Under My Skin

ALEKSANDR

“She’s your date?” Niko’s voice echoed in disbelief.

I chose to ignore his shocked expression, focusing instead on the email I was drafting. We were in my office, working out the final details for the security at tonight’s dinner. It was a unique event where the mafia, cartels, and Bratva would all be present.

The charity dinner was neutral ground, a place to raise funds for feeding children in some of the world’s poorest countries. I was well aware of the reputation that preceded me. I hoped that having a beautiful woman by my side would divert some of the attention.

“But isn’t she your captive?” Niko pressed, clearly wanting an explanation.

I maintained a poker face as I leaned back to address him. “She’s my guest.”

A smirk played on Niko’s lips, and I knew the reason. He’d known me for years. He was aware that this wasn’t my usual style.

“You’re attracted to her,” he stated.

“I don’t trust her,” I corrected him.

He chuckled in response.

“She’s hiding something, Niko,” I clarified. “It’s too much of a coincidence that she broke into our warehouse, ended up at Cristo’s house asking for me, and understands Russian. She let it slip, but I could tell she didn’t want me to know.”

Niko leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His amusement had vanished.

“She doesn’t have an accent,” he pointed out.

“She’s concealing it. I’m certain. My little kitten is more than she seems, and I intend to find out what.”

“Why did she want to see you?”

I drummed my fingers on the desk. “She says she needs my help to find her sister.”

Niko’s brow furrowed. “A sister?”

I nodded. “Andrey is investigating her for me. I took her prints and DNA from her breakfast cup. If she’s Russian, we’ll know by morning.”

“I’d say she’s trying to exploit your sympathy to stay here, but you’re not exactly known for being sentimental. Unless it’s about Stassy, of course.” Niko’s grin returned. “Speaking of which, when is the little troublemaker returning from Paris?”

My half-sister, Stasya, whom I’d discovered just before I became pakhan, was getting married to Don Marco’s consigliere, Georgio—or Gio, as most called him—in less than a month. She was in Paris for her final dress fitting.

I respected Don Marco. He was hands-on, like me, and fiercely protective of his loved ones. His wife, Anya, was close friends with Stasya, and since they’d met, I’d noticed a positive change in my sister. She seemed happier, more relaxed.

“Stassy will be back by the end of the week,” I informed Niko. “She’ll stay at the penthouse in the city. Until I uncover Kaia’s secrets, I don’t want her near Stasya.”

Niko nodded. “Understood.”

“Freya and her team will come later to help Kaia get ready,” I added. Freya’s team had been thoroughly vetted and often assisted Stasya with preparations for events.

Niko stood, giving a curt nod. He paused at the door, something in my expression making him hesitate. I could tell he was reluctant to voice his thoughts.

“You deserve happiness again, Aleks,” he said.

I stiffened, my face a mask of indifference. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

Niko didn’t attempt to offer sympathy—he knew it would only anger me. He simply turned and left, closing the door behind him.

I sighed, momentarily setting aside my work. My thoughts drifted back to a few years ago, to the time when I’d met my now-deceased wife.

Boris Popov, a notorious ~Vor~, had been scheming to annihilate my entire family—Stasya included—so he could ascend to the position of pakhan. I had an informant on the inside who provided me with all the details I needed to abduct Popov’s daughter, Nadya, and threaten her life if he didn’t submit.

At that moment, I hadn’t fully grasped the fiery spirit that was Nadya. She resisted fiercely, challenging me at every step. It didn’t take long for me to become captivated by the raven-haired beauty.

We secretly tied the knot a few months later, and for a time, I experienced a level of happiness I’d never known before. Popov was livid that I’d claimed his daughter as my own, and he attempted to have us both assassinated. Needless to say, he didn’t survive long enough to see his plans through.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the backing Popov had to usurp my father’s position—a backing that was stoked by information supplied by a man named Vinod Advani. A man I loathed with every fiber of my being. A man I no longer needed to concern myself with.

A war broke out swiftly, and Nadya became an unfortunate casualty. It felt as though someone had ripped my heart from my chest and buried it alongside her. I was hollow inside. The only person who could stir any semblance of emotion within me was Stasya.

So, you can imagine my shock when I found myself feeling an odd sense of worry for Kaia, who was locked in my cell, her face streaked with tears, looking as if her world had crumbled around her. I shouldn’t care. She could be a traitor for all I knew.

But I couldn’t deny that she’d managed to crack open something within me that had been sealed off from everyone else. I should send her away and ensure that void was sealed once more, but for some reason…I ~couldn’t~.

My phone chimed. It pulled my focus back to the task at hand.