Expose' (Born Bratva Book 3) (22 page)

Logan

I expect Kodiak’s mother to give him a hard time for leaving the house, but I don’t expect Kodiak to put the two ladies through the third degree.

“She’s not to go anywhere else. Mother, you call me thirty minutes before she’s ready to come home, and Lukyan and I will be here to pick her up.” He eyes me possessively, his gaze lingering on my breasts for a long, heated moment.

“Honestly, Kodiak, give the girl a break,” Katrina taunts him good naturedly from across the table.

He glares at her, then speaks in a low whisper, “Dad and I are still not convinced this hit was intended for me. We have guards positioned around the room, but you are not to let her out of your sight.”

Only after his mother threatens to rat him out to the dreaded Nurse Ratched for his unauthorized outing, does he finally relent and leave me to enjoy some girl time.

“Logan, would you like a glass of white wine with your salad?”

“No, ma’am, I want to make sure I’m clearheaded—you know, not tired or anything, so I can take care of Kodiak.”

She places her hand over mine, squeezing it gently before she speaks. “I want to thank you for being there for Kodiak. It means more to his father and me than you could ever know.” Her eyes get misty as she continues, “Glazov tells me you put yourself at risk on our son’s behalf. He was greatly moved by what you did. You have my eternal gratitude. Nothing is more precious to a mother than the safety of her child, no matter how old he is. You’ll understand one day – perhaps sooner than you think,” she says playfully.

Once again the Glazov family’s acceptance warms me. She continues and I listen as I eat my salad. “You’re a good girl, Logan, and to be honest with you that’s why Katrina and I brought you here today. You could be headed in a direction that will put you in grave danger. In light of relationship with Kodiak, there is much at stake and we felt it necessary to intervene.”

I set the fork down and wipe my mouth with the linen napkin before speaking. “You know, don’t you?”

Katrina is the first to respond, saying, “I understand, firsthand, that the career you’re pursuing is competitive, but, Logan you simply can’t do this. You can’t speak out about anything that goes on in the gambling house where you work, and you damn sure can’t talk about our family to anyone you go to school with. I know how it is when you’re first starting out. I know how expensive tuition is, and I also know you saw winning that prize money as a way to help you pay for it. I’m telling you, though, this isn’t the answer.”

I look at both ladies with sincerity. “I’ve already decided not to write the expose’. Kodiak and Mr. Glazov know this already. That’s the only reason I’m here today and not in the dungeon. Kodiak and I are moving into the pool house. That was the other condition of my…release.” I can feel myself blushing as I direct my next statement to Kodiak’s mother. “Mrs. Glazov, I’m not sure how you feel about us…co-habitating.”

“Please…call me Kathleen. You’re family now. As I told you before, I think it’s a good idea.” She smiles and nods at Katrina to continue.

“I have an idea that I want you to consider. You can write an exposé on my drama with Novak -- only the parts already public, of course. I’ll monitor what you write. I promise you that an exclusive interview with me will give you exactly what you need to write an article that will blow the competition out of the water. You see, I do all the PR work for Glazov so I know exactly how to guide you so you write an article that protects the Glazov family secrets, keeps you alive, and doesn’t give Kodiak gray hair -- yet is still juicy enough to help you win that prize money. You see? A win-win for absolutely everyone.”

I answer in the only way I know how, with an attitude of gratitude, because that is how I feel right now – so very grateful to have these two strong women looking out for me. “Kodiak has probably already told you, but I’ve never had a family to speak of. It would be nice to be part of a family like yours.”

“Well, you have a family now,” Kathleen assures me. “Oh, just one more thing, Logan. For the time being, it would be wise that we keep what we discussed today just between us girls, at least for the time being.” I know Kodiak’s mother is warning me because she doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of her husband’s wrath for interfering in Bratva business. I don’t know what that would mean for her, but she’s been Glazov’s wife long enough to know what she’s talking about. And I don’t want to lose the ground I’ve gained with the men in this family, so I’ll take my lead from Kathleen.

“My lips are sealed, I promise,” I vow solemnly. “I’m just so relieved to have this out in the open at last. I’ve been agonizing over that contest ever since Kodiak and I first met, so thank you both for helping me turn it into something good. I would never do anything to hurt or betray your son, Kathleen. I love him.”

Kodiak

I pop three pain pills in my mouth as I listen to my sister Roksana give me the latest information she has on the shooting. I may have overdone it riding along to drop Logan off, so when Mother called I sent Lukyan to bring her home. I’m using the time she isn’t here to talk business. I’m not ready for her to know too much but that’s only to keep her safe, not because I don’t trust her. She showed me and the whole Bratva organization how strong she is by going all out for me during the shootout. The whole thing has earned her some serious street cred among the ranks.
My baby is a badass.

“Umm hmm, looks like you did too much too soon.” She doesn’t give me time to answer before she continues. “Here’s the deal. That bitch, Becky, has something to do with this. She’s had her eye on you from the first day she started working for us. I’m telling you, hell hath no fury…”

“What are you going on?”

“The Glazov gut.” She immediately answers.

“Oh, fuck, don’t tell me that. The last time I heard dad say that, I got shot,” I mutter as I wince and squeeze the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

“All the more reason why you should listen to me.” She eyes me blandly as if it’s a given and I should already know this.

“How do you plan on finding out?” I’m scared to even think of what my sister has in store for the gambling house girls. Roksana has a wicked streak as vicious as my father’s. When you mix that kind of ruthlessness with the fact that she’s a woman, Roksana is downright lethal.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you alone. I want to put a wire on your girlfriend. Let her confront that bitch and bait her into incriminating herself. I know Becky and, if she thinks no one else will hear, she won’t be able to resist taunting Logan with the fact that she’s out for blood. Becky may not admit outright to hiring someone to kill you, but she won’t be able to resist rubbing it in Logan’s face that she hired someone to kill her. She’s scared of you, yeah, but she’s not scared of Logan. Becky has no way of knowing the Glazov family has taken Logan in. She’s going to assume Logan’s still an outsider with no back-up. She probably figures it would be her word against Logan’s, and she’ll be right – but with those odds, she’s gonna lose every time.”

“Becky doesn’t make the kind of money it takes to pay for a hit. You don’t think she’s gotten to anyone on our payroll, do you?”

“Hell, no. You and I both know any junkie would do it for a fix. As far as that goes, Becky probably sucked and fucked some street thug to get him to shoot Logan and get her out of the picture. I can assure you none of our guys are going to fall prey to a woman like her. She got some low-life gangbanger or junkie to do this shit.”

“You may be onto something, Roks. You just might be right.”

We both look up to see Logan coming in.

“Might be right about what?” she asks with a frown.

“Sit down, baby, you need to hear this too.”

I can tell by the look on her face that she’s reluctant to sit down. Roksana reads her mood and reassures her, “It’s nothing bad—not for you anyway.”

Logan’s features relax as she sits and takes my hand, rubbing her thumb over my skin reassuringly. It’s so like Logan to comfort me even when she’s still struggling with her own insecurities. Once again I feel hostility toward her worthless parents. I can’t imagine how it would feel knowing your own parents don’t want you.

I make a mental note to have a heart to heart with her the next time we’re alone. I want to reassure her the Glazovs will always be there for her the same way she was there for me when the bullets were flying. Most women would have freaked out and said it was too much to deal with—but not my Logan. She fits right in and I can easily see her with me for life. The dream of having what my parents have is becoming a reality for me.

Roksana’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “We think that bitch, Becky Box, has something to do with this.”

“Damn, Roksana, you talk like a sailor,” I taunt her.

She rolls her eyes, “And yet you cuss to complain about my vulgarity? Anyway…I think that
bitch--
” she says as she glares at me, “ordered the hit. And I don’t think Kodiak was the target, I think you were.”

“But where would she get the money to do something like that?”

I pull her in close to me and whisper in her ear, “Spoken like a true Glazov. I said the same thing. Talk about great minds thinking alike.” I kiss her forehead and continue, “It’s a pretty safe bet that Becky deals in currencies other than money. Sex, drugs, you name it.”

“Kodiak and I think that if you wear a wire and confront her, she’ll cave and confess. She’s going to want to show off and taunt you with it. She’ll think it will scare you away.”

I’m shocked with the ferocity of Logan’s response. “If I find out Kodiak got shot because of that delusional, jealous whore, you won’t have to take care of her. I will.”

Roksana shakes her head firmly, her eyes cold and unyielding as she speaks to me. “You need to let us deal with it—we’re professionals—this is what we do. The worst you can do is beat her ass. I can put her in a body bag and send a message to the other women. Now…if you want to be there when I do it, that’s fine.”

“Jesus, Roks, hold up a minute, will you?” I snarl. This conversation is going in a very different direction suddenly, and I don’t like it one goddamn bit. “You’re talking about involving Logan in a murder. What the fuck?!”

“She should have some input on this one, Kodiak. If I’m right the hit was put out on her. Shouldn’t she be able to vindicate herself?”

“She’s innocent! I don’t want to stain her with our lifestyle.”

Logan cups my jaw and presses her forehead to mine, saying in a surprisingly steady voice, “Kodiak, I love you. And I’m already in too deep to get out now.”

I’m shocked she just told me she loves me, even more so when I respond in kind. “I love you, too, baby, and I’ll do anything to protect you. You’re right; I can’t keep you in a bubble. If you want in on the payback, I won’t stop you. Go to work with Roksana and Lukyan tonight and get to the bottom of all this and we’ll go from there. Roksana will set you up with the wire. Just remember, if you do this, there’s no turning back. You can never really clean blood-stained hands. There are no do-overs in Bratva.”