“You aren’t an awful person, Sana. Not everybody can deal with a spouse or lover in that kind of occupation. I didn’t think Kirill would allow me to continue dancing, and if I told him that I wanted to go back to it today, I’m pretty positive he’d tell me no way in hell,” she laughs. “He knew at the time I needed to do it, but this isn’t the same, and I understand that. This would be your new husband, whom you don’t know, going into that place every single day. I can tell you that with me, he was always one hundred percent professional, but he knew Kirill was my man. I didn’t hang around there much, so I can’t really speak for any of the other girls.”
“Your advice sucks,” Oksana smiles and laughs.
“I know,” Tatyana says with her own smile.
“You still have what? Three more men?” Haleigh asks.
“No. Andrei, who is a Pakhan in Russia, he apparently had been trying to get several contracts at once. Another girl picked him, and only him,” Oksana shrugs, as though she’s not affected by the decision. “He was older, he was hot, but I didn’t want to move to Russia, anyway. I don’t want to be that far away from my dad,” she admits on a whisper.
“Okay, so you have Mika, and Gavril next?” Ashley asks. Oksana nods.
“Yes, Gavril and Mika come for Christmas and New Years. I’m to have my answer to papa shortly after. We were going to have a big wedding, but since…”
“Nonsense!” Haleigh all but slams her hand down. We all jump a little before she continues to speak. “You’re having it in memory of her, Oksana. Your mother would want you to have the big wedding, and you have five bratva women right here to help you in every way possible.”
“Really?” Oksana says as her bottom lip trembles and her eyes water.
“Of course. Your mother planned my entire wedding, and it was the most beautiful day of my life, aside from bringing my children into the world. I want to give you a piece of the beauty she gave to me,” Tatyana says as she wipes her eyes.
“We’ll come for New Years and we’ll finalize everything then. The dates, the venue, everything. Then all you have to do between then and the wedding day, you have Ashley and Inessa for, oh and Natalia. She’s so sweet, she’s a Bratva wife, she’ll definitely help,” Haleigh says with excitement in her voice.
“Okay,” Oksana whispers.
The conversation switches to last night’s party, and in an instant, the heaviness that had started to fill our side of the table is gone. Food arrives, family style, and we commence with eating, drinking, and having fun. It is fun, too.
I’m holding my stomach laughing as Emiliya tells us the story of how she told her husband, Radimir, about the new baby they’re expecting when Dominik wraps his warm hand around the back of my neck and gently squeezes.
I turn around and see that his eyes have darkened and he’s looking at me like he wants to devour me. He doesn’t. Instead, he places a chaste kiss on my lips and then turns to talk to the guy’s again, keeping his hand on the nape of my neck.
“Things are good?” Ashley whispers, noticing our exchange.
“Yeah, getting there,” I admit with a shaky smile.
“Good,” she grins.
I turn to face Oksana only to see a funny expression on her face. It only lasts a moment before it’s gone and she’s shifting her gaze to talk to someone else.
Ashley told me that she’d had a crush on Dominik for years, and that she was holding out her future marriages because he was the man she wanted. That was, until her mother, Sonia, described his sexual prowess and his contract to Larisa. Then, she happily moved on to other prospects, now I wonder if she’s regretting accepting to move on. I almost feel guilty, as though she’s looking at me and seeing what she could have had with him, had she only pushed it more.
We don’t stay much longer after dessert is served. Everybody who has children needs to get back to them. They were lucky enough to have some of the Bratva teenage girls watch them for last night and then this morning. Now, it’s time for them to get back, as they’ll be leaving the city in just a few days.
We all hug each other and promise to do this again when Christmas is here, and then New Years we’ll be able to start planning Oksana’s wedding. She looks pale just thinking about it, but she tries to force a smile.
I wave goodbye as Dominik places his hand at the small of my back and gently guides me toward the coat check, and then the door.
I thought the brunch would never end. I enjoyed talking with Maxim, Kirill, Radimir, Semion, and Timofei, all men that I don’t see very often, but all I could think about was my gorgeous wife and her alluring laugh.
When she was doubled over laughing, giggling to her heart’s content, it made me want her in a way that I’ve never wanted her before. I’d never seen her like that, and now I’m determined to make her do it again, except only for me.
“Are you okay?” Inessa asks as I drive us home.
“I’m good,” I grunt.
“No, what is it, Nik?” she yawns.
“You have a beautiful laugh. I hadn’t heard it like that before,” I admit with a shrug.
“I laugh,” she says, sitting up as though she’s offended.
“You do, but not doubled over until it turns into a fit of giggles,” I inform her. She grabs my hand in hers.
“We’ve had a rough few months, Dominik. We only have good things coming from now on, right?” she asks. I pull over as far as I can on the shoulder of the freeway before I turn to her.
“Only the good, yagodka, I swear it,” I whisper. She wraps her cool fingers around my cheeks and presses her lips to mine, soft and gentle, as is her way.
“Then we’ll have so many laughs to come, Nik,” she whispers.
“I don’t deserve you,” I admit. “I’m a thug, and you’re so good.”
“You’re mine, Nik,” she states simply. I shake my head once before I pull back out into traffic to head home. “I love you,” she whispers taking my hand in hers.
I wish I could return her words. I know that she wants me to, but I don’t know that I ever will, even though what I feel for her must be what love feels like.
There’s no other way to describe it.
Inessa owns me, mind, body, heart, and soul.
THE MAN SITTING ACROSS from me looks healthy enough, though I know that he’s still recovering from his injuries. Konstantin Skumin pissed me off when I initially had him be Inessa’s Byki.
I honestly didn’t know I’d hired him for her, otherwise I wouldn’t have. He’s too much like me. Then when I figured it out, it was obvious to me that he was attracted to her, especially after he pulled that shit where he said he would fuck her. I almost shot him my fucking self.
Now, here he is, sitting across from me, Konstantin, the man who saved Inessa’s life. He took several bullets for her, and killed the man two organizations had been looking for.
He killed Ronan Kelly, a man who orchestrated the murder of Sonia Vetrova, Pasha’s wife. Kelly is the man who ordered the abuse of so many of my call girls, and so many other harmful acts against our organization. A man who wanted to obliterate both the Russian Bratva and the Irish mob as we know it.
Kelly wanted to take over and be some kind of supreme ruler. He was an idiot, but an idiot who had gone to ground and couldn’t be found. That is, until he got desperate. Instead of hiring out, he started doing his dirty work himself. One of his dirty jobs being attempting to kill my wife.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” I grunt. Konstantin shakes his head with a grin. “Thank you.”
“I just did my job,” he rumbles.
“You did, but I still want to offer my thanks. Your sacrifice, which could have been the ultimate sacrifice, has not gone unnoticed by me, or by anybody else in the organization,” I announce. Konstantin bows his head slightly.
“Yakov will be here any minute, but I wanted a moment to thank you before he arrived,” I admit with a shrug.
“Is she okay?” Konstantin asks.
Konstantin lifts a brow in question and I blow out a breath.
“She’s good. It’s good now; she’d like to see you. She’s back to work,” I offer.
“That okay with you, boss?” he asks. I can tell he’s being a smartass.
“You saved her life. I give you permission to talk to her. I don’t give you permission to touch her,” I growl. He throws back his head in laughter.
“Inessa is sexy as fuck,” he begins. I stand from my desk with my eyes pinned to his as he continues. “But she’s more like a sister to me now. A few months ago, not so much. Now, yeah there’s nothing there, Dominik.”
Slowly, I sit down. There’s truth in his eyes. He loves Inessa, but not in any way other than a brotherly fashion. However, he’s straight and he has a dick, so I won’t trust him completely. It’s good to know he’s not trying to get into her panties at the moment, though.
I open my mouth to say something, but Yakov strolls in and walks straight over to Konstantin, shaking his hand and asking him how he’s feeling. Once conversation dulls, Konstantin starts looking around uncomfortably before Yakov begins to speak.
“Two million dollars has been deposited into an offshore account for the kill of Ronan Kelly in your name. I’d like to move you up in the ranks as well, Konstantin. Before this shooting happened, you’d proven that you wanted more than just to be a Byki, but you took that position very seriously and you were good at it. There are a few jobs I could offer you, a few different positions or titles, but where would you like to see yourself within the organization, Konstantin?” Yakov asks.
Konstantin’s head shoots up and he blinks, his mouth hanging open slack-jawed as he stares.
“I’d be a Pakhan if I could dream,” he murmurs. Yakov nods.
“Let’s take it slow, yeah?” he chuckles. “I’m offering you the position of a warrior, a Boyevik today, with the opportunity to continue to prove yourself and become a Brigadier in the near future.”
“Fuck, shit, yeah. Yes, boss,” Konstantin stutters, causing both Yakov and me to laugh.
“Dominik has already had you working here in the brothel, so you’ll be under him. I’ll leave you now, but know that you’re officially a Boyevik, a Bratva warrior.”
Yakov claps Konstantin on the back before he shakes his hand and then lifts his chin to me as he walks out of the office. Konstantin looks at me, still completely and totally shocked by the events of today. I chuckle and shake my head.
“Your first duty is that I want you in charge of security for the girls. I’ve got too much on my plate, and I can’t remember the last time I was home before midnight. You’re in charge of what men are on which women; we’re still keeping their security pretty thick. I know that Kelly is no longer a threat, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t others. We were too lax, and that cunt was too easily bought right under our noses for far too long. So, you’re in charge of the Byki and their schedules,” I announce.
I show him on the computer what program to use, how to schedule, and then where all of their contact information is. I also tell him that I’ll have a meeting this evening, which he’ll need to attend with all of the Byki, to introduce him as their new contact and boss.
Hopefully, me being able to free up this part of my job will allow me to be home earlier in the evenings, easing Inessa’s worries about me working here.
“Come back around eight. That’s when shift change is, and when I’ll inform them of the changes,” I order. Konstantin thanks me before he heads out of my office.
“Boss,” Stas says as soon as Konstantin leaves.
“You get her taken care of?” I ask as he closes the door behind him.
“Alla will no longer be an issue,” he mumbles.
“She handled the news?”
Stas chuckles before he coughs.
“She had to be sedated,” Stas admits with a shrug. “Whoever collects her off of the plane will have to deal with her screeching, I’m sure.”
“It’s not like we sold her to some piece of shit. Same job, same type of clients, different country,” I shrug.
“She kept saying that she couldn’t believe you would do this to her,” he laughs. “She really had a thing for you, huh boss?”
I shake my head. My patience with Alla is so far gone, it’s non-existent. We had sex, nothing more. I never held her, I never slept beside her, and my heart never ached for her. She could never make me feel the way Inessa does, not in a million years.
“I don’t think she gave a shit about me. I think she wanted the life I could provide for her. She wanted to be a kept woman,” I shrug. “That is not her life. Never could be.”
Stas nods and I thank him for handling the situation as swiftly as possible. One would think sending Alla off to one of our brothels in Russia would have been an overnight deal, easy and over with. However, they’re highly competitive, and there are so many that we had to find the right fit.
Alla is beautiful, and she’s very good at what she does. Her clients are never left unsatisfied, and she’d satisfied some of the wealthiest men in the country. We had to find a good fit for her with the right access to the right clientele. Not just any brothel would do.
I spend the rest of the day calling in background checks, creating schedules, and calling clients to confirm appointments. By the time I’m finished and I pull out my phone to call Inessa and tell her that I’ll be late for dinner, it’s already eight, and my office begins to fill with Byki for the introduction meeting of Konstantin.
The meeting ends around ten, and I’m glad to see that the news of Konstantin being in charge of security went over really well. Nobody was concerned, pissed, or even batted an eyelash at the change. It really frees up my time, and all I have to do is check in with Konstantin to get any information I need. I don’t have to hear about how one guy needs a night off because he promised his girl a date, or anything else. I don’t have time for that shit.
When I arrive home, I’m surprised to see that there isn’t a light on anywhere in the apartment. Inessa always leaves a light on somewhere so that I can see; usually a lamp in the living room, but sometimes a single light above the stove in the kitchen. Tonight, there’s nothing.
I check my phone to see if I’ve missed a call or text from her, but I haven’t. I close my eyes, assured that she’s fucking pissed that I missed dinner with her—something I’ve been making a point to do regularly lately.
I close my eyes for a second, preparing myself for the cold shoulder that I’ll likely be receiving as I start to walk into the bedroom. I turn on the light and freeze. The bed is made, but Inessa isn’t in it. I walk into the bathroom, thinking that perhaps she’s taking a bath, but it’s empty as well. Turning around, I run into the guest bedroom, then my office, and find that the entire fucking apartment is empty.
“Pavlov,” his husky voice greets. He’s probably asleep, but I could give a fuck.
“Where is she?” I bark in a panic.
“Who?” he asks.
“Inessa,” I hiss.
“I don’t know. She’s gone?” he asks. I can hear his panic rising as he wakes up.
“I’m going to go to her apartment, maybe she went there for something,” I ramble.
“You have a tracker on her phone and car?” he asks.
“Phone, yeah, if it’s on; car, no,” I say as I slide into my own car, starting the engine.
“Fuck. Try to track her phone, I’m getting up now. Call me,” he grunts as he moves around.
I drive like a madman to her apartment. She hasn’t leased it out yet. I, personally, want her to sell it, so it sits empty until we come to an agreement. At the moment, we’re at a stalemate.
I flip on every light in her apartment only to find it empty. She’s not here, either. I press a couple keys on
my phone to activate her tracker and it doesn’t work. Her phone is off. Fuck. Matvey was her Byki for the day if she had any showings. I call him and he answers sounding out of breath.
“Where is Inessa?” I bark.
“Uh, she never called me. I figured she was at the office all day,” he mumbles.
“I can’t find her,” I admit.
“She usually sends me her schedule, but she didn’t message me at all today. Where are you? I’m on my way,” he says. I tell him to meet me at her office. I text Pavlov and tell him the same.
I feel it deep in my gut. I know that something is wrong and something has happened. I just don’t know what it could be. That, that is what is making me panic the most. The unknown.
I open my eyes with a jolt and try to move, but I’m tied down. My hands are tied around my back and my ankles are tied to the feet of the chair I’m sitting in. My stomach has rope wrapped around it, which is also wrapped around the back of the chair, keeping me firmly planted on my ass.
“Finally, god, I thought you’d never wake up,” a female voice says. I look up to see a woman standing across from me.
I’m in an empty home. Looking around, I realize I’m at a house I was supposed to show to a new client today. I vaguely recall walking up, unlocking it, stepping inside, and then—nothing.
“You look confused,” she announces, tipping her head to the side with a grin. I press my lips together, refusing to speak.
“I’m Larisa Ivanova. You stole my fiancé, you whore,” she screams as she takes a step toward me.
Her body is wrenched back by an arm, and it’s then that I realize there’s an older man behind her.
“You can’t hurt her, yet,” he clucks. I watch as she shakes her head before taking a deep breath, and he releases her.
Tempting the Badman (Russian Bratva #5) Page 22