Expose' (Born Bratva Book 3)

by Steele, Suzanne

  I sit down and put my stuff in a neat little pile in front of me, fidgeting with things just to have something to do with my hands. Kodiak sits down across from me and places our coffee on the table. I see the bounty he has laid before me and look up at him with a grin, practically bouncing in my seat like a kid. “Thank you. This is such a treat for me—specialty coffee and a blueberry muffin!”

  He seems shocked that I thanked him. Honestly, what kind of women has this guy been dating -- spoiled brats? He leans in to sip his coffee as the conversation turns serious. “We need to talk, Logan, and you need to take what I’m about to say very seriously.”

  I revel in the first sip of my coffee and moan when my taste buds recognize a caramel macchiato—my favorite. I can’t figure how this guy knows such intimate details of my life. “Kodiak, how do you know things about me that no one else knows?”

  A sinister chuckle escapes his lips. “I’ll tell you what my father always tells my mother, ‘You underestimate me’. I can find out anything about you I want to know, and I want to know everything.”

  “But why, Kodiak? Why is it so important to you to know every detail of my life?”

  “Because you’re hiding something from me, and you’re putting yourself in danger by doing so. My father isn’t the kind of man you want to cross. The only person who has any chance of protecting you from him is me.”

  I attempt changing the subject. “Why are you so mad at me?”

  “Because I woke up and you weren’t there,” he growls between clenched teeth.

  “I didn’t want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful. When I woke up I realized I didn’t have any clothes but the gown I wore to the party.”

  “That’ll never happen again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll have a space cleared out of my walk-in closet. Clothes and anything else you might need will be there at my house. I’ll expect you to stay there with me unless there is a compelling reason for you to spend a night in your dorm.”

  I’m sensing something in Kodiak I’ve never picked up on before—fear. “What are you hiding from me, Kodiak? I’m damn sure not the only one who’s hiding something.”

  “My life is full of secrets. You know this. My secrets are there to keep you safe. On the other hand, the things you’re hiding from me could get us both killed.”

  “Yeah, Kodiak, I’m planning the takedown of the Glazov empire,” I drawl as I roll my eyes.

  “Don’t even play like that. You will move into my house so I can keep an eye on you better.”

  “I’m not moving in with you.”

  “You listen to me and you listen good,” he says between clenched teeth. “I don’t think you understand…” he continues, his voice barely above a whisper. “Giving yourself to me last night changed everything. The fact that you were a virgin when you did it really seals the deal.” He reaches across the table and lifts my chin with his finger, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I. Own. You. From the top of your head to the soles of your tiny feet, you belong to me now. You’re my woman and I will move heaven and earth on your behalf. I lost my father as a child and I’m not going to lose the only woman I’ve ever cared about.”

  “Don’t I have a say in any of this?” I ask indignantly.

  His smug face is the only answer I receive.

  “I’ve never asked you about your father. What happened?” I wait for him to respond, not really expecting him to tell me much. I’m surprised when he breaks the silence. His words steal my breath and break my heart.

  His impassive mask is firmly in place as he says in a subdued voice, “There was a fire. My first father died trying to reach me. Glazov rescued me and that night I became his son.”

  There is so much I don’t know about this man, there are so many stories to be told. Our chemistry is undeniable. I’m having second thoughts about this article I’m writing but I can’t think of any other way to secure the tuition money I’ll need. But for now, I want to put his mind at ease. “You don’t have to be scared that I’ll run, Kodiak, or that I’ll ever do anything to harm your family. I don’t go around hurting people just to hurt them.”

  His reply holds an ominous meaning that I understand as soon as the words escape his lips.

  “It isn’t you I’m worried about.”

  Kodiak

  I can see it in her eyes. Everything I’ve spent years trying to hide—even from my family—she sees it all. The craziest thing about it is, she doesn’t see it as the weakness I’ve always imagined it to be. She is everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman and more. She has burrowed deep under my skin and I’m allowing her into all the hidden places I’ve shielded from my world of chaos and mayhem.

  I don’t know how or why fate has brought her into my crazy, fucked up existence and I couldn’t care less about figuring it out. What I do care about is protecting her from any threats that could take her from me. I will kill to keep her. I will die to save her.

  “You’re mine, Logan. I won’t stop until you’re in my bed every night and in my life every waking moment. You need to accept how things will be. I want you safe in my arms and that means you are living with me.”

  “What are your parents going to think, Kodiak? They don’t want an outsider in their home.”

  “My parents are…unconventional. As far as they’re concerned, if you make me happy, they support our relationship.” It isn’t a lie, it just isn’t the complete truth. I’m certainly not going to tell her my father wants me to be able to spy on her 24/7.

  “And do I make you happy?” she asks tentatively.

  “You intrigue the hell out of me and I’m not letting you go. If that constitutes happy then, yeah, I’m beside myself with giddiness. And you’re not going to live with me in the house. The pool house on the property is empty and would give us more privacy than the mansion.”

  “Always the romantic.”

  “Yeah, well, wait until I get in the mood to bend your ass over the nearest piece of furniture and fuck your brains out. You’ll be feeling all the love. See…that blush you have going on right now, that’s why I’m going to enjoy owning your little ass and staining you with my brand of dirty.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Logan

  Kodiak demanded I come home with him, but I insisted that we drop by my dorm to get some clothes. Tonight is a work night for both of us and there’s no way I’m walking into a lion’s den of beautiful women not looking my best. I don’t understand women like Becky, women who pursue him even when they know he doesn’t want them. I would be embarrassed to chase a man who clearly wanted nothing to do with me, but these girls…they’re relentless in their pursuit.

  All Becky did last night at the party was glare at me and whisper to her little sidekick who snickered obediently at every remark. I feel like I’m back in high school. It’s obvious these girls are desperate gold diggers, and I refuse to stoop to their level—unless they put their hands on me, then it’s game on. I have enough hostility built up toward that woman to kick her ass if need be. I’m not in the habit of getting into bar room brawls but I’ll defend myself if the situation calls for it.

  Kodiak’s bodyguard grabs my bag and I turn to thank him. The guy is so massive I have to arch my neck back just to look up at him. One thing is for sure, the Russians aren’t lacking in size. All the Glazov bodyguards are mountain-sized men.

  “Thank you, Lukyan.”

  He smiles, revealing a gold tooth and answers me, “You’re welcome.” Lukyan really is a dear. He’s just a big killer grizzly and I absolutely adore him for making certain Kodiak is kept safe. I can tell Kodiak is much more than a job to him. To us he’s a gentle giant, but I’m sure Bratva enemies consider him their worst nightmare come to life.

  “If Kodiak likes you, I like you,” he adds. I decide then and there to never make an enemy of Kodiak or anyone else in his family, for that matter. These people are crazy, in an endearing kind of way. I never would have thought I wo
uld bond with cold blooded killers. They still scare the crap out of me and maybe they always will, but they’ve won me over with their loyalty and the love they have for each other.

  Kodiak leads the way to his room and excuses Lukyan before he addresses me. He prowls in my direction and grabs a handful of hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me into him until we’re almost nose to nose.

  “What I’m getting ready to say is non-negotiable. I have a meeting with my father. While I’m gone I want your clothing unpacked and in my closet. I want your make-up on my bathroom counter. I’ll have my personal shopper buy clothes that you’ll keep here. If you don’t want to formally call it moving in, I can’t make you. I can, however, keep you here with me in order to protect you. I have enemies who want to hurt me and they’ll use you to do it, because they know the dearest thing to a Bratva man’s heart is his woman. And you,” he murmurs as he pulls me to him and links his fingers at my lower back, “are my woman.”

  He turns to head to the door but not before he kisses my forehead. That single, tender kiss holds more promise than any of the other intimate moments we’ve shared.

  As he leaves he looks over his shoulder to say one more thing and I smile expectantly. But his cold black eyes remind me that I am dealing with a man who is Bratva to the bone.

  “If you refuse to do as you’re told, there’s always the dungeon.” When my mouth drops open, his sinister laugh is all I hear as he makes his way down the hall. Did he seriously just say that to me?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kodiak

  I enter my father’s office and am not entirely surprised to see Novak sitting in one of two chairs directly across from my father’s desk. Well, this should be interesting. I step around the desk to kiss Dad on both cheeks. “Papa,” I murmur and acknowledge Novak with a nod as I take the empty seat across from the desk.

  The closest thing my father has to a smile crosses his face and for just a moment his eyes are warm as he gives me an appraising look from head to toe. My father loves his wife and children more than anything in this world and those feelings are returned tenfold. The same way Glazov would kill for us, we would kill for him.

  I lean back in the leather chair and prepare myself for what this meeting is about. In other words I don’t have a clue what my father wants. I just hope it has nothing to do with Logan.

  “Have you fucked her yet?” he asks without preamble, and my cocky smirk tells him all he needs to know. “That bitch is up to something, Kodiak. Don’t fuck around and fall in love because she could very well end up locked in the basement dungeon away from civilization.”

  “Seriously, Dad? Is that supposed to dissuade me? You, of all people, should understand that the thought of a woman being caged and at my mercy is a turn-on for me.”

  Dad shakes his head and asks no one in particular, “What is it about the men in this family and their penchant for taking women captive?”

  “Like you say, Dad, it’s in our DNA.”

  “So you don’t have anything on her yet?”

  “No, not yet. Not sure there’s all that much to know, really. She leads a pretty boring life, spends most of her time at school or the library.”

  “No boyfriend?”

  “Have I killed anyone yet?” I growl.

  “I don’t care what you have to do; you keep that girl in your sights. I’ve spent my whole life listening to my gut, and there’s more to her than meets the eye. Now, if you want to keep her safe, then find out what the fuck she’s up to so we know what we’re dealing with. I’d hate to have to kill the first woman you’ve ever shown any true interest in.”

  At that, he takes a sip of his tea from his favorite porcelain tea cup and saucer. When he silently runs a finger around the gilded edge of the cup, I know he has a lot on his mind. My father doesn’t have many tells, but this is a familiar scene and I know what it means. Every serious conversation I have ever had with my father has been over tea served from his prized collection of Tsar Alexander III’s Golden service. The cup is painted with the Russian Imperial crown on a blue background, surrounded by wide, gold band. They really are extraordinary and have served as a constant reminder of his homeland for as long as I have lived here. When my father considers matters of grave importance in this office or on his jet, they are always nearby.

  “Things have been peaceful, my son. Too peaceful, I think. I’ve been in the game long enough to know something is going to pop loose. It goes with our lifestyle—times of peace and times of war. Glazovs are fighters, warriors, and we must always be ready to destroy any adversary that comes our way.”

  “Is there bad news from Novak?” I ask. Novak just sits there, staring at me impassively. He really is a cagey motherfucker. But he’s the best in the business. No one knows who his sources are but he seems to know everything. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he has inside information on something about to go down. I’m certain he was gathering Intel on Logan long before he returned in Louisville. The man is almost as good as my father when it comes to stalking. Dad’s big on his children and inner-circle knowing the ins and outs of a good stalk. I can’t say it hasn’t come in handy with my new woman. I resist the urge to smile when I think of the things I’ve done and the lengths I’ve gone to in order to get to know her.

  “No…no bad news, just a gut feeling.”

  Now that fucking makes me nervous. Alexander Glazov is never wrong when it comes to instinct, and that puts me on high alert, no questions asked. It won’t be long before he calls a meeting to put the entire organization on high alert. Anyone who has worked with my father knows that he always knows…everything. I’ve overheard bodyguards say he’s a ghost. Some of them are downright superstitious about it, believing that if they so much as think ill thoughts toward my father, they’ll be cursed. Yeah, I know, to an outsider it sounds crazy—until you experience it firsthand. My dad’s stern voice shakes me from my reverie and I brace for what I know is coming.

  “This woman of yours, I don’t trust her. I’m well aware she has become much more than a surveillance assignment to you. It presents a level of risk I won’t tolerate. I don’t like the position that puts you in.”

  “Dad, she wouldn’t talk to anyone about us, she’s too scared of you.”

  “Fear is a good thing when used correctly. But that isn’t what I’m talking about. The girl is hiding something. You know it and I know it. So, I’ll ask again and you will answer me. Are you fucking her?”

  “Dad. Please,” I say impatiently, shifting in my seat because my body is reacting to the mere mention of her. I refuse to be sporting wood during a business meeting with my father. Not cool.

  “So you are fucking her. That’s good, that’s good. Fucking her will cultivate her emotional attachment to you. If you weren’t fucking her already, I would insist that you do so. I don’t want her out there loose after spending time in my home. It isn’t safe for us…or for her.”

  He leans back in his chair, pensively tapping his index finger on his lip a few times. He exhales harshly and considers me carefully before speaking. “Take a word of advice from your old man; stop fucking other women. If this girl is drawn to you at all and she finds out you’re fucking a different woman every night, you’ll lose any chance you may have with her. In the meantime, I would rather not cage your little bird in the dungeon, but I will not hesitate to do so if it becomes necessary. Keep her close. You have plenty of room in your living quarters; move her in immediately. All the better for you to take your fill of her.”

  Then he leans across the desk, the way he always does when he’s dead serious about something. “But do not let your fascination with this girl become your weakness. I know you well, my son. If you have found your rodstvennaya dusha -- your soul mate -- in this girl, you will do what you must do to assure her compliance. It is the Bratva way; we know this. But if she fucks up, Kodiak, I will hold you responsible—after I kill her.” Another civilized sip of tea, then a moment of relentless eye contact t
hat makes my breath hitch in my throat. “You are the son of my heart. Do not force my hand in this.” In true Glazov fashion, there’s no mincing of words.

  “There’s no need to go to extremes, the girl is harmless.”

  “I hope so, for your sake,” Novak chimes in malevolently. Asshole.

  Glazov casts a silencing glance in his direction, then returns his solemn attention to me. “I don’t care what you have to do. You are to keep that girl in your sights. Get her ass moved in. Take from her body to secure her loyalty. I don’t care how you do it, son, just do it.”

  “Yes, sir.” I already have that situation under control. I don’t want her getting on my father’s bad side. If she makes the mistake of doing that, not even I will be able to save her. It’s time to have a serious talk with my girl. What did he call her? Yeah, my rodstvennaya dusha…

  Then he surprises me by calling Roksana in to join us. My sister is promptly assigned to be Logan’s new best friend. Just great. I’m fine with it until she starts razzing me and giving me sisterly shit about Logan being my “love interest.” I’ll talk about that shit with my father but not with her, for fuck’s sake.

  Roksana can be a real wild card and I won’t have her fucking with Logan’s head. “You heard me, Roksana,” I practically spit at her, “don’t you fucking do anything to run the girl off, or you’ll be answering to me. Not even ‘Daddy’ will be able to save you!”

  I stand to leave and kick the chair toward her in frustration, which prompts her to step back a couple of paces. Smart girl.

  At Novak’s sardonic expression and raised eyebrow, I stop and gather myself. His cold, unblinking stare, so much like my father’s even though they look nothing alike, silently reminds me to stay where I am because I have not yet been dismissed by the Pakhan. To leave now would be considered the height of disrespect, so I settle for glaring at Roksana – for now.