Page 22 of Owned By the Bratva

Something flashed over Leon’s face. I was sure it was delight or pleasure, but anger quickly replaced it. He glanced at Mila, pulling his eyebrows together. He glanced around at the other two men, and I noticed his clenched fists on his sides.

My appearance had the opposite effect of what I had hoped for. My heart sank as I walked to his side and sat down. Feeling the lump of peanut butter growing again in my throat, I wasn’t sure if I could eat at all.

Piotr, Konstantin, and Mila took their places and sat down. Konstantin picked up the bowl of lasagna and held it out to me. His smile ran from ear to ear as he spoke. “May I dish up for you?”

Leon had turned to the table but had not taken his place next to me. Glancing up at him, I noticed his face had turned red. I was sure he was about to explode at any moment. Yet, I didn’t understand his anger.

“What have you done to her?” he asked Mila in a raised voice.

“What, calm down, doesn’t she look sexy?” Mila replied, sounding only slightly irritated at him.

“Yes, she does,” Konstantin chipped in. His voice was smooth and silky.

His words had barely left his mouth when Leon spat back. “You keep your trap closed and your dirty hands to yourself.”

“Hey, that’s not nice,” Mila added, standing up. “You take that back.”

Leon leaned forward as he spoke, pointing a finger at Mila. “This is all your doing. You had no right!”

Feeling the tension building, I pushed back my plate and rose. “Excuse me, I’m not hungry,” I said, turning and heading back upstairs. I felt humiliated, I never wore make-up, and this dress, well it was something I thought I would never get caught wearing ever.

As I was about to open the spare room door, I felt a hand on my shoulder. There he was, tall as life. “Please leave me alone, Leon,” I said, backing away. I could not go far as the door to the room was still closed, and I felt cornered.

My eyes burned as tears welled up behind them. Lifting my hand, I tried to find the door knob. I needed to escape from the situation. “I’m not mad at you, Cindy,” Leon said, stroking my cheek.

“No,” I spat back, closing my fingers around the handle and turning. The door swung open behind me, and I stepped back. Meaning to close it on him, I brought the door forward, but it slammed against Leon’s outstretched hand.

Speaking softly, Leon stepped into the room. “Please, hear me out.” The first tear escaped and wandered down my cheek. Turning, I wiped at it as I walked to the window. I needed air desperately. “Mila knew everyone would find you attractive in that dress and only did this to make me jealous. What were you thinking going along with such a makeover? You are more than this.” I could hear he was still angry but didn’t care if he was.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that he was still standing by the door. He had not come closer. Focusing on the tree line outside, I tried to keep my tone steady as I replied. “Why does it bother you? You don’t seem to care.”

I felt his warm hand on my shoulder as he spoke again. “Yes, I do care, I am jealous. I hated the way they looked at you. It makes me want to kill them all. I will kill anyone who looks at you in that way.”

Hope flickered through me as my mind confirmed that he wanted me. Turning, I placed my hands on his chest. Leon looked at them and then met my gaze. I undid the top two buttons of his shirt before he put his hands over mine and stopped me. I closed my eyes and leaned forward, expecting him to kiss me. But Leon stepped back and left.

Staring at the door, I felt my heart turn to ice and shatter. My legs wobbled and gave way under me. I dropped to the floor in a pile of sorrow as my tears flowed like rivers.

Chapter 14 - Leon

I was seeing red. I had to leave the room before I lost all control. She was more than perfect. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t allow anyone else to hurt her, either. Heading back down, I noticed the table had been cleared, and it seemed everyone had left.

Frustrated, I grabbed a beer and went out to the patio. I had almost emptied my first one when Piotr came out. He walked past me to the steps leading out towards the front of the house. He stood for a bit with his back to me.

Piotr turned, gave me a side grin, and spoke in his deep voice. I didn’t know if it was due to my state of mind or if he spoke louder than usual, but his voice rang through the air, filling it with a strong sense of authority. “Come, Leon, come with me now.”

He walked down the short row of steps and headed towards the garage. Swallowing the last bit of beer, I placed the bottle on the table and followed. I knew when he made his voice thick there was no arguing, just doing.

Grabbing his helmet from its perch between the visor and handlebars of his black bike, he spoke again. To any outsider, it would have sounded like he was barking orders instead of extending an invitation, which was his way.

“You will join me in our meeting with Ashan Morozov later. But let’s grab a drink in the meantime.”

He had barely flung his leg over the bike and pulled his helmet on before it roared to life. Climbing in my black beast of a truck, I saw the double gates open behind me in the distance. Piotr waited in the entranceway.

The clean leather gave off a strong odor. It was earthy but had a sweetness to it that was generally only found in sportscars. I kept it clean and varnished it weekly. My black beast was one of my prized possessions. Starting her up, I took hold of the wheel and pulled out behind Piotr.

My truck purred like a kitten. In my opinion, she sounded better than any motorbike ever would. However, if you asked Mila or Piotr, they would disagree. I drove behind Piotr as we headed to the New York Den. It was a huge gambling house owned by the Morozov family.

We hadn’t been down to their establishments at the coast, but I was sure they were just as spectacular as this one. Pulling into the brightly lit parking area, we found a spot close to the door. Heading in, we moved through the first floor, which held a variety of slot machines and gambling tables to the stairs at the back.

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