Page 10 of Kept By the Bratva

I’d turned back to Harrow’s when I saw Steven Murphy and his other cop friend laughing and walking away. It was my first clue to get back to what I was supposed to be doing. But I was too late. By the time I re-entered the strip club, the Cartel members had begun their attack.

“The aftermath isn’t pretty,” Alek said, rubbing his brow. “Four dancers were killed. Lots of property damaged. Many scared clientele.”He grunted, shaking his head. “At least no one got to the rooms in the back.”

That was a small mercy. If the Cartel members or their friends, if anyone, busted into the back rooms where illegal gambling happened, where underhanded deals were struck, we never would have been able to overcome that breach of faith.

“And you’ve confirmed it was the Ortez Cartel?” Dmitri asked. He glanced at me, since he knew I had been there to keep an eye on things.

Which I clearly fucking didn’t.

Guilt swept through me, and I ground my teeth at the sickening sensation. I was mad that the Cartel attacked our business. I was annoyed that'd they dared to come on our turf in the first place. But I was most furious with myself.

I was there. I had been there at the damn strip club just before they attacked. I spent hours hawking the crowd and seeing firsthand if anything bad was going on.

Then when I spotted Amy, I was distracted, lured to follow her and see her up close again.

“Yes,” Alek said, sighing heavily. “It’s confirmed. The Ortezes were spotted on the security footage.”

I bit my cheek, so mad that I struggled not to growl out loud. Losing my temper—at myself—wouldn’t change anything now. I’d failed my Bratva. I should have been there to handle this attack. The moment the first asshole opened fire, I should have been right there with security to help take them down.

But I wasn’t, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive myself.

“What pisses me off the most is that those cops were there,” Alek said. “Fucking Murphy.”

Ivan and Dmitri argued about the sleazy cop, but I tuned them out. I’d already reported all that I knew and saw. I didn’t go into too many details about why I was in the alley. I’d volunteered to go there and take a look around. He hadn’t tasked me with an actual mission. He hadn’t given me a directive to assassinate or spy or start a project.

“How’d this happen?” Alek asked, looking at me.

I opened and closed my mouth, stalling on how to best word myself.

“I’m not judging you. I’m not holding you responsible. Not at all, Brother.”

His insistence didn’t cut through my guilt.

“But youwerethere,” Dmitri said. “You didn’t think anything was off about those guys?”

I sighed. “I didn’t. I noticed them and I suspected they might be affiliated with the Cartel, but they were not ranking members we would already have information on.” And I was distracted, looking at Amy and following her.

“That’s all?” Alek asked.

I gritted my teeth and fisted my hand on my lap. I hated to own up to this. “I saw a woman.”

Alek rolled his eyes and held up a hand, stopping me from going on. “That’s beside the point.”

Maxim scoffed. “Itisa strip club.”

I shot him a dirty glare. I wasn’t distracted by some easy piece of ass. Those dancers didn’t hold a candle to Amy’s beauty and sultriness. But I hadn’t told any of my brothers how stuck I was on the random one-night stand over a month ago.

“This is unacceptable.” Alek stood to pace. “And we have to show the Cartel that this bullshit is unacceptable.”

Ivan shifted in his seat, nodding. “If Pavel were still here, he’d just wave it off and let it go.”

“And we’re not operating like that anymore,” Alek said. “Our father would be rolling over in his grave if he knew we’d let this shit continue. Pavel’s gone. This is my—our—time to make things right again.”

I stood, too riled up with this conversation to sit. As I gripped the top of the back of my chair, I looked myPakhan, my older brother, in the eye. “We will.”

“Damn right, we will. I refuse to let those fuckers invade and trespass on our turf and do shit like this.”

I released my chair and stood up straight. “And I have an idea how to teach them that lesson.”