Expose' (Born Bratva Book 3) (20 page)

Kodiak

Searing pain like a cattle brander being pressed into my shoulder wakes me from a deep sleep. The ceiling above me is stark white. Everything else in the room is bathed with harsh fluorescent lighting, causing the white to be a blinding inconvenience.

“Here he is, Mr. Glazov. I’ll be right outside if you need anything. He’s heavily sedated so I’m not sure how much sense he’ll make. Do try to take it easy on him with the questions. It’s best if he’s not upset.”

I turn, wincing in pain but wanting to see the woman who has the nerve to order my father around. I recognize her as a Bratva nurse. More than once I’ve been in the mansion’s hospital ward to visit a wounded comrade, but this is my first stay as a patient.

“My son, my beloved son,” my father says as he leans down to kiss my forehead and cradle my face in his hands for a moment. It never ceases to amaze me how a man as cold as my father can be so tender and loving toward his wife and family.

“I got shot,” I rasp. That means I may be in this bed for a couple of days. Suddenly I think of Logan. The possibility that she may be dead slams into me with such force that I jerk up and blurt out, “Logan!?! Where is she?”

The pain in my shoulder forces me to fall back against the pillows.

“She’s on her way to see you. You saved her life,” he says, pausing briefly before adding solemnly, “and she saved yours.”

I breathe deeply, willing away the searing aftereffects of the sudden movement. My father doesn’t have to ask me. I start talking, giving him information I know he will need—vengeance is a given. Nothing sends a message to our adversaries like swift judgement and retribution toward those who dare to move against our cell.

“We came out of the house and I saw the blast of gunfire from the backseat of a dark sedan. I didn’t get a look at who it was. But there is one thing I know for sure.”

“And what is that?” My father’s voice drips with all the malevolence of a man bent on revenge.

“They weren’t gunning for me. They wanted Logan.”

Logan

I take a moment to slip into a pair of jeans and flip-flops after tying the oversized shirt of Kodiak’s in a knot in the front. I pad over to a mirror and pull my hair back in a ponytail. I don’t want to upset Kodiak by letting him see me looking like death warmed over. The dark circles and swollen eyes are a giveaway to just how upset I’ve been, but there isn’t anything I can do about that. I finish just in time to see Roksana standing in the doorway. I think she’s just as excited about seeing her brother as I am.

“Okay, that’s about all I can do, considering what I have to work with.”

“You’re beautiful, Logan. Trust me, Kodiak will like what he sees.”

“Like you aren’t stunning with that mane of red hair.” It feels easy talking to her and I know this tragedy has brought us together.

We leave the bedroom and head down to the library. This time I pay more attention as she pulls the book back and the secret wall opens to the hospital corridor. It’s remarkable how much care went into the construction of the mansion. A smile crosses my face as I think about how the workers probably had to sign a confidentiality agreement before they were hired. Having the blueprints to the house of a man with Glazov’s power would be priceless inside information to an enemy or even the police.
Geez, I wonder if he killed everyone after they finished.
As over the top as the thought is, I’m learning not to be shocked by much of anything that goes on around here. And I doubt he would do something like that. I’m pretty sure, anyway.

We walk by the nurse’s station and the nurse on duty looks up from her paperwork. “He’s awake, but he’s heavily sedated. Please don’t talk about anything that will upset him.”

I’m shocked when Roksana says, “Yes, ma’am.” Though the nurse sounds bossy I understand her reasoning; she wants to keep him stable. Rest is always the best thing for any patient, and talking about going after whoever did this isn’t something he needs to be dealing with right now.

Roksana taps on the door and awaits her father’s instruction to come in before we enter. I rush to the bed and look down at Kodiak, the flood of emotion that courses through me has me feeling a little lightheaded as it sinks in how very close I came to losing him. I pull up a chair and sit next to him holding his hand. He scowls and tugs on my hand until I stand and lean over to give him a peck on the lips. That just leads to another scowl as he yanks me down for a deep, hungry kiss that tells me everything I need to know. Glazov clears his throat and we break apart. “Oops,” I whisper as I pull away from him and sit back down.

“I must leave, son, I have things to discuss with Novak.” I’m shocked to feel Glazov’s hand on my shoulder and I look up into a face that could have been hewn out of granite. He looks down at me steadily, as if assessing me and coming to a decision. “I understand you threw yourself on top of Kodiak after he was shot, when there was the possibility of more violence. You did well, and I am forever in your debt. Welcome to the family, Logan.”

I beam with pride, shamelessly pleased to have his approval at long last. Kodiak’s father knows now that when the chips are down, I won’t run. In this family no man gets left behind and I proved my allegiance when I put myself in harm’s way during a gun fight. In fact, if I’d had a gun I wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot to kill, right between the eyes. I feel a sense of belonging that I’ve never felt with my own family. This is what family is supposed to be, a unified force for a common goal.

“Thank you, sir. It means more than you could ever know.”

“Very good,” he says with a nod. He turns to address the others in the room. “If you will excuse me, there is much to be done.” He and Kodiak share a long, silent look that speaks volumes before he turns abruptly and leaves the room without another word. He’s a man on a mission to avenge his son, and I don’t feel one ounce of pity for the target of his reprisal.

Glazov

When I enter my office to see my cousin Novak waiting for me, I can tell that he’s as furious as I am. Pissing Novak off isn’t something even I would want to do. He’s had a close bond with my son from the moment Kodiak became mine all those years ago. We’ve all watched out for Kodiak because of the loss he suffered at such a young age. He is like a son to Novak. And Novak is the only man I would permit to have that kind of bond with
my
son.

I get right to the point. “There’s something that keeps coming up that has me questioning who the hit was really intended for.”

“What do you mean? Wait...Logan?” he asks. Novak and I think a lot alike and, in our case, two heads often are better than one. After growing up together and years of working together, we know what the other is thinking and we feed off of it. Getting to the bottom of this hit is only a matter of time. “Daaaamn,” he mutters. “Little Miss Innocent might have a hit out on her, huh? Talk about a damned curve ball. What, does she have some kind of secret life or connections to street thugs that we need to make Kodiak aware of?”

“Nope, I’d see through that. Somebody has it in for her and she doesn’t even realize it. The problem is, we don’t know who it is either.”

“You need to put that girl on lockdown.”

“She has agreed to move in with Kodiak in the pool house. Until then I don’t think she’ll stray far from his side and I imagine he’ll keep close tabs on her, to say the least,” he says with a smirk. “While he recovers, she’s in the mansion when she’s not at his bedside and will only be allowed to leave on authorized excursions under the personal protection of family.”

“A chaperone for a grown woman? I know she’s not Bratva, but wish I could be there when she hears about
that
. Well, so it is written, so it is done, bro. Look, you’re doing the right thing. She can’t protect herself, and now Kodiak can’t protect her either. What do we do when a brother’s family members are put in a vulnerable situation?”

“We step in and take up the slack,” I say with pride.

“Exactly. It’s time for you to step in and do what you know how to do. Is she family?”

“After tonight, yeah, she is. Kodiak’s serious about her and she showed undeniable courage by protecting him from additional threats. Put herself at risk without thinking twice. You and I both know your true colors come out when the bullets start flying. She surprised me, Novak…no, she
impressed
me tonight.”

“You are Pakhan for a reason, my friend. Your wisdom sustains us all. It is good that you take control. After all, we are talking about his
rodstvennaya dusha
here. I heard him that day and so did you. No harm can come to her now.”

That isn’t going to happen. I won’t allow it. Kodiak and his brother, sister, and mother are my world.