Page 49 of The Bratva's Innocent Forbidden Bride
“You’ve never faked evidence before?” she asked, almost begging me to admit it.
Of course, I had. In the process of tripping up an enemy. But Grigor wasn’t supposed to be my enemy.
We were at an impasse. I didn’t want to browbeat her; she had no answers that would change my mind. She stormed into the house, and the next few days were anything but a vacation.
She ate in the guest room, which I was sure she thought of as her new prison cell, and when her weaving loom arrived, she only came out to work on it when I was out of the house. I only knew because of the progress she made on the beautiful rug. I would have loved to compliment her on it, but three days later, she was still mad enough to spit in my face.
The men we were searching for were still staying well hidden, and we were back to waiting, something I hated as much as Tati did. By now, I almost didn’t want to learn the truth, knowing how it might end up destroying her if she was tellingthe truth about not being involved. And how it would destroy me if she were.
When Sofiya called for an update, she could tell how wound up and miserable I was, and astutely accused me of getting in too deep.
“Let it go,” she said, sounding even more distant than the miles between us. “Cut Tatiana loose and forget about Grigor. Who gives a crap about the money he stole?”
“It’s not the money,” I said for the dozenth time.
“Then let it go. Come to Milan and help me wrangle my idiot brothers.”
The last I heard from one of the twins, they had just done a very lucrative deal. Perhaps the men they made it with weren’t exactly savory characters, but who was I to judge? My daughter was bitter that I was prioritizing something she felt didn’t have anything to do with our family.
She didn’t understand that I couldn’t just let this betrayal go. That wasn’t how it worked. Because if Grigor was responsible for turning the Yakuza against me, and perhaps responsible for trying to overthrow the Moscow Fokins, then that meant it had everything to do with her and her brothers.
My enemies weren’t letting anything go until I was dead, and after that, they’d go after her, and then my sons. They were already going after my nephews and nieces all the way across the world, here in LA.
Nothing would stop until I stopped it. Whatever that meant, it had to end.
Chapter 29 - Tatiana
Oh, he was so infuriating. Every day I woke up fuming, tossing off the covers and pacing in the luxurious guest room I had holed up in ever since our last blowout. Once again, we were at a standstill, and Kon refused to be swayed. If he deigned to look at me when I demanded answers, he wouldn’t say a word I wanted to hear.
He had his methods, supposedly, but whatever they were, we weren’t any closer to finding Papa. Angrily, I slammed open the sliding glass door leading out to a balcony overlooking the ocean and glared at it like it owed me money.
I wasn’t just mad at Kon for locking me up in an even prettier prison than the first one. Part of that anger was at myself for ever believing he was on my side. Sometimes it really seemed like he was… but I was foolish to think so.
A seagull divebombed one of the guards who patrolled the sands dressed like he was a local beachcomber. He reached into his pocket and scattered some chunks of bread, then had to move when all the lone seagull’s comrades came shrieking to get their share.
It would have been comical, but I was in no mood to laugh. No mood to do anything. The beach house was amazing. Clean lines, white sculptures everywhere, sheer curtains flowing in the breezes, and always that lovely sea air. There were more rooms to explore, including a media center with several old-fashioned pinball game machines, stacks of books, and a wall-sized movie screen. I was too tense to enjoy any of it.
My new loom arrived only a day after we settled in, but even that couldn’t distract me now that I saw it for what it was. A bribe to stay quiet and keep out of the way.
Unable to blame the pristine beach outside my window for my predicament, I went outside to walk along the shoreline, dipping my toes in the icy water. The guard waved politely to me and moved on, still keeping up the ruse that he was just passing by. By now, I knew he was hiding somewhere, keeping a close watch over me.
Hiking up my yoga pants, I walked into the water up to my knees, letting the waves sway me as they repeatedly hit my shins.
What if there was something I could use to bribe Kon to come back around to my way of thinking? A shiver washed over me that had nothing to do with the cold water as my thoughts instantly flew to sharing his bed again. He’d welcome me with open arms. It certainly wouldn’t be a chore.
With a huff, I traipsed back to dry sand and sat down, lazily building a half-assed sand castle. Why did I think of that option so fast? And why couldn’t I think of any other? It wasn’t because I missed his kisses, or couldn’t keep my eyes off him when he was making a point to ignore me these past few days. Not because he invaded my dreams and they were the opposite of nightmares, though they still had me waking up panting for breath.
No, it was because it was the obvious way, nothing more.
The decision to go ahead with this new plan put me in a surprisingly good mood, but it was certainly only because I had something clear to focus on.
The seagulls who had started to gather around me scattered for a moment before settling down again, and I turned around to see that Kon had come out to the porch. He stripped off his shirt and lay down on the lounger on the porch, half hischiseled body in the sun. I was certainly focused on him as I got up and headed his way, determination making me almost giddy.
He acted like he didn’t notice me lying down beside him, despite having the awareness and reflexes of a big cat. I had to sigh heavily before he cracked open his eyes and turned to face me.
“The tan looks nice on you.”
“Walking back and forth on the beach is all I’m allowed to do,” I said.
