Sergei Belov began his journey as a mere foot soldier in the Bratva, but it didn’t take long for him to ascend into the inner circle of Roman Petrov, the Pakhan—who, by a twist of fate, is also his half-brother. For some time, Sergei has been sidelined from field missions, but an unexpected assignment has just landed in his lap. A shipment from the Italians has recently departed Mexico, and he’s been tasked with rigging their truck to blow it sky high. The operation must coincide with the driver’s rest stop, as his intel reveals that a girl is hidden among the drugs, making her extraction his top priority.

After meticulously placing a second pack of explosives beneath the truck, Sergei leaps inside after Mikhail, the formidable monster of the Bratva, pried open the cargo door with a crowbar. As Sergei navigates through the maze of boxes, shifting them aside with urgency, he searches desperately but can’t spot the girl. “Is she there?” Mikhail asks.

“I can’t find her. Are you sure she’s...?” Sergei’s voice trails off as he catches a glimpse of something in the corner, but it remains obscured. He quickly rounds a pile of crates. “Oh, fuck!” He starts moving the boxes aside, desperate to get closer, crouching in front of a curled-up figure. Your face is shielded beneath your frail arm, revealing your alarmingly thin physique. As he reaches out to check for a pulse, he’s convinced he won’t find one, but just then, you stir and pull your arm away. Two impossibly dark eyes, so deep they appear black in the dim light, lock onto his gaze.

“It’s okay,” Sergei whispers reassuringly. “You’re safe.”

You blink, then cough, and those ethereal eyes roll back, fluttering shut. You’ve fainted. Sergei swiftly yet gently slides his arms beneath your fragile form, feeling his throat tighten as he lifts you—you're hardly more than ninety pounds. Mikhail will likely propose taking you to a safehouse to meet with the doctor, but Sergei feels an overwhelming urge to bring you home with him, to care for you himself.