NaomiI waited with Gavril in the hallway as we watched the children file out of the rooms, my heart twisted with pain both for him and me. His pain had been raw earlier, the very pain that I still didn’t understand what drove it. I might have only known him for a few months, but I was well aware of his emotions, of his moods.Gavril was in pain. He had suffered some great loss in his life, and perhaps that was what drove him now.Either that or he truly liked the violence around him. I knew that he did enjoy parts of it, but given what I had seen today, there was good in Gavril.There was good in him, begging for release. After all, what sort of pakhan would take a family under his wing and provide for them? I doubted he was going to ask anything of the girls or their mother.If he did, I would be disappointed yet again.Alyona came out first, running to us with a wide smile on her face. My eyes snuck up to Gavril’s face, watching the transformation in him that seemed to happen immed
GavrilI sensed the change in Naomi the moment the car pulled away from the curb. She waved at the girls and then tucked herself against the door, keeping a distance between us. From her reaction to me in Inessa’s kitchen, I’d thought the things we discussed today had been forgotten.Clearly that wasn’t the case. And as much as I wanted to force her to come to my side, I didn’t.Being with the girls today had done me some good. It had helped me keep my mind off the shit surrounding my life, including the Krasnaya brigadiers and the fact that my wife had disregarded my basic rules.I had also gotten my hands on the piano that I had bought for the girls, losing myself in my lessons with both of them and reconnecting my soul to music for a little while.No matter what I became in the future, what horrors I sustained or even caused, music soothed me.“Did you enjoy your visit?” I finally asked Naomi, tapping my fingers along my knee.“It was nice to get out,” Naomi responded, her gaze foc
NaomiI woke feeling empty for the first time since Gavril had kidnapped me. Not even when I’d thought that my life was on the line had I felt like I was missing a piece of me.All that had changed when Gavril didn’t come to my bed last night. I had stayed up well past midnight, rubbing my stomach and hoping that Gavril would walk through the doors and give me some indication that I still mattered to him.That he wanted to change.But he didn’t. The door had stayed closed, and I wasn’t brave enough to go after him. A part of me was afraid of the rejection that might follow if I did.So, I’d cried myself to sleep, worried about all sorts of things that I couldn’t control: me in Gavril’s life, the child we had made, his businesses, and Gavril’s soul.I couldn’t do anything about them, but I also couldn’t leave. I was tied to Gavril, whether I approved of his business dealings or not.After a warm shower, I dressed in a pair of stretchy capris and a T-shirt, leaving my hair down to dry.
GavrilI stared at my wife, astonished that she’d tried to pull the same fucking stunt again. When Ivan had called me and stated that there was a man at my fucking house, harassing my wife, I had ordered the car to be turned around, thinking that it could be a number of people. It was rare that they got past the iron gate, but considering I had just left myself, anyone could have slipped through while they were open.My first thought was that whoever had dared come to my personal residence would pay for harassing my wife in danger.But when I had seen Naomi herself behind the wheel of the car, every thought of how I was going to handle the situation had flown out of the window. She had been told not to leave, not to interfere with my staff, yet there she was, on her way out, and she would have made it had I not turned around.Where was she going? Why? Those were just a few of the questions I was going to get answers for right fucking now before I lost my shit.Still, as I looked at my
NaomiI felt Gavril stiffen, though his fingers softly massaged my head, wondering what sort of tale he could tell me that would be worse than what I had just shared with him. It felt good to get it off my chest, to finally attempt to explain to my husband why I struggled to trust him. Jon wasn’t going to give up, and I wasn’t sure how far Gavril would let it go before he took the matter into his own hands.For once, I was glad that my husband was bloodthirsty. Maybe he could be the one to end this nightmare for me, but I wasn’t about to ask anything of Gavril.All I wanted was to hear this story he was so worried about.“Her name was Katya,” he started, his voice hoarse as if he was reliving the memory as I had earlier. “She found me at a party, and I thought I had never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life.”A small bit of jealousy flared deep inside as I heard him speak about her almost reverently. I imagined he had never spoken about another woman in that manner since, an
GavrilI caressed Naomi’s stomach, reminding myself of the child that was growing inside. She had asked me what she might’ve thought to be an innocent question. But to me, it was a hell of a lot more complicated than she realized. There had been a time with Katya that I would have left willingly.I believed that my mother knew it, which was why she was so against our relationship. Had Katya not tried to kill me that night, I might have truly given up everything to be with her.Maybe it was a fucking blessing in disguise, what Katya did. It would have been difficult to regain control after walking away from it all, especially from my mother. She would have seen me as a failure, not that she didn’t see me that way now.And now. I was looking at Naomi before me, not Sveta.I was looking at the woman who carried my child, who held my future in her hands whether she believed it or not.How could I not imagine my life with her outside of the Bratva? How could I not look at her and see a fut
NaomiI had to admit. Having naked Gavril run my shower water was enticing. Having Gavril do anything for me was both intriguing and filled me with emotions that I didn’t want to try and decipher right now.After what we had just shared with one another, and the sexual experience that had left me breathless, I didn’t want this day to end.This was the Gavril I loved, the one who had clearly stolen my heart and made me hope for a future. It could be hopeless for me to even think he would return my feelings after what he told me about Katya, but I wanted to show him that I wasn’t that bitch.I truly cared about him, about his soul, his future, everything about him, honestly.Gavril straightened, the taut muscles stretching and rippling as he did so. He was in top shape, his muscles cut in a way that seemed to defy any body type.It really wasn’t fair. In a few short months, I would be as big as a house, and he would still be stupid perfect.He turned toward me, and I blushed as I realiz
GavrilI sat in the lounger on the terrace, Naomi settled between my thighs as we soaked up the late afternoon sun. After her nap, Vera had provided us lunch in Naomi’s bedroom. The housekeeper had arched a brow as she saw me in my joggers in the middle of the day, but wisely said nothing.It was odd for me not to be working. But after what the day had brought, I had two reasons for being here. First was to make sure that Naomi was safe. After that fucker had gotten on my property and scared the shit out of her, I was begging for him to show up again so I could handle him personally. If that meant staying home today with her, then I would.It wasn’t just protecting her though. I was enjoying myself. That was the second reason for me being here. She made me feel like a human, like I could be someone different and still keep my pakhan world separate.My phone vibrated in my pocket. I sighed. I pulled it out and looked at the number. It was the fourth time that Anatoly had tried to reach
GavrilIt was done. The last words fell from Naomi’s lips, and I loosened a breath. I thought I had been nervous before, but today had been nerve-wracking for me, wondering if Naomi would actually realize what she was about to do and run.Hell, I wouldn’t blame her. After everything I had done to her, she was still going to marry me.The priest droned on, but I gripped her hands in mine, staring into her beautiful eyes like my life depended on it. Today I was fucking happy. The last few months, I had been fucking happy, and honestly, I was waiting on the hammer to fall and crash this perfect existence that had become my life. It was more than Naomi, though she was a huge part of this happiness inside me.No, it was the rebuilding of my Bratva, the business ventures that I was taking on that actually were legit ones to make Naomi and our family proud. I wanted the Belaya name to be more than just a crime family.I wanted it to be a legacy that would carry through the generations.“You m
NaomiToday was my wedding day.It wasn’t that a woman could look at herself in the mirror and go down the aisle to marry the same man twice, but I could.This time, however, I wasn’t about to marry Gavril as another woman or sign another woman’s name to the wedding register.He was getting Naomi Spencer, social media influencer and B-rated actress.I was getting one of the most powerful men in LA’s crime scene. I was definitely coming out on the sweeter end of the deal.“You look beautiful.”I turned to face my soon-to-be sisters-in-law, taking in their light green dresses. “And look at you two!”Katarina smiled as she modeled the dress for me, a perfect fit for her. “It’s lovely, Naomi. Thank you for allowing us to be part of the wedding party.”“Of course!” I stated. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I had been psyched that the girls wanted to be part of the wedding to begin with, coming to LA for their first time ever a week ago. Ilsa and I had made certain, with Maria’s permiss
GavrilTwo Months LaterSt. Petersburg, RussiaI held onto Naomi’s hand tightly as we followed the dirt path through the headstones, the blustery wind tearing at our winter coats. It was brutally cold, snow threatening in the air, but Naomi had refused to put this off just because of the weather. “We have to do it today,” she’d demanded this morning when I had tried to coax her back to bed. “You have put it off long enough, Gavril.”She was right. I had put it off for years, and since Naomi had her closure with Jon Hampton, it was time for me to have mine so we could move forward.I hadn’t told Naomi about my dream that night, how I had carried on a conversation with my former love. I didn’t know why. I knew she would believe me, but there was something that made me want to keep it close to myself for now. Maybe one day I would tell her.Right now, though, I was going to have my closure another way with Katya.Finally, we reached the hill where my mother had told me she had been buried
NaomiTo block out the noise of his bones cracking. I scrambled to get them, and the moment I slid them on, piano music filled the air, much like the type that Gavril would play. The sound soothed my nerves somewhat, knowing that when I was finished here, we could move on with our future. He could play this melody for our child and me, do the things that he loved to do without fear that I was going to reject him.We had a bright future ahead of us, one that was going to be filled with love, laughter, and a bit of violence, but knowing that Gavril wasn’t going to do the trafficking anymore filled me with contentment so I could handle the rest. My husband wasn’t perfect, but neither was I.Wordlessly, with the music playing in my ears, I watched Oleg remove the tips of Jon’s fingers with his cutter, not bothering to wipe up the blood that dripped from the open wounds before he added the tips into the cup with the teeth. I couldn’t hear any of the noise that he was creating, but watching
Naomi“Here, put this on.”I winced as I took the black plastic apron from the burly brigadier, my stomach in knots. I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to disposing of Jon’s body, but I also knew that if I didn’t see it firsthand, he would still occupy my thoughts.I would still look over my shoulder for years to come, expecting him to have cheated death somehow and return to life. I didn’t want him to have this hold over me any longer.Tugging the apron over my clothing, I tied it across my waist. Oleg wordlessly handed me a pair of gloves next and some goggles. “In case there is a mess,” he muttered as he outfitted himself in the same getup.Finally, he looked at me. “Are you ready?”I appreciated the tinge of concern in his eyes, knowing that my request wasn’t quite what he would have expected. He had taken me from the mansion to an abandoned set of buildings not far from the docks where I had witnessed the women trafficking, and he had been quiet throughout the drive there.
GarvrilThe doctor reached out and shook my hand. “It was a pleasure to do so.”Naomi entered just as Dr. Carter exited and sat on the bed, looking a bit better than she had the previous night. “Bad news,” I told her, reaching for her hand. “No sex.”She looked startled before rolling her eyes. “You did not ask Dr. Carter if we could have sex.”“I didn’t have to,” I stated before tugging on her hand until she was moving onto the bed. I had asked Carter to help me move over so that my wife could at least lie beside me, and he had obliged, even though it had been far too fucking painful to move. “Come here.”Naomi did as I asked, and when she was situated next to me, I pulled her hand up to my lips, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Marchetti still babysitting?” I asked lightly, not sure how I felt about having my enemy in my household.It wasn’t that I wasn’t grateful that he had come for Naomi’s sake, but fuck, it was an odd feeling.“He and Ilsa left this morning,” Naomi said, resting our
GavrilI woke to darkness, and for a moment, I wondered if I had finally died in transition.Gradually, however, the room came into view, and I drew in a breath, swearing when it hurt like hell to do so.“So you are finally awake. Welcome back.”Fuck. Now I really was in hell if Roman Marchetti was sitting at my bedside. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked hotly, fighting through the pain that was coursing through my body.He chuckled, snapping on the lamp before stretching his legs out before him. “I’m giving your wife and mine a break. Trust me. I would rather be anywhere but here.”Naomi. I tried to sit up, but Roman placed a hand on my shoulder. “Now don’t go undoing all the doctor’s hard work. I believe you are going to have to pay him double what you normally do.”“Where’s my wife?” I rasped.Roman reached over and pulled a glass from the bedside table, one that had a straw dangling from it. “She’s sleeping, and I would suggest that you let her do that just a little bit l
NaomiI ran my fingers over the ivory keys, keeping my touch light so I wouldn’t press them down. Had it really been just yesterday that Gavril had sat here, playing his songs for me?It seemed like a lifetime ago, and now I wasn’t even sure I would ever hear him play again.A shudder sliced through me and I rose from the stool, unable to sit still for a long period of time. The basement was the safest place for me, Oleg had stated. After all, bodies littered the mansion and its grounds, now being cleared away by the Bratva that was left.It was a pitiful crew, no more than ten or twelve men, but they had come running the moment Oleg had let them know that their Pakhan was on death’s door. Even from my vantage point, I could hear them moving things upstairs and didn’t want to think about what would be left.Vera was gone. I wouldn’t see her pinched face anymore or have her give me strength when it was least expected. I thought about our last conversation and how she had begged me not
GavrilI opened my eyes to a dull sun shining down at me, my body feeling sluggish. Lifting my hand, I saw that there was no blood on it and when I looked down, I realized I wasn’t bleeding out on the floor of Naomi’s bedroom any longer.Instead my clothing, my suit, was pristine, no sign of the trauma that I had just tried to endure.Fuck. Was I dead? Was I in hell?Pushing up off the floor, I saw that there was a haze to everything no matter where I looked, just a cloudy, empty void that stretched as far as I could see.I had to be in hell. There was no way I had done enough good deeds to make it to the man upstairs. He would bar the pearly gates if I even attempted to approach them.Another thought crossed my mind, and I felt the fear rise up in my throat. I had died. I had left Naomi alone when I had promised not to.Life had a cruel, cruel way of shitting on me, it seemed.A cool rush of air brushed over me, and when I turned, I stumbled back a few steps.“Hello, Gavril.”My mouth