Midnight Purgatory (Bugrov Bratva #1)(81)

“Jesus.”

“I know.”

“Hey now, that’s not a bad thing, right? I mean, apart from the fact that he might possibly have ties with the Russian mafia and is probably involved in a whole shadow war with a rival mob… er, bratty-whatever-gang who drive around in unmarked vans killing people off willy-nilly.”

I exhale. “That was a very succinct and eloquent summation.”

“I’m a wordsmith, what can I say?”

Despite how shitty I feel right now, how desperate and alone, a laugh bursts from my lips. It makes a world of difference.

“Thanks for talking to me, Elle.”

“Anytime. And if you get to the point where you need help and you decide that you’ve had enough—call me. I’ll bring in the cavalry.”

With that promise secured, I hang up and stash the headphones away. It’s nice knowing that I have an out if I need it. What’s not so nice is knowing that, in spite of everything, I still feel the need to protect Uri. I still feel the need to protect his family.

Lev doesn’t deserve to have the property swarmed with cops and reporters. That would just push his progress back by years and I refuse to be responsible for that. So that’s not an option.

But I’m also not willing to be ignored anymore. Uri can’t just waltz in here whenever he needs me, just to walk back out again when he’s done using me. He doesn’t get to pull all the strings anymore—because I’m taking control.

I move around the basement until I find tape, paper, and scissors. Then I comb through the space until I pinpoint every single camera that he’s used to spy on me all this time.

It takes me the better part of the day, but by the time I’m done, every lens is covered over.

Take that, Uri Bugrov. Try spying on me now.





46





URI


The plan is simple: gather final evidence that Sobakin was the one behind my parents’ deaths. Infiltrate his ranks. Bring him the fuck down.

The plan has the added bonus of keeping me so busy I haven’t had time to check on Alyssa. I’m doing my best to ignore the way she keeps popping into my head every now and again. Let’s just call that a glitch in the system. It’ll work itself out soon.

The moment Sobakin is dealt with, that takes care of my Alyssa problem. She’ll be gone. A memory, nothing more.

“Lunch?” Nikolai asks, looking up from his phone.

“Not hungry.”

He frowns. “You’re never hungry these days. What’s with that?”

I shake my head. “I’ve got too much going on.”

“To eat?” Nikolai asks. “Come on, I thought we could go out for lunch with Polly and Lev. There’s a new restaurant downtown I’ve been wanting to try.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You say shit like that and it reminds me of the fact that you barely spend any real time with Lev.”

I don’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it does, but Nikolai flinches back. “Fuck you. I spend time with Lev.”

“When was the last time you kicked a ball around with him? Or played video games with him? Or joined us for dinner at home?”

“I’ve been busy running your Bratva.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s a nice idea, but Lev can’t sit in a restaurant and eat. He hates the sound of cutlery on plates.”

“Since when?”

I shrug. “It’s a new thing. We’re working on it.”

“I saw him eating last night. You guys were all using cutlery.”

“It’s fine with just a few people. Not when there’s a ton. The sound triggers him.”

“Jesus Christ,” he spits. “Sometimes, it feels like he’s getting worse, not better.”

“He’s never going to get better, Niko. You know that already. He’s always going to be just a little bit—”

“Fucked up?”

I glare at him. “Different.”

He sighs. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” He looks at me from the corner of his eyes. “Speaking of fucked up, though, what’s up with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’ve been really tightly wound the last couple of days. Is there something going on that I should know about?”

I look back over the last couple of days, trying to figure out what he might have noticed. Maybe I’d been a little more aggressive than necessary but we were planning an attack on Sobakin. What the hell did he want from me, though? This is the man who killed our parents, after all.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just focused on getting that motherfucker.” Nikolai frowns, so I add, “Polly’s back at the end of the week for summer. I just have a lot to manage, that’s all.”

Nikolai’s lips purse up but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he nods and gets to his feet. “I’m gonna go get something to eat. I’ll see you tonight for the briefing.”

I wave him out with relief. Lately, it feels like everyone is on my fucking case. I have a Bratva to run, an enemy to take on, a family to protect, and a woman brooding restlessly in my basement. Of course I’m tightly wound.

My eyes veer to the screen that I haven’t turned on in two days. My hands ball into fists and my knuckles go white.