Ravaged Throne (Solovev Bratva, #2)

by Nicole Fox

“The whole confident, black widow thing is really working for you,” Jax says, twisting around in the front seat with a wide grin. “I’m just not sure it’ll work on him.”

“I loved you, Leo. Wholly and completely,” she says. “But not anymore. You took that from me, too.”

“Pasha.” She says it so softly I almost don’t hear her. “Huh?” “His name. Our son’s name,” she offers awkwardly. “It’s Pasha.” I turn to her but don’t say anything. Pasha is a Russian derivative of Pavel. Which means… “I named him after your brother,” she confirms. “Pasha Leonardo Solovev.” “Leonardo?” I repeat. A faint blush creeps up her cheeks. “After you.”

“You’re his grandmother!” Willow continues. “I thought he’d be safe with you. I thought you were strong. But all you are is an old woman who’s out of her depth.” Well, fuck me. The girl’s got balls.

“My Bratva means everything to me. But so does my family. Luckily for me, they’re one and the same. My Bratva is my family. My family is my Bratva. I won’t have to sacrifice my son for my empire, or the other way around.” I lean in, forcing her to scrunch back against the hard, white sofa cushions. “But even if I have to choose between the two, know this: I would burn my Bratva to the ground before I let anyone hurt my family.”

“I have to say,” she remarks, “I can see why she made the mistake of falling in love.” “Indeed,” I murmur. But in my head, I’m thinking, She’s not the only one who fell.

“Well, now you do. And I want you to choose to take me with you.” “No.” “Why not?!” “Because I can’t lose you both!”

“And then who would have protected Pasha, Willow?” he asks. “You didn’t think of that, did you? You just acted with your heart, not your head. I keep trying to tell you not to do that. It’s what makes me love—it’s what makes you innocent. But it’s going to get you killed. So yes, I did what I had to do. I thought for both of us. I got you out of there.”