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Chapter 18
Mila could feel Kole’s eyes on her as she spoke to her brother. Pasha was beyond pissed. She could tell by each growl and curse that came through the phone.
“Were you injured?” he demanded to know in their mother language.
“No,” she replied in the same language. When speaking to each other, they were both comfortable falling back into their native language. English sometimes made it difficult to express their true feelings, so they tended to revert back to Russian.
“What the hell happened? All I hear is that there was an attack, and depending on where the message was coming from, you were either killed or made it out. What took you so long to call?”
“Calm down, big brother. I’m safe. Kole has protected me, as he promised Father.”
“That’s all he better be doing,” her brother muttered.
“It’s really none of your business what goes on between me and Kole,” she announced. She heard a quick intake of breath from Kole’s direction. She refused to turn to him. This was her discussion with her brother and she might as well be truthful.
“What the fuck is going on?” Pasha demanded.
“I’m in love with him,” she admitted. The phone line went quiet as she waited for her brother’s response. “Hello?”
“I’m sorry, I think we have a bad line. Did I just hear you say that you’re in love with him? My rival? The leader of the gang I want to take over?”
“He’s no longer our rival. The moment Father asked him to move me, he became our ally, so you need to get used to it. I owe him my life—”
“You, who have always said that love would never be for you, have fallen in love?” Pasha asked, cutting her off.
“Da,” she whispered into the phone. “Running for your life seems to make one open their eyes and really see what truly matters.” She turned and glanced at Kole. His dark gaze met hers and she couldn’t read him. “And I don’t want to lose it.”
Pasha sighed. “What you ask of me is a lot, Mila.”
“You are the pakhan, you can do what you want. Bury the hatchet with the Belotov’s. You know you could use an ally like Kole. We have bigger issues right now.”
The line went silent as she waited for her brother to make his decision. She knew she was right, but she stepped over a line that she usually didn’t cross. Never would she try to tell her brother what to do, but this time, there was something at stake for her. She didn’t want to have to choose between her family and Kole. Her eyes met Kole’s and knew that it would kill her if she had to make that decision.
“When did you become so smart? You know I can never deny a request from you. Even if you are in love with him, it makes sense. When this is over, Kole and I will have a long discussion, little sister. Just make sure you come back to me in once piece.”
Relief flooded her at her brother’s words. Kole relaxed a little, but concern still filled his eyes as he patiently waited for her to continue her conversation. Pasha went on to tell her of the war that was going on in New York. Their cousin Nikolai had dived in to help as the war was spreading down the entire Eastern seaboard. By the sounds of it, this was the largest war between mafias in history.
All over a lie.
She knew that Vladen had been looking for a way to rid the Tokhan’s from the picture, but they were too strong, and Vladen would soon regret it. He wanted to use her as a scapegoat. That would be fine, but she made a promise that she would be the last thing he saw when he took his last breath.
She asked about her men, and he informed her that Oleg and Davor were doing a damn good job in her absence. Pride filled her, seeing that she had recruited them to the brotherhood. She missed the two of them, but knew they would fight for her honor and the honor of the bratva.
Kole tapped his watch, notifying her that she needed to go. She nodded, acknowledging him.
“I’ve got to go. Give my love to Papa and Nikolai. Stay safe, brother.”
“Love you, little sister.”
“You too.” The line went dead, and she stared at the phone for a few seconds.
“Asserting your position in the family?” Kole’s voice broke through her thoughts.
She turned to find him looking at her with his eyebrow raised.
“No, stating the obvious. Sometimes, Pasha needs to hear certain things spoken aloud.”
“I would never ask you to choose between me and your family,” he said. Grabbing her hand in his, he pulled her to him. “I’m not worthy of your love as it is, and I’ll be damned if I cause a split between you and your family.”
