Page 53 of Forced Bratva Bride

“How can you still not suspect your father, after what you saw?”

“Because—he's my father. I know him. I must have misunderstood what I saw. I mean, I looked so quickly. Maybe I made a mistake.”

“Chiara, I saw the state you were in when you got home. How do you misread a scene like that? Your father is involved. And you told me that Stefano mentioned that Angelo was happy with the new clients coming in, clients that were leaving our family to go to his business.”

“So? Of course my dad would be happy that business was going well. It doesn’t mean that he knows why, or that he had anything to do with how Stefano got the clients.”

“I think you underestimate your father. He is a smart man. A sharp thinker. There is no way that he doesn’t know exactly what is going on with every aspect of his business.”

“But he wants to retire soon, he told us he was stepping back.”

I smile. “Chiara, people will say what they want you to hear.”

She isn’t able to see the whole picture here. She has an image of her father in her mind, and it isn’t budging. I think because of the shock of what she saw yesterday she's somehow managed to block it from her memory and isn't taking it into account. Her father is not the man she thinks he is.

I need to try and show her this.

“What if I managed to prove it to you? Kiril and Paval were talking about a warehouse address, mentioned by one of our clients, which we know belongs to Angelo. If we can get inside there and find something, we'll know just how involved Angelo is in the business, or if it's only Stefano running the show.”

She sighs in frustration.

“I think if that's what you need to do to understand that Stefano is acting alone, then you should do it. I’ll get ready and we can leave—"

“Not a fucking a chance.”

She turns to glare at me. “What?”

“I will take Paval with me. You are not going anywhere near that warehouse.”

“Maxim—"

“No. That is my final word on the matter.”

I lean down to kiss her forehead. “I'll see you later. Stay home today. After yesterday, I just want to be cautious. We still don’t know if anyone noticed you on the security footage or if that guy, Ivan, will mention to your father that he saw you.”

“Fine,” she sulks, her lips pouting slightly, accentuating her dimples.

I chuckle. “You really are cute when you're mad.”

***

On the drive there Paval begins to question me.

“Don’t you think that this girl is clouding your judgment?”

“You mean my wife?”

“I mean your forced marriage to the woman who we were meant to use to get close and find out who is sabotaging our business. I think you have feelings for her, and they might be getting in the way of what we are trying to do.”

I chuckle. “No, I don’t have feelings for her. She’s hot. She’s great in bed. That’s as far as it goes. Sex and a marriage certificate.”

Paval glances over at me, and I look out of the window, worried that my expression doesn’t match my words. Denying that I have feelings for her is difficult for some reason. My throat feels tight now, as though the words aren’t true.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yep,” I nod, one firm tilt of my head to emphasize my answer.

Paval and I park the SUV out of sight and away from the warehouse entrance. We climb out, kitted in Kevlar vests with our handguns at our side, ready to draw if needed.

---