Page 127 of Bratva Menace

Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. The security measures at Sergei’s house had been bumped up drastically since I was last there. There was no way I could break in on my own. I’d need help. I’d need⁠—

I groaned, running a hand down my face.

I’d need Lev.

Exhaling heavily and stomping my foot in a, yes, tantrum, I pulled out my phone and dialed his number before I had the chance to talk myself out of it.

“Have you stopped being a brat?” he answered.

“Wha—fuck you! No, wait, Jesus, fuck. Just wait.” I took a deep breath in, trying to center myself. “Hello, Lev.”

“Hello, Lyla. Have you stopped being a brat?”

I growled. “Yes.” I would have asked if he had grown up, but it would have been counterproductive. “I need to talk to you. Where are you?”

“Where are you? I’ll send Kane to collect you.” I sent him the address of the abandoned building, and within thirty minutes, Kane arrived, parking in the alleyway.

“Get in,” he grunted, opening the passenger door from the inside of my motherfucking car.

I did.

He did a sweep of my appearance, but made no comments. I was aware I had blood in my hair and staining my hands. I didn’t give a fuck. Let it be a warning that I was in a pissy mood and liable to fucking snap any second. He handed me a black blindfold. “Put this on.”

Arching an eyebrow, I turned to look at him. “Why?”

“Your brother’s orders. Either you put it on or we don’t go.”

I didn’t have the mental capacity to fight about it. I was sure Lev would eventually explain. I put it on.

After a length of time I had no way of keeping track of, we stopped. Kane removed the blindfold, and I took note of where we were.

Fucking nowhere.

We were in the bush, surrounded by darkness and trees. The headlights from the car provided the only light, illuminating a rustic old house in front of us.

“Your brother is inside.”

I gave Kane a two-finger salute. “Thanks for the lift. I hope being my brother’s bitch pays well.”

“It does. But I guess you wouldn’t know because you did it for free.”

Oh, that was a good one.

I wasn’t going to tell him that, though.

I got out and went inside.

The inside looked about as good as the outside. It was a rundown kind of place. There were holes in the walls and floors. Mold grew everywhere. Dirt and dust littered nearly every surface. In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the roof caved in at any second. It was clear no one had lived there in a very long time.

A bunch of men I didn’t know were in what looked to have once been the living room, based on the worn-out couches they were sitting on. More mercenaries, I assumed. They were all lounging around, relaxing. I didn’t pay them the slightest bit of attention. Who they were or what they were doing there didn’t matter to me in the least.

“Your brother is in the last room on the left, down the end of the hall.” Kane grunted as he shut the front door behind him.

I thanked him and went straight to where he directed.

Lev stood in front of a whiteboard when I entered the room. He had showered recently, his hair still wet and the faint traces of body wash lingering in the air. He took one look at me, glancing over his shoulder, and scoffed.

“Let me guess,” he started, an arrogant smirk plastered on his face as he flipped the whiteboard to the other side. “Your precious little Lukyan left you, didn’t he?”