Page 38 of Obsession of the Bratva

Jarek lit a cigarette. “It could be Adrian Petrov.”

“No.” The answer left my mouth immediately.

Jarek raised an eyebrow. “You sound certain.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“Because Adrian Petrov lacks imagination. He wouldn’t go so far.”

Fyodor laughed. “Fair.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared at the destroyed wall. Adrian Petrov was ambitious and arrogant, but he was a weak man, and there was not a single subtle bone in his body. Absolutely not. If Adrian wanted to send a message, he would have shown up himself surrounded by enough men to compensate for his lack of personality. This wasn’t his style.

“Manny Stavros?” Fyodor asked.

That made me look up. “No.”

Kliment studied me carefully. “You dismissed that one rather quickly.”

“Because Manny Stavros is a minor player.”

“Minor players make stupid decisions all the time,” Jarek shrugged.

“Not this stupid.”

My voice came out colder than intended, and silence followed. Not because they disagreed but because they knew exactly why I was reacting this way. A few days ago, I might have hidden it better but now I couldn’t be bothered.

“Nico look,” Kliment began speaking, his arms crossed over his chest, “Things around us are peaceful right now. The only situation we are facing that could result in something or the other of this nature and magnitude is the Vera situation.”

I already knew this had been coming. I wouldn’t deny that I hadn’t thought about it myself because I had, but I still didn’t want to believe it. It was inevitable that Manny and Adrian would go around looking for her, but I was sure they would not be able to reach me. After all, Vera hadn’t told her father about our relationship, and there was no way Adrian could find anything out.

I exhaled slowly. “Her father doesn’t know who I am.”

“Everyone knows who you are.”

“No,” I corrected. “Everyone knows the Romanovs. That’s different.”

Fyodor tilted his head. “You really think she never mentioned you in front of him?”

The question irritated me more than it should have. “Vera didn’t discuss her personal life with Manny. They have never been close.”

“You know that how?”

“Because I know her.”

The moment the words left my mouth, silence fell. Fuck. I rubbed a hand across my face.

Jarek smirked. “You still sound like you’re in love with her.”

I turned toward him. “Would you like me to break your jaw?”

“See?” he said to the others. “Definitely still in love.”

Fyodor laughed, and Kliment pinched the bridge of his nose. I considered murdering all three of them. The temptation was real.

Eventually, Kliment sighed. “Enough.”