Page 14 of Taken & Bred By The Bratva
After he leaves, I sit on the floor for a long time, staring at my phone, thinking about Maya. About how easily Nikolai found her, how quickly he could make her disappear if I step out of line. I’m not just trapped. I’m completely, utterly fucked.
* * *
When Nikolai comes back later, I’m sitting at the massive marble kitchen counter, staring into nothing.
“How was your day?” he asks, like his man didn’t crush my last hope of escape. I give him a murderous look.
“I’m sure your watchdog told you.”
“Your friend doesn’t need to worry about you, Zara.”
I protest, “She’s gonna worry.”
“She’s gonna think you got married and moved on.” He gives me a cold look. “Which is exactly what happened.”
I want to throw something at his face.
He moves closer. “The cops aren’t backing down, Zara.”
My stomach drops. “How do you know?”
“They called today. Wanna have a chat with us tomorrow.”
Fuck. “What kind of chat?”
“The kind where they try to prove we’re lying. Maybe get you alone so you’ll crack and tell them what really happened.” My mouth falls open. “If they can prove this marriage is bullshit, we lose spousal privilege and you become their star witness whether you want to or not.”
“And then what happens?”
“Then we both go down, sweetheart. Me for murder, you for being an accessory after the fact. Or whatever the fuck they come up with to scare you.”
My heart beats like crazy, my insides twisting. “So we’re stuck together.”
He just stares back.
8
Zara
The questions start easy at first. How did we meet? When did we start dating? What made us decide to get married so quickly?
I stick to the script Nikolai and I agreed on. We met at the diner where I worked. He came in for coffee, asked me out. It was love at first sight for both of us.
“That’s very romantic,” Detective Martinez says with a smirk. “And when exactly was this?”
I give her the date we rehearsed. Two months before Marcus was killed.
“Interesting.” She flips through a file. “Because, according to your former coworkers, you never mentioned having a boyfriend. In fact, one of them said you told her just three weeks ago that you were single.”
My stomach drops, but I keep my expression neutral. “I’m a private person. I don’t discuss my personal life at work.”
“We’ve been reserved about our relationship,” Nikolai chimes in.
Sullivan leans forward. “Mr. Maksimov, your family has quite a reputation in this city.”
My husband’s eyes are ice cold, his voice lethal when he answers, “My family runs legitimate businesses.”
“Come on, we all know what the Maksimov name really means.” Sullivan’s voice is getting louder. “Which makes us wonder what a nice girl like Zara would want with someone like you.”
