The Bratva’s Auctioned Bride (Levov Bratva #10)

Chapter 25 - Alexander

There was no ignoring how strange it felt for me to be in the same room as the Levovs—face-to-face with nowhere to run. Sitting across from them, I looked between each of them, noting how comfortable they looked despite the topic at hand.

Ari was in the middle as the others sat around, whiskey glasses in hand, while they looked back at me. With Lara gone, the veiled amusement left with her, and their expressions were steeled.

There was no room left for banter or light-heartedness. Not when things were getting serious.

I felt as if I had wandered into a wolf den, unsure of what I might see on the other side.

For a moment, a part of me wished I had my brothers behind me to level the playing field, but there was nothing I could do. I had to face it alone. Besides, I had the feeling the room would be a lot more hostile if I wasn’t by myself.

Being put in the hot seat before them was intimidating, and if I were truly their enemy, I knew I’d be sweating bullets. But I reminded myself that I was no different; I was a leader in my own right, and while I was out of my element at that moment, I wasn’t going to let myself forget that.

I had a significant standing of my own, along with a family to protect and a name to immortalize. I couldn’t let all of that go to waste just because the Levovs were in front of me.

Eventually, Ari sighed and leaned back in his seat, eyes never leaving mine. The muted anger in them gleaned back at me.

“I won’t lie to you, Novikov, I’m pissed about all of this,” he uttered, lip curling slightly with his irritation. “Not only did you bring Lara into all of this by forcing her hand, but now she’s getting caught in the crosshairs. I’m sure you’re aware of how dangerously close we all were to losing her today.”

My heart sank slightly at the mention of it. I was far too aware. And that was the problem—the reason I was even here in the first place. I nodded, trying to hold back just how remorseful I felt about it. “That’s why I couldn’t put this off any longer—I can’t even take her out for the afternoon without risking everything.”

Ari’s evaluating gaze remained on me. “For the time being, none of us can be too careful. I’d suggest you don’t even take those risks until this is all over.”

I nodded. As much as I didn’t want to keep Lara isolated at home, I couldn’t deny I had been considering it ever since the Gromovs started getting in the way.

“That being said, we’re all wondering why you requested this meeting,” Ari murmured, leaning forward slightly. “I told you to handle this situation before it got worse, Novikov. I hope you aren’t planning on disappointing me.”

Pulling in a breath, I met his gaze completely, not backing down. “This meeting is long overdue, if I’m being honest.”

Even if he was still agitated by it all, Ari seemed receptive, at least. “How so?”

“The first time I met you, we reached a truce for Lara’s sake, but nothing concrete beyond that. Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that I don’t want to be your opposition—especially not when it would crush her. I’ll admit, I originally bought Lara and married her to get the upper hand and to prove myself in this city, but that quickly changed. I never wanted to be your enemy—not really. At the start, I wanted an alliance between our families, but I assumed that wouldn’t be on the table, especially not with newcomers like me and my family.”

Interest flickered in Ari’s eyes then, putting on a knowing grin. “Ah, there it is. The truth of your intentions at last.” His gaze narrowed slightly as his seriousness returned. “And you were right to assume that. We have little need for alliances these days. But we don’t have all night, cut to the chase.”

Letting go of a breath, I continued, “All that aside, I’m proposing we don’t just avoid each other, but work together. Not only will coordinating put us both in a better position, but it will also make Lara happy—something we both want.”

Eyes still studying me closely, Ari seemed to chew on those words. After a moment, he hummed to himself. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, that’s at least one thing we agree upon.”

Nodding, aware that I at least had his consideration, I carried on with an even tone. “I’m well aware that the Gromovs wouldn’t even be an issue for you and your family if it weren’t for me, but I’m asking for your help in this. I have the background and information you need, and you have the resources and force I need. If we work together, we can reach a common goal and wipe them out before anyone else gets hurt.”

Ari stroked his chin absently, seemingly mulling it over. “And what can you tell me about the Gromovs, then? What are their intentions, and why are they even bothering with all this?”

“The head, Matvey, has been hell-bent on causing my downfall ever since I emerged on the scene when I was first starting out. We were vying for the same turf, and when I got it, he let that grudge fester. He’s been on my ass ever since, waiting for the chance to take it all from me,” I explained, feeling irritated just from thinking about it.

“When he sent his guys to attack our warehouse weeks ago, I took one hostage, and he spilled about Matvey wanting Lara for himself. He can’t help but want everything I have, and now, he’s reaching farther than I’m willing to let him. I’ve been trying to handle the situation on my own, but I’m willing to accept that this might be bigger than myself. Seeing as we both want Lara to be safe and happy, it would be in everyone’s best interest to take care of this now. To put our forces together and stop them once and for all.”

Taking everything in wordlessly, Ari kept his eyes on only me, gaze hardening slightly at the mention of Lara and their intentions. Once I finished, he forced out a breath. “So, this Gromov head wants Lara…that’s a cheap shot at best. And something neither of us can allow.”

Hope fluttered in my chest at that, feeling as though I was closer than ever before to reaching a genuine middle ground with the Levovs.

“As much as I haven’t been all that fond of you, I’m not blind to Lara’s affections,” Ari admitted with at least some reluctance, eyeing me carefully. “I can tell that she has come around to you, and I’m not willing to take that from her. Additionally, the thought of anyone taking her again makes me feel ill. Even if I don’t like you all that much, I don’t like them more. Which puts us in a similar position.”

It wasn’t exactly as warm as I had been hoping, but with Ari, I had the feeling that was as good as it was going to get with him.

Before I could say anything else, a notification from my phone caught my attention, and I went to ignore it until another went off from within my pocket.

Ari lifted his chin in my direction. “Gonna answer that?”

While it seemed like the wrong thing to do at that moment, I sighed and pulled my phone out, quickly scanning the screen.

First was a message from my driver—a garbled mess of letters as if he had mashed his fingers on the screen before pressing send. The second was an alert from the system we used to keep track of our drivers, citing something about a vehicle being compromised.

My brows furrowed as I clicked on the second message, only for my phone to ring right after. Immediately answering it, I brought my phone to my ear. Before the agent could say anything, I demanded, “What happened?”

The woman on the other end was quick to respond with a sense of urgency. “The report claims the vehicle was involved in an accident. The driver is unresponsive. We’re sending a crew out now to evaluate the scene.”

My pulse roared in my ears. “My wife—what about her?”

There was a moment of hesitation from the other end. “I’m only seeing one body from the internal camera.”

Only one. With the driver unresponsive, it had to be his body.

As if everything around me had stopped all at once, I could only focus on that detail. Lara wasn’t there like she was supposed to be. Given the time the report was made, they wouldn’t have made it back to the house yet. My heart clenched as the pieces fell into place, and it felt like my worst nightmare was coming to fruition.

Remembering the agent was still on the phone, I managed to say back, “Get as many units out as you can immediately. I don’t care if they have to turn every building in this city upside down in the process—find her.”

With her confirmation, I hung up, feeling my hand trembling while I pulled my phone away from my ear. Overwhelmed with the thought of her missing, my entire body went numb.

“Novikov!”

Ari’s booming voice snapped me back to the present right when I registered his rough hand on my shoulder. Meeting his gaze, I found immediate panic and anger in his eyes. “What the hell happened?”

“Lara,” I mumbled, looking between them, finding the others looking just as concerned, all waiting for the details. I let go of a shaken breath. “There was an accident—the driver’s unconscious…they didn’t detect Lara there.”

As the words sank in, Ari’s eyes widened, and he let go of me, struggling just as much with the information. But his anger was quick to rush in. He looked at Lukyan.

“Can you get an exact location from the crash report?”

Lukyan nodded. “If the program is anything like ours, I should be able to.”

“But if she’s already away from the scene, that location will be useless. By the time anyone gets there, there’s a chance she might already be hauled somewhere else. Besides, those reports usually have some sort of delay,” Kir explained, his words coming in and out of my focus. “Lara could already be at a secondary location. We need a precise one to get ahead.”

Lukyan agreed before turning to me, his eyes set with determination. “You got her that new phone recently, correct?”

Blinking back at him, I nodded.

“Did you link her phone to your account?”

“Of course.”

He held his hand out. “Then hand me yours. We’ll cross reference her location with the crash site to see if the phone has moved.”

Feeling another rush of panic, aware that time was ticking, I handed my phone to him unlocked, feeling far too numb to do the work myself.

With ease, he navigated through my phone, clicking on her phone’s location and sending it to himself before doing the same with the crash report. He handed it back before he continued on his own.

Ari was already on the phone, his voice blending in with the background noise. But seeing him standing there with that authority, shouting demands through his phone, it seemed to shake me all over again.

The reality hit me, and I realized I had to do something. I couldn’t let it shake me. I had to focus.

Tuning back in, I immediately dialed Damien’s number, doing my best to keep myself level despite it all. The moment the call connected, I briefed him on the situation, demanding that everyone show up and wait on standby.

Without arguing, Damien agreed and said he’d pass the message along while he headed out.

With that sense of urgency lingering around us, I ended the call and found Lukyan turning his phone around to show me his screen.

“Does this place look familiar to you?”

Taking in the rough location on the phone map, I read the street name, and at once, it clicked. To accompany the panic and determination to find her, anger crept right in.

“That’s Gromov turf.”

At once, we looked at each other as that information dawned on us. There was no mistaking then that it wasn’t just an accident. It was another one of their hits.

The Gromovs had my wife, and so long as I could help it, they weren’t going to survive it.