Expose' (Born Bratva Book 3) (5 page)

Kodiak

I leave Lukyan to wait for me at the back of the auditorium so I can speak to the professor without his imposing presence looming over my shoulder. As burly as Lukyan is, I know that if I needed help he’d be down here ready to deal a killing blow before anybody saw him coming. It has always amazed me how stealthy and quick his big ass is.

I head down the sloping aisle toward the professor’s desk, where it looks like he’s grading papers. Ostrom enthusiastically stands and flashes the megawatt smile that probably cost a good twenty thousand dollars—of my father’s money. The professor is a surprisingly useful resource for the Bratva organization. More than once he’s been there when we needed inside information – okay, dirt – on a few local community leaders. He has also been instrumental in the success of my father’s pet project to keep the local library alive and thriving—with everything going digital it seems to be a perpetual struggle. Only those closest to my father understand what a bookworm he really is. My family is big on books and, because of him, we take our love of literature very seriously.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Glazov?”
That’s my dad, dude.
He doesn’t give me time to say what I’m thinking before he quickly adds, “I know, that’s your father. So what brings you here today, Kodiak?”

“I’ve got some questions about one of your students, Logan Ludwick.”

“Sure, I know Logan. She’s taking one of my Journalism classes. Bright student, very enthusiastic. She’s a Journalism teacher’s dream, really; absolutely relentless when she’s pursuing a story. Yes, yes, I think quite highly of Miss Ludwick.”

I grit my teeth as the lightbulb goes off.
Journalism. Fucking hell.
I’m not looking forward to giving Dad this news.

He picks up the pen my father gave him last Christmas. He has a habit of twirling it through his fingers when he’s nervous or pre-occupied. He’s probably a little bit of both right now.

“Dad and I would like you to keep an eye on her.”

“Of course. Anything you’re looking for specifically?”

He’s fishing.
I don’t mind telling him, though. “She came by the house downtown last night looking for work.”

“That makes sense, Kodiak. Her dad was a gambler, it’s all she knows.”

This is a surprise. Interesting...
“Where is he now?” I ask.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Ran off, probably dead by now. I don’t think he was ever much of a father, just from some things I’ve overheard her say to her best friend. Her mother’s a mess, too. Logan’s here on a track scholarship, you know.”
He’s telling the truth. That’s good.

“Just keep an eye on her for me, who her friends are, anything. I want to know it all.”

“Well, that’s easy enough. Her best friend is Gilbert Dorkoff.”

I give him a baleful stare so he knows I’m in no mood for jokes. But, I’ll be damned, he’s serious. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. With that last name, the kid must have gotten the shit kicked out of him on a daily basis growing up.” Suddenly I have a thought that makes my next question practically a growl, “Are they together?”

“No, no, you don’t have anything to worry about there. She took him under her wing because he’s incredibly shy and, yes, is something of an easy target for some of the kids around here. Being an asshole has no age limit, apparently. Anyway, he’s a smart kid; the boy can hack into anything with a keyboard. He doesn’t talk about it, though. Probably doesn’t want to be taken advantage of by all the opportunists around here. The kid’s a genius. It says a lot for his character that he isn’t using his abilities to be in with the
cool kids
.”

Though I’m relieved to hear that, a tinge of something I’m not accustomed to washes over me—compassion for a kid who got and probably still gets picked on. Even though I have a strong, supportive family, I know all too well what it feels like to feel like an outsider. I can’t imagine what it’s like for a kid who has no backup.

The house fire that took my first father when I was five left scars that have nothing to do with the mild burns I received. But even though I lost a father that day, I consider myself lucky. Growing up adopted would have been much harder on me had my Glazov family not treated me as blood from the very first day. My father made sure of that, honoring his fallen friend by presenting me to his wife and children as his son while I was still covered in soot, practically catatonic from shock. From that moment, they have seen no difference in me and, if anything, they’re more protective of me because of it.

“Where does this Gilbert stay?” I ask impatiently.

“In the dorm. They each have their own dorm room on the same floor, I believe.” He pauses and clears his throat when he hears the low growl that I can’t quite suppress. “Um, yes, I think he’s in the same boat Logan when it comes to family ties -- parents who don’t give a shit. He was probably glad to get out of his parents’ house.”

“Do you know if she ever takes guys back to her room?”
Fuck me, why am I asking this?

“I wouldn’t think so. Logan opted for one of those incredibly small, single dorm rooms. There’s barely enough room for one person to move around in there as it is. I think she’s a loner except for Gilbert, of course.” That isn’t a good enough answer for me. I feel the sharp sting of rage at the thought of her hooking up with some jock. I want details and I’ll have them before I leave this room.

“Does she ever bring guys back there, yes or no?!?”
Yeah, I’m fucking repeating myself and now I’m raising my voice. Jesus.
What the fuck is up with that? This isn’t like me.

He laughs but abruptly stops when I give him a cold stare.

“I’m sorry, Kodiak. I’m only laughing because that just isn’t the girl’s style at all. She has two things on the brain: running and school. I’ve heard a few guys ask her out after class but she always turns them down. I think some of the guys think of her as a challenge, but Logan is utterly focused on being successful academically during her time here. She just doesn’t seem interested in having a social life.”

“Good, very good.” I turn to go but stop and glance back over my shoulder when Ostrom clears his throat as if he has more to say.
Wow. The good professor has grown a pair of balls.

“Kodiak, if I may be so bold…I can see that you’re intrigued with this girl. I hope you know I’ll never be less than honest with you. So what I’m about to say, I say with all due respect. Logan isn’t a one night stand kind of girl. She’s been through a lot but somehow she still manages to be…innocent. Don’t hurt her.”

I stare him down, a sneer curling my lip at his audacity to challenge me. As his throat convulses nervously, I am mindful of the fist that is ready to go at my side. I let him sweat it out for a few seconds before I give him a curt nod of respect for his candor. If he can call me out on my intentions toward this girl, then I know he’s honest with the information he passes along to us. Hell, I think Ostrom just got himself a raise and I make a mental note to let my father know.

As Lukyan navigates traffic on the drive back to the family compound, I barely notice the scenery that passes by my window. On a deep exhale that draws Lukyan’s uneasy gaze in the rearview mirror, I steel myself against a feeling that is altogether unfamiliar to me: guilt.

Logan

The knock on the door is insistent and loud enough to cut through the music blasting in my headphones while I’m studying. I toss the headphones on my bed and reach for my baggy sweatshirt to throw on over my old, threadbare camisole and boy shorts, then decide against it and head to the door. It’s probably just Gilbert anyway, coming by to study or to try to convince me to take that job at the gambling house – and, really, the boy couldn’t care less about my boobs so modesty’s wasted on him.

I open the door with my hand on my hip and a sassy comment on my lips, only to freeze in place as I look into the gleaming black eyes that have haunted me since last night. And from the way those eyes are looking me up and down, stopping to shamelessly linger on my breasts, I probably should have put on that sweatshirt. Or at least a bra.
Shit.

I gulp and try to find my voice but all that comes out is a croaked, “Kodiak, what -- what are you doing here?”

With a smirk, he reluctantly looks away from my now peaked nipples. He stares at me dispassionately, tilting his head to the side to speak to his bodyguard. “Give us a minute, Lukyan.” The hulking brute of a man who is Kodiak’s shadow steps back a few paces and assumes his post outside my door.
Just great, that won’t be completely impossible to explain to anyone…

Kodiak steps inside and closes the door. He prowls toward me, his jaw ticking slightly as he takes in my barely there attire. The closer he gets, I’m forced to back up until the back of my knees hit the bed and I have to sit down. I lean back awkwardly as he bends at the waist and places his hands on either side of me on the bed, caging me in. His unblinking gaze has my heart is pounding so hard that I wonder if he can hear it from where he’s looming over me. His nostrils flare and his lips are set in a grim line as he stares down at me. He looks pissed. I hope to God he hasn’t figured out the real reason behind my visit to that house last night.

“Let’s keep it real, Logan.”

Oh shit.
I close my eyes, dreading what’s surely coming next.

“We both know you know who my family is,” he whispers silkily. “You must be an A-student in that Investigative Journalism class if you were able to find out about my father’s gambling house. That information is strictly on a need-to-know basis. And you don’t need to know.” He cocks his head to the side and a sadistic smile crosses his face as he strokes the knuckles of one hand down my cheek. “Mmm… soft,” he murmurs absently, almost as if he doesn’t realize he said it out loud.

“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and tell me how you got that information.” He abruptly fists a handful of my hair at the nape of my neck, tugging on it just hard enough to let me know that he is well aware of what he’s saying. “If I was a betting man, I’d say it was that little hacker friend of yours.”

My eyes widen in shock and he slowly nods his head, purring, “Baby, you really need to work on your poker face. You’re gonna have to do better than that in the Black Jack pit – ah, ah, now, now…” he says, interrupting me when I try to argue. He tightens his grip on my hair to the point of pain and presses the index finger of his other hand over my lips. His words are slow and deliberate, as if he’s speaking to a small child, “You see, now I have to babysit both of you. And it’s not that I won’t enjoy keeping a very, very close eye on you, Logan, because I was already considering doing just that,” he says softly, his eyes straying once again to my stubbornly hard nipples as he removes his finger from my lips to slide his knuckles up and down along the side of my breast, “but this does move my original timeline up rather…drastically.”

I twist my head away and start talking, even though my suddenly shallow breathing makes it difficult. “Look, I don’t know anything about you or your family. Let’s just forget about last night and move on. And I can’t believe you’re spying on me! I’m nobody! I was looking for a job, that’s all. I have no intention of working there anyway so you never have to see me again. See? Problem solved.” I summon what little bravado I can muster to arch an eyebrow sarcastically.
Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

He slowly shakes his head while biting his bottom lip. “No, baby. You see, first of all, I don’t like that. Not seeing you doesn’t work for me at all. And second…You’re. Lying. To. Me. And even if you weren’t – and we both know you are -- it’s not that simple.” I gasp when he tweaks my nipple hard enough to make my eyes water, and his eyes light up at the sound. Just as quickly, he stands and pulls a rickety chair out from my tiny desk, spins it around and straddles it, resting his forearms along the back. I indignantly press my palm over my nipple, which still stings. He stares at my hand as he continues, “Unfortunately for you, my father has become aware of your interest and wants me to keep an eye on you. You crossed a line when you came to the gambling house last night—an underground gambling house, I might add.”

He glares at me coldly, as if daring me to argue with him. When he’s satisfied that I’m at a loss for words, he continues with a smug smile. “Let’s start our time together with a little fun, shall we? You’ll even get to play dress up again like you did last night.” He stands and strolls over to where I sit on the edge of the bed. “Ease up on the makeup, though. You don’t need that shit.” Again his knuckles stroke up and down my cheek. “A driver will be here at eight to pick you and your little hacker friend up. Don’t keep me waiting,” he says as he walks to the door. He looks over his shoulder at me as he opens the door, his tone harsh, “And don’t even think about not showing up because I will hunt your delectable little ass down. Trust me, you’ll wish I hadn’t. You sealed your fate when you walked into my gambling house, little one.”

With one last heated glance my way, he exhales harshly then closes the door behind him. I hear two sets of footsteps move down the hall.
Oh, this is not good. Shit, shit, shit! What the hell was I thinking?

It never crossed my mind that Kodiak would look into my background. He knows I’m studying journalism, but he didn’t say anything about the expose’ so maybe I’m worrying too much about that. But I sorely underestimated my opponent; an opponent I don’t have the resources to protect myself from. Looks like my plan of not going back isn’t an option. It’s too late to undo what I’ve done.