Page 61 of Devil's Bride

“Enough for all four of us,” Mikhail says. “Won’t it be suspicious though? Four men, together, at a mask party.”

“What do you suggest?” Dimitri asks.

I sigh, taking a moment to think. Mikhail is right, parties like this one are usually wild. You can smell the lust in the air.

The door to my study creaks open and Irina walks inside. “I have an idea.”

All heads turn to her. Had she been listening to use from outside?

“Shoot,” Nikolai says.

She smiles grimly. For a second, the woman standing in front of me is no longer my sweet, little wife. The rage and determination in her eyes are as obvious as it gets. “I’ll go.”

“To the masked party?” Nikolai chuckles. “A lot of things could happen there. Russian roulette, people fucking in corners like animals.”

“You mean fucking politicians touching girls against their wishes?” I ask.

Nikolai frowns. “Damn, bro. You don’t have to make it so graphic.”

“I don’t care, I’m coming with,” she says sharply. “Which means one of you guys will have to stay back, watch how things go from the outside.”

“Sounds like a plan if you ask me,” Nikolai says, nodding. Odd how he’s so chatty when he’s usually not like that during our meetings.

“Which brings me to the second part of the plan.” She walks up to my desk and sits on it. “Alexei and I will be going as a couple. So will Nikolai and Dimitri.”

Dimitri flinches as if he’s just been insulted in the worse way possible. “Why do I have to go? I could just watch how things go from inside.”

Irina waves her hand. “No. Mikhail and Nikolai are siblings, it’ll be weird pairing them together even it’s all fake. And Mikhail is more observant, he’s better outside.”

“I’m not gay, Irina. I’d rather be paired with a whore with big tits and ass.” Nikolai chuckles at his own joke.

I watch all four of them quietly. Irina is not going anywhere near that party. No way, no how.

“Well, you’ll have nothing but muscled ass and chest to touch by the weekend, so I suggest you start getting used to it now.” She grins. She’s clearly having fun teasing them.

Dimitri and Nikolai give each other a disgusted glare.

“You’re not going.” It’ll be a bloody mess if we fail, and it will be dangerous. If that happens, I don’t want Irina there. I don’t want her to get hurt trying to help me.

She purses her lips and her brow furrows. “I’m not one of your men. I don’t take orders from you.”

“I run this mafia, not you, Irina. I won’t risk your life just to get to that asshole.” I stand.

She stops smiling. The look she gives me is desperate and pleading. “Please, Alexei. My father is involved, let me help how I can.”

“No, and that is the end of this conversation.” I feel her gaze burn my back as I start to walk away.

I don’t care if she hates me for this because I’d rather that than watch her get hurt. Fuck, I’d rather anything happen than that.

Chapter Twenty

Irina

It’s been two days since I intruded on Alexei’s meeting with his brothers and Dimitri. And there’s two days before the masked party.

I’ve tried to convince Alexei to let me tag along with them, but nothing I do seems to get through to him. I tried to make him a meal last night, and that was a disaster. Giving him the cold shoulder didn’t do a thing to convince him, and now I have only one option left.

Seducing him.

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