Page 91 of Bratva Brother’s Bride

Vera’s face goes pale again. “They were going to kill us both.”

“Yes.” I don’t sugarcoat it. There’s no point. “Anton doesn’t leave survivors.”

Yelena finishes with the last bandage and steps back. “You’ll live,” she says. “Try not to get into any more fights tonight.”

I nod my thanks and reach for a clean shirt that Lev must have left out. As I pull it on, I catch Vera watching me. Her eyes are still wide, but there’s something else there now. Something harder.

“What happens now?” she asks.

I meet her gaze. “Now we go to war.”

Vera doesn’t flinch.

“Anton made his move,” I continue. “He sent men into my home, tried to take you by force. That’s not a political maneuver. That’s an act of war.”

“Konstantin?” she asks. “Is he involved?”

“I don’t know.” It’s the honest answer. “My father plays a long game. He might be using Anton as a proxy, or he might be just as surprised by this as we are. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Anton needs to be dealt with.”

“Dealt with how?”

I don’t answer, but I don’t need to. Vera’s smart. She knows what I’m saying.

She stands abruptly, crossing to the window. Her back is to me, her shoulders rigid. “I used to think Dmitri was the worst thing that could happen to me,” she says quietly. “Now I’m married to another man who speaks of killing like it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” I stand too, moving toward her. “It’s necessary for our own safety. There’s a difference between senseless violence and defending your life.”

“Is there?”

I stop a few feet behind her. “Anton will keep coming, Vera. He’s already proven that. He won’t stop until he has what he wants, and he won’t hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way. Including me. Including our child.”

Our child. The words feel strange in my mouth, but right too. Vera’s hand drifts to her stomach. “So what do we do?” she asks.

“We do what’s necessary.” I step closer, close enough to see the tension in her shoulders and the way she’s holding herself rigid. “I’m going to find Anton, and I’m going to end this. Once and for all.”

She turns then, and her eyes are dry but fierce. “What do I do while you’re off playing soldier?”

“You stay here, and stay safe.”

“So I’m a princess locked in a tower?”

“This isn’t up for discussion.” My voice is harder than I intend, but I don’t soften it. “I nearly lost you once tonight. I’m not going to lose you again.”

She stares at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nods.

“Fine. For tonight.”

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight against my chest. She’s still rigid at first, but after a moment she relaxes into me. Her face presses against my shoulder.

“I was so scared,” she whispers. “In that room, not knowing if you were alive or dead. I’ve never been that scared.”

“I know.” I press my lips to her hair. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

We stand there for a long moment, the fire crackling in the hearth. Outside, the night sky is dark.

Here in this room, with Vera in my arms, I feel something I haven’t felt in a long time.

Purpose.