Page 86 of The Bratva’s Monster

“Gedeon Pavlova was the key to dismantling the Rostovs,” he says. “Making them all believe that there was a rat kept them all off kilter. It was a good plan. It would have been an even better one if you’d died too. The dead can’t defend themselves.”

It’s all clear now. Alex’s belief that I was the rat was all a product of Irkutsk manipulation. “You made them believe it was me,” I say, and my voice starts to crack. “You planted the bugs around Alex’s house and the rumor that I was picking up where Gedeon supposedly left off.”

“It was a good plan!” he shouts. “A great fucking plan! Stefan should have seen that it was! He should have!” He shakes his head, and I notice through his bruised and stitched face, his eyes have gone bloodshot with rage. “It’s fine. Once you’re dead, we can start over. Do it better next time.”

My eyes start to sting as he points the gun at my head. Something breaks inside me. Any courage I had left is gone on the wind as it blows around me. “Please don’t,” I say as my voice cracks and the tears roll down my throat. “Please.”

“Shut up,” I hear Josef say. “You’re just another loose end that needs tying up.”

“No one’s going to believe you,” I say desperately. “If I’m dead, there won’t be anyone left to blame.” I’m nearing hysteria. I can feel the sobs starting to catch in my throat.

“There’s always someone to blame,” Josef says with a smile.

And that’s all he says. I close my eyes, terrified of seeing the flash of the gun.

It goes off and I jump and scream, my hands flying up on their own to cover my face.

But I’m still alive. And Josef’s cursing up a blue streak.

I open my eyes and Rikki’s walking toward me, gun smoking in his hand. My entire body starts shaking on frozen legs. Everything slows down as he walks into view, my tear-filled eyes blurring him almost completely.

He doesn’t acknowledge me. His eyes are on Josef who’s lying on the ground in front of me, blood pouring out of the left side of his chest. He’s writhing in pain, trying to cover the wound with his hand, through the blood comes out like a rushing river through his fingers.

“Fuck!” he swears as Rikki uses his foot to turn him over. “Fucking… shot me— AAHHHH!”

Rikki steps on the wound, crushing Josef’s hands into it as he bears his full weight on him as he kneels down to him.

Josef’s scream has died down to a wheeze as he gasps for air. Rikki leans in, staring down at his face. Josef’s mouth purses as he tries to form words.

“Y-You can’t… you… can’t⁠—”

“I can,” Rikki says to him. “And I will.” He leans even more on him and Joseph’s mouth falls open. A strangled scream squeaks out of him. “This is for trying to kill my Bratva, my relationship with my brother, and the only woman I have ever loved.” His eyes widen and Rikki smiles at him. “Oh, yes, Josef. You really fucked up this time.”

He leans hard into him and the air splits with the sound of breaking bones, one snapping like twigs right after the other. Josef’s strangled scream gets louder as his chest caves in under Rikki’s weight. Blood bursts through his clothes and the pool under him becomes a lake of blood.

Rikki stands, letting the full force of his body weight finish him as his boot pushes through. He pulls up and stomps a couple more times as Josef’s body starts to twitch and the light fades from his eyes.

And when he’s done, he steps back, staring down at him with a deep scowl. “Did he hurt you?” he asks without looking at me.

I can’t speak for a moment. He turns and looks at me and the scowl melts away.

“No,” I say in a small voice.

He leans in and says, “You’re bleeding.”

I wipe at my nose with the back of my hand. “It’s nothing. The car when it crashed… It’s nothing. He didn’t hurt me too badly.”

The words he just said to Josef… the only woman I have ever loved. It echoes through my mind. He means me. Who else could he be talking about?

I want to confront him, nail him down about it. Make him say it again. I can’t seem to find the words. And I’m standing here, covered in bruises, my hair flying all over my head with rapidly coagulating blood under my nose. I can’t imagine what I must look like to him.

But in all that, through all his brutality, it’s the one thing ringing in my mind.

I’ve been struggling with how I feel about him. This whole time, struggling as I fall deeper and deeper in love with him. If we face it now, then there’s no coming back from it.

I start to shake again. I feel like I’m going to fall over. My knees are so weak. “Rikki,” I say, and the rest won’t come out. There’s just too much to say. Sobs start to bubble up and the feeling of falling apart rushes over me.

He takes two steps and sweeps me up in his arms… and he kisses me. The cold wind picks up around us, but I can’t feel it. All I know are his strong arms around my body and the feeling of his heart beating in his chest to the same tune as mine.