Page 4 of The Bratva's Hostage Bride

“Rattle and roll?” Arseny scoffs. “It’s cheesy.”

“It’s good,” I stand up and button my suit jacket. “Girls,” I call. “I’m going to my casino. Do you need a ride?”

They smile at each other before hurrying up to meet me, each one looping an arm through one of my arms. “Of course, Luka, we would be lost without you.”

I see Arseny roll his eyes, and I smile at him. “You can join us if you like?”

“No, I want to see Kervyn before I turn in for the night. I’ll see you tomorrow at the gym.” He waves me off and leaves, heading toward where his Mustang is parked.

I lead the girls to where a sedan with tinted windows sits. My driver is waiting for us. I wanted to be hands-free, so to speak.

I sit in the middle of the spacious seat with a girl on either side of me. I don’t even remember their names. I probably won’t bother learning them either because they’re going back to Nebraska tomorrow.

I scroll through my phone, reading messages sent to me earlier about jobs we’re doing. Everything is in code, so if it’s intercepted, no one would have any idea what we were talking about. I notice a message from Kervyn and shoot him a message to say that I’ll be there later. If not, I’ll see him tomorrow. I know he doesn’t like to stay at the club too late during the week, with Penny looking after Samuel.

The girls are leaning against me and lazily tracing circles on my chest, cooing at me and telling me they want me. One turns my head to face her and kisses me softly. “Be with me tonight.”

“No,” the other says, turning me to her so she can kiss me. “Be with me tonight.”

“No,” her friend responds.

“Ladies, ladies.” I put a hand on each of their legs. “There’s plenty of Luka to go around. We can share, can’t we?”

They look at each other, and then they both give small nods before they both start kissing my neck. I smirked; the life of a playboy is so hard.

The casino is the best thing I ever did. I don’t care if it was Danil’s idea. I claim it as my own because I’ve made it successful. I bet he didn’t expect that. Adding a little nightclub to the back was a genius move—gambling in the front, party in the back for the VIPs.

Exclusivity drives desire. You want to be on the A-list with the other big names. You don’t want to be left behind with the everyday plebs. That’s why the VIP section at Afantasy works so well. We are selective about who we let in. Granted, I didn’t think letting Asher and Penny in would change our family so much, but here we are—a niece, a nephew, and soon another one on the way, I’m sure.

Not for me. I don’t want children.

Not now, at least. At thirty-five, I want the freedom I’ve always had to play the games I play with the rules I make. My driver pulls up to the casino, and the three of us get out. They adjust their short dresses and fix each other's hair before taking my arms again so I can lead them inside.

I glance back at the parking lot; I don’t know why. A sixth sense, I guess. There are four black sedans with tinted windows parked in the guest parking. Someone important must be here.

I’ll have my guard check in the high stakes section to see if it’s a celebrity I’ve been with or not. Always happy for a challenge.

I pause at the door to ask Monty, my main guard, to look into the cars and then smile. “The girls and I will be in the VIP section once I’ve done a sweep of the main casino.”

“Yes, sir,” Monty says.

He leaves us, and I lead the ladies inside, where I hand the girls over to a waitress, “Get them whatever they want to drink on the house.”

The waitress nods, and they thank me before following her, talking about shooters.

I walk through the casino, watching all my happy customers play machines or at tables. I stop and check on my staff, making sure they’ve taken their breaks and are hydrated. Happy staff don’t skim off the top, and they don’t steal from you.

I peek at the high-stakes tables, but I don’t see anyone out of the ordinary, not anyone that warrants driving those sorts of cars. Maybe they’re in the club having drinks. Not everyone comes here to gamble.

I stand at the top of the short set of stairs that leads down to the slots section and look around.

I hear laughter, and I turn to look to the left. There is a group of girls, all tall and fit-looking, all surrounding another woman playing a slot machine. The woman playing has a sash that says Bride to Be. A tall, dark-haired woman nearby also has a sash—Maid of Honor.

But then my attention is drawn to a quiet, shorter-looking woman in the middle of the group. She doesn’t talk as much as everyone, offering a few words here and there. Her face is splayed with freckles, and she has deep auburn hair curling around her face at shoulder length. While the other women are in various states of undress, like mini skirts, boob tubes, and cocktail dresses, this one is dressed more conservatively. She captures my attention immediately, and I feel drawn to her like I’ve never felt drawn to anyone before.

She’s far too behaved to be part of this group, but I can see a family resemblance between her and the ‘bride.’ They must be sisters or cousins or something. I don’t think she’d normally pick a casino as a night out. She doesn’t look the type.

I feel like I need to know her.

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