saying it, you are way above your husband’s pay grade.”

I don’t say anything. I can’t. I feel like a spell is holding my tongue, keeping me silent.

“I won’t waste your time,” he says. “Word on the street is that the Rostovs are on a rat hunt and for some reason, you’re in their line of sight.”

“I’m not a rat,” I say. I’m so pissed that my voice shakes.

“If you’re not, nobody knows it but you at the moment.” Stefan regards me with a steely look, eyes slightly narrowed. His words might be light, but he’s not delivering them that way. This is a very serious conversation.

“I want to offer you asylum,” he says. “It’s no secret that both my Bratva and the Rostovs are heading toward war. When it breaks out in earnest, your blood will probably be among the first to run. Alex is a smart man. If he believes you’re selling him out, there’s no way he can let you live.”

“I told you,” I say again, “I’m not a rat, and neither was my husband. So whatever asylum you think you can offer, I don’t need it.” I stand up as he stares at me, his eyes cold. “Whatever game you’re playing, I’m not interested.”

I go to leave and he says, “In the end, they will not protect you. If it means sacrificing you to gain victory, they will do it in a heartbeat.” I look over my shoulder at him, at his cold stare. His eyebrows twitch, shifting into something resembling sympathy. “Just keep it in mind, Elizaveta.”

I have to ball my hands up to stop them from shaking. I turn around and walk out of the cafe, rushing past the small crowd of Irkutsks standing around the path to my car. As I start it, I see the one bold enough to confront me smirking as if to say, you’ll be back.

I start my car and pull away. Like hell I will.

19

RIKKI

Ishouldn’t have let Liz leave the way she did, but I don’t regret showing her the video. I know it hurt her to see it. Maybe more than it did when I first saw it, but she had to know. She had to have all the information before she locked in on proving his innocence.

Only now… Now I wonder if she’s going to give up.

It’s been a few hours since Liz was here and I haven’t heard from her. She hasn’t called and I haven’t tried to reach out, not that I won’t if this goes on for too long. But she needs time. Time to wrestle with how it all looks to Alex.