Page 49 of Bratva's Mercy
“He didn’t?—”
But didn’t he?
We spent one moment—okay, two, if counting me humping his leg—together, and he ran off the same day. Maybe I’d pushed him, expected too much too fast, but he was the one who’d walked into the bathroom with the condom and lube. I’d been perfectly fine beating my dick to the tune of my imagination until he’d walked in and put me on my knees.
“You’re thinking too much about it,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll be back. Probably scared that he fucked you. You know, given your connection to his husband’s death and all. His husband’s not been buried a solid month, and he’s already spreading his legs for another man—and not just any man.”
“He’s not spreading his legs for anyone.” The second the words were out, I wanted to take them back. Hopefully, Nik, being as dense as he was, wouldn’t catch my meaning.
“What’d you mean? You just said you had sex, so if he’s not spreading his legs, then that means that…” His speech slowed down, and his eyes grew wider as realization dawned on him. “Oh fuck.”
“You say anything to anyone, Nik, and I swear?—”
“I won’t.” He rolled his eyes but then eyed me up and down. “Don’t know what you’re getting all bent out of shape for. Is there any shame in bottoming?”
“I just don’t want to talk to you about my sex life.”
“Why not? It might do you some good rather than that solo caveman bullshit you always have going on, like the rest of us are the enemy and only you are good enough to serve Maxim.”
Nik’s words hit harder than any punch I’d thrown earlier. For a second, I stared at him through the mirror, my pulse thudding slow and heavy in my ears. It wasn’t what he said but rather the way he said it. Casual. Like the thought had been sitting there for a while.
“The enemy?” I repeated, quieter now. “That’s how you think I see you?”
Nik huffed out a breath, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He scratched the back of his neck again, visibly less relaxed than he’d been a moment ago. “What the hell are we supposed to think, Sergei?”
That wasn’t the answer I expected. I wanted him to deny it. To say his words were meaningless and were spoken in the heat of the moment.
“I never once thought I was better than any of you.”
Nik’s brows lifted, like he didn’t quite believe that.
“I’ve been head of security for Maxim for years,” I continued, my voice tightening. “Do you understand what that actually means? The pressure that comes with that position? If anyone here fucks up,” I went on, tapping a finger against my chest, “it’s not just their mistake. It becomes mine. Every gap, every oversight, every blind spot—I’m expected to catch it before it becomes a problem. That’s the job.”
“And you think that’s normal?” Nik shot back, sharper now. “You think one man can catch everything?”
“That’s what I’m paid to do.”
“No.” He shook his head, stepping closer. “That’s whatyoudecided to do. There’s a difference.”
My jaw clenched. “You don’t get it.”
“No, I do,” he said, quieter but no less firm. “You’ve been carrying this shit for so long you don’t know how to let others shoulder the burden.”
I scoffed, pushing off the sink. “Easy for you to say when you’re not the one Maxim looks at when something goes wrong.”
Nik’s expression hardened. “And you think we don’t feel that too? You think we don’t take pride in our work? That we don’t want to pull our own weight?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It’s how it comes across,” he countered. “You swoop in, fix everything before it blows up, and then act surprised when the rest of us stop trying to get ahead of it.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Because there was truth in that.
Nik dragged a hand down his face and sighed. “All I’m saying is, you’re not a damn machine, Sergei. You’ve got a life outside of Maxim,” he said, his voice softer now. “Or you would, if you actually let the rest of us carry our share instead of acting like the whole operation’s going to collapse the second you look away.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable because I didn’t have an answer for that either. I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing once before stopping in front of him again.
“It’s not that simple, Nik. You don’t just…wake up one day and decide to stop doing something you’ve been doing for a decade.”
