Zakhar's P.O.V. Looking out my bedroom window, I watch my dad and Kozar leave. I know they're going to see this woman who claims to be Dad's daughter. I don't believe it. Why would she show up now out of the blue? I pull out my phone to call Dimitri. If there's anything to find on her, he'll be the one to find it. "Hello?" he answers. "Dimitri, it's Zakhar. I need you to find everything you can on a woman named Anushka Wilkins." I tell him. "Are you looking for anything specific?" he asks. "No. Just give me everything as soon as possible." I disconnect the call and sigh. For my dad's sake, I hope this woman is being honest. I don't care about the money from the business despite what everyone thinks. I'm worried about someone getting close to the family only to bring us down. We have some clean businesses, but we also have some that aren't. I run my hands through my pale blonde hair and sigh. Most people assume that our family deals in human trafficking, drugs, and prostitut
Anushka's P.O.V. "Dinner's ready," Courtney announces. Jordan pushes me into the dining room, and everyone takes their seats. Tyler and Sarah hang on to Bobby while Dakota acts like the hostess. I like that I know the truth about who my dad is and that I have brothers. However, it concerns me that Dakota is inadvertently being placed within a family of crime. "Uncle Zakky, after we eat, do you want to see my room? It's not done yet, but it's really neat." Zakhar smiles at Dakota. My little girl can win over even the hardest of hearts, but there are some people I wish would stay away. I don't want people to find out who our family is because it could put targets on our backs. Courtney begins serving bowls of salad, lasagna, and garlic bread. "I would love to. How are you feeling, Anushka? Dad told us what happened." I finish chewing a bite of salad before I answer. "I'm actually doing pretty well. The doctor left right before you came, and he said I'm doing better than expecte
Christov's P.O.V. "Is everything okay?" Kozar asks when I put my phone down after talking to Victor. I look at Anushka and smile slightly. "That was Victor. It appears that the man Stewart hired stopped by the house, trying to make a deal with Victor. Your brother has taken him to the negotiations' room." I look at Kozar and Zakhar. "What room is that?" Dakota asks. How do I say it so the others understand without telling my granddaughter what we do in that room? "It's the room where we show people the error of their ways," I explain. I can tell Anushka and Jordan know what I'm saying, but the little one isn't done questioning me. "Is it like time out? Sometimes, the mean kids in my school have to sit in time out." I can't get over how smart she is. "Yes, it's just like a time-out room," I reply. Dakota smiles and nods. "Are there guns in that room?" I can tell that Anushka being shot had a big impact on her, and I understand why she doesn't want guns around. I can't blame
Anushka's P.O.V. I feel like I can breathe a little easier once Christov and Zakhar leave. It's just a bit overwhelming to know that I'm related to them, and they killed Stewart, and now this hitman. I don't look at Kozar in the same way. Courtney gives me a pain pill and unhooks my IV. Dr. Martinez said I no longer need the fluids, so I only get IV antibiotics twice daily. "How do you think your other brothers will be?" I ask Kozar as Jordan pushes me into the living room. Courtney, Bobby, Gavin, and the kids join us. "I don't know. The only one I'd really be cautious of is Yurkov. I thought Zakhar may not take it well, but he proved me wrong. I agree with Dad that you would be safe on the compound for a visit. It's a huge place with a lot of security. Everyone lives there except for me." He explains. "Why don't you live there, Uncle Kozy?" Dakota asks, crawling onto his lap. "I like living in the city, and I live next door to you." I smile at him when Dakota hugs him. K
Yurkov's P.O.V. I'm speechless for maybe the first time in my life. No one has ever spoken to me like that little girl just did. Did she call me Yorkie? I don't know what to do while my brothers and Dad watch to see how I'll react. I look past her and see a woman who looks a lot like me and my brothers sitting in a wheelchair. A man is standing next to her with a protective hand on her shoulder. "Come in. This is my Mommy and my Daddy. Courtney is making us breakfast. These are my friends Tyler and Sarah. Bobby and Gavin will kick you out if you're bad guys." I glance at Kozar sitting on the couch. What the hell did I just walk into? I feel like the child in the room. "Don't be scared. Dakota doesn't bite," Dad says while laughing and hitting my shoulder. "Hi, Anushka, I'm your brother Victor, and this is Yegor." He and Yegor walk over to our sister, shake her hand, and the man's beside her. "It's nice to meet you. I take it you're Yurkov." Anushka says, looking at me wear
Jordan's P.O.V. Eating breakfast with an entire Russian mafia family wasn't something I had ever imagined doing, but here we are. Anushka and I talked last night about her concerns with Dakota being exposed to their lifestyle. I agree that some of what they do could be a bad influence on her. However, I also see the effect she has on them. Dakota isn't like most kids. She has her own mind and is as strong as her mom. Her uncles and grandfather are already under her spell. Anushka and I also talked about checking in on our businesses to make sure everything is running smoothly. We're both still supposed to be on vacation, but the last thing we need is surprises when we return. I have Raymond doing a little remote spying on the financials and operations from his end. We'll check in ourselves later after everything calms down. "What kind of birthday party do you want?" Christov asks as Courtney, Bobby, and Gavin clear the table. "One without guns," Dakota replies, raising her eye
Cora's P.O.V. My Jordan plan didn't work as I had expected. I heard about that woman being shot at his penthouse, and I was hoping she would die, but she didn't. I was staking out Jordan's place from across the street, waiting for him to come home while she was in the hospital, but he never did. I saw him come home a couple of days ago, but he had the blonde bitch and her brat with him. When I tried to get into the building, two large men stopped me and said I wasn't on the list of permitted visitors. I'm sitting on a bench across the street, trying to figure out how to get inside, when I see a limo pull up. When I see who steps out, I gasp out loud. Why is the Kondrati family going into the building? Who are they going in to see? Is the woman with Jordan related to them? This is something I need to verify because I have a feeling other families would be interested in knowing that a member of the Kondrati family doesn't live on their compound. Maybe they can kill the bitch, and I
Gregory's P.O.V. I don't like the sound of this negotiation. There's a metal chair with chains on the arms and legs. Plastic covers the floor, and many different items hang on the walls. The man who brought me to the shed shoves me into the chair and chains me to it. "I don't understand. I thought you said you wanted Jordan away from your daughter?" I ask Christov. I know each member of the Kondrati family only because I looked them up before I came here. I wanted to know who I was dealing with. "That's exactly what we wanted you to think. Jordan is my future son-in-law, and he informed us that you killed his mother. Is this true?" Christov picks up a golf club. "She deserved to die. She took my dad away from my mom. We never had any money, and he never gave us a dime because he had his own family." Christov looks at Yegor, and he pulls out a phone. "Hello?" "Jordan, we're here with Gregory. He said that your mom stole his dad from him and never gave them a dime." Yegor sa