Page 19 of Tangled Vows

A look to the left reveals nothing more than a few empty stools and the rear of the red sign of Tammy’s bar. A glance to the right reveals Dmitri, wearing a casual smile as he crosses the hall. His blond hair is easily two shades darker in this pale illumination, his black leather jacket tight across the chest.

“Nice to see you, Ivan,” he says, taking up the stool next to mine. “Do you come here often? Because this is my first time, and I must say I like it.”

“I like this place, too,” I admit as Catherine sets a full glass of vodka on the rocks in front of me. “Your drinks are on me tonight.”

“They are?” He squints, leaning his elbows on the counter.

“Yes,” I say with a nod, then turn to Catherine. “My friend here needs a refill.”

“Sure thing,” she says, picking up his almost empty glass.

“I have a problem, and I need your help,” I tell Dmitri, my voice lower than usual. “A lot of shit’s been happening these days. There’s the Armenian thing, and on top of that, I really like this woman. I’ve never been in this position before. I always thought women were just a distraction, but now?” I stop talking and stare into the clear liquid in my glass. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“So...” He speaks in a whisper and throws glances around him before leaning over towards me. “Ivan Petrov is in love? Did I hear you right?”

“Call it whatever you like, Dmitri,” I say in a lazy voice before sending cold vodka washing over my tongue. “The problem is, I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect her in the future. Dating me will paint a bullseye on her back. It will also take some of my focus off business. I’ll probably start making mistakes. You know how much our Pakhan hates sloppiness.”

“Yes, I do.” Dmitri nods. “You don’t get to make more than one mistake with Yelchin. Fuck up a second time and you’re dead. So, what are you going to do with the woman? Ignore her?”

I shrug my shoulders, not really knowing how to respond. “What else can I do? Dating her will get both of us in trouble.”

“This from a man who starts trouble every chance he gets,” he teases, his grin returning. “Remember our beef with the Italians? How long’s it been? Three years? Four?”

I raise my gaze up to the ceiling to recall our little war against a smalltime gang of Italians. “Four.”

“Aren’t you the one who put an end to that when you lured them into our trap?” he asks. The memory brings a smile to my face. “You took four Italians out with that stunt. You plotted it and you carried it out with little help from me or anybody else.”

“Those Italians were too naive,” I say, reflecting on how I had led them into the trap Dmitri mentioned. “They found me drunk outside their favorite bar. I pretended I couldn’t walk, and they thought I’d be an easy target.”

“Then you outran them, and I picked you up with my BMW.” He chuckles, shaking his head in amusement.

“They fanned out to search for me,” I go on, images from those shootings flashing before my eyes. “I picked them off one by one. They were all dead within forty minutes.”

“Yeah, because they didn’t suspect a crazy Russian would shoot them from the backseat of a fancy car,” he adds, his eyes glinting with amusement. “And you want me to believe that this same Russian is afraid of dating someone because he might get in trouble? No, Ivan. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” I ask, assuming a serious tone.

“No, boss.” His answer comes fast. “I’m just saying you’re more afraid for her than you are for yourself. You’ve been targeted before; you’ll be targeted again. You know how to survive. She doesn’t.”

I have to hand it to him. He nailed it. Somehow, he found my real cause for concern.

“You’re right, Dmitri,” I say, offering him a nod of appreciation. “I know how to survive. I’ve been doing that for a long time. She’s not part of this world, though. Which means I must protect her, and I just don’t know if I can do that. I can’t be there all the time.”

“Ivan...” He says my name, patting me on the shoulder. “Whoever this woman is, she’s got you upset. She even made you want to talk about your issue. Face it; she’s important to you. And if she’s that important, I’m sure you’ll find ways to protect her.”

“You think so?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I give him a sideways glance.

“I know so,” he replies with a series of nods, “because I know my boss.”

I want to believe him. I want to put aside fear and have Clare in my life as something more than a sex toy. Sadly, even if I do, I can’t overlook the fact that my brother is interested in her, too. Whatever I decide, I must discuss this with Leonid. Going behind his back is not an option. I wouldn’t do that to my Bratva brother. I’m not going to betray his trust.

Chapter Ten

Leonid

“Can we meet tonight? We need to talk about you-know-who.”

Perfect timing.

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