Page 54 of The Bratva's Innocent Forbidden Bride
“Oh, really?” Ivan asked as we discussed strategy. “We’ll see about that when I meet you in Moscow.”
So it was settled. With a wig that matched my hair color and style, Daria was bundled onto one of the Fokins’ private jets in the dead of night by Kon and a couple of his guards. After a few carefully placed information slips, he was confident the Yakuza would believe I had returned to Moscow.
As soon as Daria arrived there, she’d ditch the disguise and be taken into hiding with her husband, who seemed to have a good time planned for her. It was sweet seeing them treat this serious operation like a chance for a second honeymoon, and I had to admit I was having the time of my life, too, during the planning.
Maybe if I had insisted on getting involved with my father’s activities instead of letting him shelter me, things would be different. I had proven by now that I was capable, and being in the Bratva was actually thrilling.
It was so much fun that I started feeling guilty once Kon returned from the airport and told me we’d have to wait and see if the Yakuza fell for it and started searching for me there.
As for Kon, he made sure a few people started reporting sightings of him back in LA the next day, and the day after that, he surprised me with a whoop and a big hug, twirling me around.
“A whole group of the Yakuza is converging on Moscow right now,” he said. “And Aleks said they’re swarming my old haunts in LA, too. It worked. We’re free and clear, for a while at least.”
I laughed along with him and accepted a glass of champagne, though when the tart, fizzy wine hit my tongue, it came with another slap of guilt. Here I was having the time of my life while my father was still in danger.
“Don’t,” Kon said, reading my sudden tension. “This was all necessary to continue with the plan. We’re doing all we can.” He took me in his arms and then pulled away with a grin. “You know what we can do now that all our enemies are searching for us miles away?”
“Anything we want,” I said, forcing a smile since he was so triumphant and sure. I wanted some of that, too.
We ended up at a swanky nightclub, all neon lights and thumping beats. The drinks were wildly expensive and delicious, and the draw of the dance floor was too much to resist. Kon was sexier than I ever believed possible, and I already thought he was the hottest man on the planet. It was quite a silly crush, but why not let it help erase all my lingering fears?
His eyes never left me as he pulled me close, our bodies grinding along with the beats, my tiny black dress riding up my thighs.
“How about we head to a private area?” he asked, leading me to the less crowded edge of the dance floor. His eyes held a wicked promise, and my imagination went into giddy overdrive about what he had in mind once we were alone in this hedonist place.
“I’m dying of thirst,” I said. The bar was only a few yards away, and once I was settled against a pillar, he headed to get us more drinks.
I kept my eyes on him the whole time, wondering how many of his secretive guards were watching me devour him with my eyes. The view was just as nice when he turned to order. Definitely the hottest man here, by miles. The younger guys couldn’t hold a candle to him.
A hard tug on my arm had me whipping around to the other side of the pillar. A man who was so drunk that he swayed on his feet, breathed his beery breath on me as he yanked me close to his sweaty body. “Let’s dance.”
“No,” I said, jerking my arm, but he held it tighter, fingers digging into my bone.
“Don’t be like that. Come on. Let’s have some fun.”
Instead of dragging me toward the dance floor, he pulled me away from it, surprisingly strong despite being so inebriated. I stumbled forward, crashing into him, and he put his arm around me.
“That’s more like it.”
A darkened corner of the club loomed before us, his arm locked around my shoulder, his fingers once more digging into my flesh. Everything winked out of focus and I was back in the nightmare again, but this time wide awake. The loud music turned to jeers and laughter. It wasn’t just one drunk man, but a group of people who hated me. They were going to hurt me all over again.
Blank with fear, I kicked out blindly, the angry yelp of the drunk breaking through my fog. But we were still heading toward that dark place.
Until the man was on the floor, blood gushing from his nose. “Stay down or I’ll break your arm next,” Kon said, putting his foot on the man’s chest. He turned to me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and shook my head at the same time. Now warm, safe arms were around me, leading me out of the noise and darkness. As soon as we were out of the club, Kon pulled me into a hug.
“I’m fine,” I said, but the truth was revealed when I burst into tears.
Chapter 32 - Konstantin
Tati wasn’t fine at all, sobbing against my chest, her whole body trembling. She had every reason to be rattled after being manhandled by that drunk, who was certainly being taught his lesson by my guards right now. Still, her reaction seemed severe, and with the nightmares I’d witnessed, this had to be deeper than what went on in the club.
She hadn’t woken up screaming again, but just last night she was tossing and turning and mumbling in her sleep. She calmed down once I pulled her into my arms, not waking up until morning and never saying a word about it.
I held onto her, mentally kicking myself. Grabbing her off the street must have traumatized the hell out of her, so all of this was my fault. My anger spread out like tentacles, looking for someone else to blame. I never thought it was right to shelter her from Bratva life the way Grigor did. She needed at least some training beyond being able to pick a lock.
My kids grew up knowing how to fight, shoot, connive, and everything else they needed to know to stay alive. Hell, Sofiya had wanted to submit a bomb for her sixth-grade science fair project. Thankfully, I was able to talk her into building a volcano instead, though she was bitter about it for a while since she didn’t place that year, certain the bomb would have won.
