If I’d only come for him sooner…
If I’d only I’d done things differently that night…
If only Papa wasn’t such an asshole…
While the world continued on around me, uncaring of my loss, I fell apart in my new car that I would never get to share with Damien now.
Tomorrow I would move into the new apartment that Damien would never see.
EverythingI had done had been fornothing.
Because Damien was gone.
Now all I had left was the Bratva.
CHAPTER FIVE
Adrik
Two months later…
The first time I saw Annika Popov, I knew I could never leave the Bratva.
Because if I walked away, chances were, I would never see her again.
I hadn’t even known she existed until that very day. Admittedly, I’d been in a grief-stricken haze the past two months, so I hadn’t paid as much attention as I should have to the world around me. But now, finally, I was coming to grips with my loss and learning to appreciate what Ididhave.
One moment I was leaning against the SUV with Timofey, waiting for the boss man, Sacha Plotnikov, to come out of the fancy restaurant where he was dining with the family so we could chauffeur him home, and the next moment…
There. She. Was.
Perfume and giggles and brightly fashionable fabrics announced the presence of the Popov females. Surrounded by a hoard of intimidating Bratva soldiers, they came out of the building in a flash of gorgeous femininity. Whenever the Popovs ventured out, people noticed. I was no different. They were strikingly beautiful people, so how could anyonenotnotice them?
I was already familiar with Sacha’s sisters, Zasha and Mila, and Lev and Dominik’s sister, Yelena, all of whom I’d seen a few times before. But the slim, gawky girl trailing slightly behind the other girls was new to me. Who was she? Why had I never seen her before?
Dimitri Popov’s granddaughters were typical Bratva princesses: well-guarded and sheltered from the “family business”, each of them poised, graceful, and stunning like their mothers.
From the moment I first noticed Annika, Iknewshe was different. Yes, shelookedlike a Popov with her tall, slender build, pale blonde hair, and striking blue eyes. Shedressedlike the others in a silky pink gown that probably cost more than my monthly salary. Yet, Isensedshe wasn’t like the others. It only took a few moments of watching her to determine she was uncomfortable in the strappy heels, her steps faltering every few strides. After a quick study of the miserable expression on her face, I concluded she’d rather be anywhere but where she currently was. It didn’t take a genius to notice the way she hung back from the other girls, as if she didn’t feel like she belonged with them.
The girl who appeared uncomfortable in the fancy gown and looked out of place with the other Popov females was an outsider. Like me. And I had to know why.
My heart thumping, I touched Timofey’s arm and whispered, “Who’s that? The girl at the end?”
Tim followed my gaze, a smile pulling at his mouth. “You mean Annika? She’s Alexei’s daughter.”
I jolted.
Efrem had a sister? Why didn’t I know that?
I got the answer to that question seconds later when Tim finished explaining. “She keeps mostly to herself, doesn’t go out much, which is probably why you’ve never seen her before. Kind of a strange girl. She’s not like the others.”
Yeah, I’d already come to that conclusion on my own.
Alexei has a daughter.
I should have known that. I should have paid more attention.
“How old is she, do you know?”