Page 65 of Bratva Menace

Why the fuck is she talking to me so much?

“He’s not so bad.” Sergei was actually the worst. It’d only been a few weeks, but I didn’t need any longer to come to that conclusion. I couldn’t say that, though. Didn’t need to give Autumn any more reason to engage in conversation with me.

I turned the tap on and filled the sink with water. The dishes clinked and clanked, filling the silence between us.

“This might sound strange, but have we met before? You seem familiar.”

God fucking damn it. I forced my hands to keep steady as I dunked the dirty plates into the water and started cleaning them. “I don’t think so.”

“Where are you from? I’ve been all over. Maybe we’ve run into each other.”

“I’m sure I’d remember.”

She was silent for a moment. “Could I trouble you for a cup of tea?”

I paused, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in to calm myself. A tingle ran down my spine, my intuition screaming that I’d been made. That I needed to get the fuck out now, before my cover was completely blown. A carving knife sat on the bench within arm’s reach. The idea entered my mind for a fleeting moment before I shut it down.

Autumn was far too skilled to get the drop on. Not only that, but I had a feeling that killing her would be no simple task. It would make a fuckton of noise, drawing attention right to us.

“Of course.” I dried my hands on the apron around my waist and moved to the cupboard above the stove, pulling out a mug.

“Thank you. Appreciate it. So what’s your name?”

“Paula.”

“Paula what?”

I turned the kettle on and grabbed a tea bag, placing it in the mug. “How many sugars would you like?”

“Six.”

I was unable to stop myself from glancing over my shoulder, giving her a bewildered look. “Six?”

She shrugged. “I like it sweet. Paula what?”

The tin of sugar was right in front of me. Teaspoon in hand, I counted out her sugars, placing them in the mug. “Why are you so interested in me?”

“Like I said, I feel like we’ve met before. I just can’t place it. These kind of things bug me, and I won’t be able to sleep until I figure it out⁠—”

Loud, angry footsteps echoed just outside the kitchen. A moment later, Papa D entered in a big, furious huff.

Autumn stood, her face morphing from calculating and suspicious to loving and full of concern. She walked right over to him and hugged him. A sense of relief seemed to wash over Dimitri’s face, his eyes closing and head bending to lie in the crook of her neck as he hugged her back.

It was such a sweet moment. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. But I had to remind myself that it hadn’t been that long since Lukyan and I were finally able to be together. We would get there too. I knew it. Felt it in my soul.

“You okay?” she asked in a whisper.

“No. But I’m better now.”

Awwwww.

They separated, and Autumn returned to her seat, Papa D taking the empty one beside her. The kettle clicked. I poured the hot liquid into the mug, gave it a stir before adding in a tiny bit of milk, and placed it down in front of Autumn.

“What happened?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea. I was all but forgotten, and I couldn’t be more fucking glad.

Dimitri’s cold and evil eyes landed on me. “Give us the room.”

Fuck knuckles. I wanted to listen in.