As the boss here in South Africa for the Bratva Fury, Alexei has every right to know what the situation is, but I find myself only telling him about what is happening now and not what happened before. The only thing I say is that she’s wary of being around men, which has him frowning, but he doesn’t query. After I have given him an update, we move on to other matters, allowing me to breathe in relief.
RUBY 6
It has been a week, and I have hardly seen Dimitri. To be honest, I have hardly seen anyone except for when a parcel is brought to the door by one of the men. I enjoy my solitude and don’t mind the quiet. Dimitri makes a point of being here for dinner every night, but after that, he usually leaves again.
Therefore, I am surprised when I hear someone at the door, as I’m not expecting anything and it’s too early to be Dimitri. Walking up to the door, I hesitate a few seconds before opening. I am surprised to see a beautiful woman standing there.
“Quickly let me in. I managed to give Nik the slip.” With that, she pushes in past me, leaving me standing here stunned. “Please close the door,” she says as she turns to look at me. After reluctantly closing the door, I stand just within arm’s length of it just in case I must make a dash for it. “I’m sorry for the rude entrance, but I had to slip away while Nik was distracted, and knowing him, he will be on my heels and knocking at your door in no time.”
“I’m sorry, but should I know who you or Nik are?” I ask curiously. She seems nice enough.
“Oh, silly me.” She takes a step closer and smiles. “I’m Jade, Alexei’s wife, and Nik you can say is my bodyguard.”
Oh dear, this isn’t good. Why would she come to see me? “Are you running away?” Is Alexei somehow hurting her? I really can’t afford to get myself involved in this problem right now. At my question, she starts to laugh and shake her head, which has her hair bouncing around.
“No, goodness. I would never leave my baby and Alexei; they are my life. Besides that, the man would burn down the town looking for me.” She shrugs as she turns and walks towards the leather couches on the far end of the lounge. “You know, it’s the first time I’ve been in Dimitri’s place,” she says as she sits.
“Would you like me to show you around?”
“No time for that. Maybe later. I was just dying to meet you and see who Dimitri married,” she says with a smile. I relax slightly when I finally realize that the reason for her visit was curiosity.
“I’m Ruby. Nice to meet you,” I say, feeling awkward, as I’m not used to being around strangers, especially ones like Jade. She seems bubbly, but there is an underlying look of wisdom that I’m sure has Alexei on his toes. “Why are you hiding from Nik?” I’m curious why this woman would want to hide from her bodyguard.
“It’s just that Alexei is in one of his overprotective moods. It becomes very difficult to do anything when he’s like that.”
“Are you in danger?”
Jade shakes her head and laughs. “The way he acts you would think I am, but no, I’m just pregnant.” I automatically look down at her flat stomach. “I’m going into my twelfth week now,” she says as she strokes her flat belly.
“Congratulations, you must be very happy,” I say. I have never been in a situation before where someone told me they’re pregnant. I used to dream about having a baby before what happened to me. That dream was destroyed, the same as with other dreams I had of the future, the day I was abused.
“I am, but I’m hoping for a girl this time.”
This time? “Do you have other children?”
“I have a little boy who is totally spoilt by his father, uncle, and everyone else around us.” With that, she shrugs. “Enough about me. Tell me about yourself.”
I can feel the knot in my stomach at her query. I don’t want to talk about myself or the things that have happened to me. She seems nice, and it was very kind of her to come here, but the last thing I want to do is talk to her about myself.
“There isn’t—” As I’m about to answer, there is another knock on the door.
“Darn, he found me sooner than I thought,” Jade says with a sigh, but doesn’t stand. I turn and walk towards the door; all I need is an angry bodyguard looking for his charge. Taking in a deep breath, I open the door to encounter a tall dark-haired man standing on the other side. Instantly, I feel my stomach tightening and my throat closing.
Come on, get a hang of yourself, I think. I am tired of feeling this fear every time a man approaches me. I know this one is just here for Jade, but he’s got a dangerous look to him.
“You must be Ruby. I’m Nik,” he says in his deep voice. There is something in his voice that funnily enough calms my nerves. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m here for Jade.” I hear Jade huff behind me, which nearly has me smiling at her annoyance.
“Would you like to come in?” I invite, and step back enough so that there is no chance of him touching me in any way when he walks in. He nods and enters. When he sees Jade, he shakes his head. I thought for sure he would be upset from the way things unfolded, but no, instead I see amusement on his face as he looks at her.
“You could have given me more time.” Jade sticks out her tongue at him. Instead of answering, he simply shrugs. “Is he finished with his meeting?” she asks, and I’m deducing she’s asking about her husband.
“Da,” he replies in Russian.
“Ruby, would you like to come upstairs to our home? I would like to introduce you to my son.”
At that, I stiffen. I have no wish to leave the apartment or go meet her son. I loved kids once upon a time, but now the thought of children just brings sorrow to my heart.
“Thank you, but do you mind if I make it some other time?” It’s not prudent to refuse an invite from someone like Jade and the position she holds, but I still don’t feel able to confront whatever I have to in her home.
She stands and walks towards me; I notice that Nik tenses but doesn’t move. When Jade reaches me, she places a hand on my shoulder, her eyes solemn as she looks deep into mine. “I’m sorry about what happened to your family. If you will let us, we will try to be as much of a family to you as we can.” To say that I am surprised at her words is an understatement. Of everything, I never expected her to say this.
Even though she’s the wife to the Bratva mafia boss here in South Africa, she seems like a humane and kind person. I wish I could trust her at her word and believe that I could find a sanctuary here like I found in my home, but I don’t think I will ever find that again.
“Thank you.” I know I should say more, but now I am not ready to blindly take up friendships with people I have never met or heard of before. I hear a noise behind me, and then the door opens and Dimitri walks in.
“Well, well,” he says with a smile, “does your husband know you are walking around?” Even though the question is directed at Jade, his eyes are on Nik, who raises his brows. I realize there is some kind of silent communication going on between these two men.
“Don’t you start too, Dimitri. I’m fine,” Jade says. “Besides, you didn’t come and introduce your wife. I gave you a whole week. I was curious. I thought for sure she looked like an ogre the way she’s been hidden away in this apartment. To my surprise, I find a stunningly beautiful woman.” I can feel my face flush when I feel both men’s eyes on me. “Now I know you’re just hiding her away from all the other men.”
I know she’s implying that Dimitri might be jealous, but she doesn’t know how close she is to the truth. Instead of protecting me because of jealousy he’s protecting me from myself.
Dimitri steps closer to me, and then I feel his arm around my waist. “Do you blame me?” he says playfully, and I can feel his hand squeeze my side gently in comfort. My heart is hammering in my chest at his closeness, but I find that the suffocating fear that consumes me when a man touches me isn’t present. Is it possible that in some way, I am trusting Dimitri? To be honest, he has had more than ample time to hurt me in various ways if he wanted to
, but instead, he comes to dinner and then either leaves again or locks himself away, working.
I have learnt that he analyses everything; the smallest thing he takes in. He is cautious not to overstep where I might feel uncomfortable, and that has proved to me that he is considerate and caring in his own way.
“Come for dinner,” Jade says, looking at Dimitry. “Raven and Nik will also be there.” I hear Nik grunt, but when my eyes move to him, there is no expression on his face.
“How can we refuse?” At his acceptance, my head snaps up to his. He squeezes my side again comfortingly, but this time, I don’t feel comforted. Instead, all I can think about is sitting at a table with strange people.
“Great. Now let me go before Alexei comes looking for me.” She looks back over her shoulder at Nik and then moves towards the door. When Jade and Nik finally leave, I realize that Dimitri still has his arm around my waist and his fingers are now stroking my side.
“I don’t want to go tonight,” I say, not moving away, which surprises me.
“I know, but it will be fine. You have to start somewhere, and I will be there at all times.” I know he doesn’t understand my reluctance to be around people, but what he says is true. After all, my parents were trying to get me to mingle again with people, and before the attack that killed my parents, I had decided to try it.
“You need to know that I haven’t been around a group of people for a long time. The first time I was in a room with more than two people at a time was when we got married.”
Dimitri loosens his hold around my waist as he steps before me. His index finger moves under my chin, and he gently lifts my chin until my eyes are looking at his. “I know, but I will be by your side at all times. We will leave if it becomes too much for you.” At his promise, I nod slightly, still not sure that I like this idea but realizing that it’s time I take this step.
“Why are you home so early?”
He smiles, which has my heart racing at his handsomeness. I realize that I have called this home, but to be honest, I am feeling more at home as the days go by. I am also feeling safe, something I haven’t felt in a long time. Even though I was at my parents’ home, I always had a feeling of doom looming over me, and I was right, but with Dimitri, I thought if anything, I would feel trapped or cornered as if in danger, but Dimitri has left me to my own devices. Today has been the first time he has touched me since arriving here.
I don’t know if he is keeping his promise in not being with any other women, but I know he is with me every night at dinnertime, and I haven’t seen any evidence of him being with any other female.
“I was in the building when my phone beeped that the door was open. I saw that it was Jade, and I knew that Nik would follow.”
“You have the door monitored? Am I in jail? Are you keeping track of me?” I say angrily. I never thought he might be keeping an eye on me. What, is he worried I’m going to run away? It’s not as if I know anyone around. He steps back, a frown appearing on his face as his hands rise to his waist, stretching the material of his shirt tight across his chest. His dark-blue suit jacket is open, showing off his powerful body.
“I have always had a sensor on the doors to my apartments, as it will tell me if anyone comes in without me knowing, but for your information, I am also keeping an eye on you to make sure that the threat from Russia didn’t follow you here.” His voice is low, and I can tell he is angry, but I don’t like thinking that he doesn’t trust me. “You are now my responsibility, and I will make sure that you are safe. I am sorry if you don’t like my methods, but that’s not going to change if it keeps you safe.”
“Well, sorry for having been made your responsibility, but I told you we could have gone our separate ways. You wouldn’t be feeling burdened down now,” I mutter, and he sighs, his arms dropping to his sides as he shakes his head at me.
“You don’t burden me. To be honest, I like the thought of having you here when I come home.” I feel a fluttering in my stomach. Can I believe him, or is he just saying this to make me feel better? “There is another reason I was in the building. I was thinking of taking you out to see the city where you live now. We can have something light to eat somewhere, as you don’t want to ruin your appetite for tonight. Jade is a fantastic cook. No matter what she makes, you will love it.”
I look out the windows often, wondering about the view that I can see from here, but I would never have gone out by myself or asked him to take me. Now that I can go out and see the city, I’m wary.
“I don’t want to take you out of your busy day to babysit me,” I say, and he frowns again. This time, his eyes darken as he once again raises his hand to stroke a strand of hair behind my ear that has fallen over my face.
“I won’t be babysitting you; I want to go out and show you your new country. Now go get ready. I’ll wait for you.” Before I know it, I’m in the room getting ready. It has been such a long time since I have felt this excitement.
DIMITRI 7
I can sense her excitement as she sits next to me in the car. I purposefully didn’t do this before because I was giving her time to get used to me and the idea of being in a different country with different people.
I have kept away as much as possible, giving her the time she needed to adjust, but I think it’s now time for her to get used to the idea of being married. I’m still not convinced that she’s safe. I always make sure to keep an eye on her. One of the men I trust has been posted outside our door, and I have a sensor that tells me when the outside door is opened, but something kept nagging at me. I found myself checking up on her various times a day.
I don’t know if it’s the idea of Ruby being my wife, but I find myself thinking about her constantly, and every time I’m close to her, all I want to do is kiss her until she loses her fear and realizes that she wants me. I have noticed how she looks at me when she thinks I’m not aware, and I can tell that she doesn’t fear me any longer, or at least I hope she doesn’t.
When I held her around her waist today, I thought she might have stepped away, but she didn’t, not even after Jade and Nik left. That tells me she likes my touch as much as I like touching her. I also noticed how her head inclined into my touch when I was stroking her cheek, and I know she didn’t even realize it, but that tells me she’s not immune to me.
“It’s all so different here.”
I look over at her in the passenger seat and see her looking curiously out the window. “I will take you to a small restaurant for lunch that I like to go to when I can. You will get introduced to proper South African hospitality there.” I look in the rear-view mirror again to make sure no one is following us. I don’t see anything suspicious, but something is nagging at me. It might be just the fact that Ruby is out for the first time since arriving here, but something doesn’t feel right.
Since joining the Bratva, I have learned to depend on my senses and hunches, as they have saved me in most situations. I don’t want anything going wrong today; I want Ruby to feel safe here, but most importantly, I want her to know that I will keep her safe no matter what.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she says, which has my mind coming back to our conversation. Her delicate perfume surrounds me, making me want to place my hand on her leg and stroke. I tighten my hands on the steering wheel to stop myself from following through with my thoughts.
“Is there anything specific you would like to see or do?” All I know about Ruby is what I have managed to dig out and from the little time we have spent together. I need to get to know as much about Ruby’s likes and dislikes as possible. From her searches on the internet, I have realized that she likes boots, something that has my imagination going when I think of her in lingerie, stockings, and high boots.
I hold back the groan from the pressure of my slacks tightening around my hardness. This has become a normal occurrence when around my woman. If it weren’t for her past traumatic experience, she would have been my wife in full by now. I can say that it is starting t
o become more difficult as the days go by.
“This might be a bit different from what you were thinking, but I would really like to walk somewhere with trees and flowers, like a park.” I can see her reluctance and the hesitation in her voice. This isn’t what I was expecting, but I have found that Ruby has a tendency to surprise me.
“I know just the place.” If she wants a park, I will give her a park. At my answer, I see her radiant smile light up her face. “Do you miss having a garden?” When looking at her background, I saw the gardens that her parents had in both their homes. At the time, it didn’t say anything to me, but from her request, I’m guessing that the gardens were Ruby’s place of solace when home.
“I must be honest; my parents’ home had beautiful gardens where I spent most my time. Since I can remember, I have always loved being around nature.”
Living in a building with no gardens around must be depressing for her. I need to get some plants and flowers for the apartment, and we need to start looking for a house with a garden where we can live. At the moment, it’s safer for us to be where we are, but in the future, we will move into a place where she will love living and feel at home.
Pulling into the parking lot, I stop the car. “When we leave here, we can go look for some potted plants for the apartment. What do you think?”
Her eyes widen, and then she nods. “I don’t want you to change the way you like things.”
“Ruby, you spend more time there than I do. Besides, I really don’t mind some greenery. We will go shopping, and I want you to get everything you want for the house.” I place my finger under her chin and stroke gently, noticing that she doesn’t pull away. “I want you to feel at home.”
A smile stretches across her lips. “You might just regret that offer,” she quips with a twinkle in her eye, and just like that, she has me as horny as a goat. I lean forward and take her lips in a gentle kiss. Even though I want to take her right here and now, I don’t forget to be gentle, because if I push too hard too fast, she will bolt, and I might never get the chance to make her see that not all men are assholes.
Mayhem: Bratva Fury (book 3) Page 5