Gavriil Nikolaev: A Russian Mafia Romance by Naomi West

Author:Naomi West [West, Naomi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-04-20T23:00:00+00:00

18

HANNAH

I run to the two of them. “What the hell?” I ask, still not quite believing my eyes.

Bastien wards me off with a strong hand and a wordless grunt. I stop, but I can’t help reaching out uselessly towards my best friend.

“Oh God, Stace,” I say, seeing her up close now. “Oh God…”

She’s got two black eyes. Tears streaming down her face. Blood running down her forehead.

Emotion takes over, primal and illogical. “What did you do to her?” I cry out at Bastien, ripping myself free and lunging at him. “You sick son of a bitch!”

Still moving on pure instinct, I cock my hand back and try to slap him. My only thought is, Hurt him like he hurt her.

Nothing else enters my consciousness. Just violence.

But my violence is reckless. Untrained. Bastien’s, on the other hand, is honed like the edge of a knife. He snatches my wrist out of the air and twists it until I cry out again, this time in pain.

Gavriil hears the noise and sprints over. He’s just in time to stop my other hand from flailing helplessly against Bastien. Enveloping me in a bear hug, he pulls me away.

Even still, I struggle to get my fists on Bastien. To make him pay for what he did to my friend. Gavriil’s powerful arms close around me, making any more struggle useless, but I still can’t stop.

“Stacy,” I whisper in desperation.

Gavriil just holds me tighter, using his head to press my face into his chest. If it were any other time, the hardness of his chest, the deep whiff of his musk, would feel good, reassuring.

But Stacy—

“It’s fine now,” he murmurs, rubbing slow, calming circles on my back. “It’s going to be fine. Just take a breath. Take a second.”

God, his arms are powerful, his voice soothing.

I want to listen to him. I want to believe him. But that’s my best friend there, broken and crying and bleeding. My Stacy.

“No!” I snap, trying to break free again. But he’s too strong. Way too strong. “I won’t.”

“It’s okay, Han,” Stacy sobs. She has sat down, head in between her knees. “It wasn’t him. He didn’t hurt me.”

When Gavriil finally lets me free, I crawl over next to her and pull her into my embrace. “Then who?”

She lets out an exhale that turns into a shuddering sob. “The Irish.”

“What?”

She lifts her head. “I’m sorry, Han.”

I reach over to squeeze her knee, feeling so helpless, so useless. How is this happening? Why is this happening? Better yet, what is happening?

Answers will come soon enough. Right now, my friend is in pain and it’s breaking my heart. I need to fix that first.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” I tell her.

She emits a shuddering exhale before she starts to talk. “They… they forced me to do it. To spy on you and Gavriil. Keep tabs on you. They found me just after Eleganza opened. They threatened me if I didn’t help them.”

I gaze at her blankly. “Jesus.”

Stacy’s mouth twists into a grimace.

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