Page 27 of The Bratva King's Claimed Bride

“I…”

“Eyes up here,” he chuckles.

I blush furiously and meet his eyes. “No, I have everything.”

“Let’s go then… wife.” He holds his hand out, and I slip my smaller hand into his.

He leads me to the car and helps me in. I scoot right up against the other door and look out the window, pretending to be fascinated with the landscape outside the vehicle.

“You don’t have to avoid me,” Igor says. I hear the playfulness in his voice.

“I’m not,” I say, glancing at him. “I just like the outdoors. You have a beautiful estate. I’m just absorbing it all.”

“If you like the outdoors, then you will love the resort. There’s plenty to do outside.” The car pulls off, and we join the traffic.

Igor opens a newspaper and starts to read.

I curl up on the seat, resting my head on my fist and elbow on the door. As we bounce around, I’m lulled into a restless sleep.

“Arina?”

I sit bolt upright at the sound of my name. “What?”

“We’re almost there,” Igor says. “I hope you don’t mind that I let you sleep. You looked like you needed it.”

“You need to sleep more, too, I would think. You didn’t sleep at all last night.” I stretch and run my fingers through my hair.

“So, you own this place?” I ask as we drive up to an archway that regulates the traffic.

“Yes, this is one of the ideas we had for hiding our money.”

“Money laundering,” I say. “Smart. Resorts work with a lot of money, a lot of cash, so people won’t notice.”

He smiles, and I don’t miss it. “Exactly, and I plan to acquire a few more resorts to help… with business.”

“And we are here because there’s a problem?” I ask, looking at him.

“Yes, a large one. Stick with me and keep quiet. Observe.” The car pulls up to a hotel and the driver opens the door for me. I get out, and Igor comes around my side of the car, offering me his arm.

I hesitate for a moment before I take it. He has big arms; beefy and muscular. I feel almost lost in comparison.

He leads me into the hotel while our luggage is taken to our room, and we follow.

The penthouse suite is huge and richly decorated in bright oranges, reds, and browns. I let go of Igor’s arm when we step inside, and I take it all in.

I’ve never stayed in a room this fancy before.

“You can freshen up in the bathroom over there.” He gestures to where the main bedroom is. “Then we’ll go downstairs and deal with our little problem.”

I go to the bathroom. Our luggage is in the room, and I take out my toiletry bag. I wash my face and put on some makeup before I run a brush through my hair and make sure my curls are neat.

I check myself over in the mirror before I finally emerge where Matvey and Igor are having a drink and talking.

“Go get them,” Igor says to Matvey. “We’ll meet you in the offices.”

Matvey grunts and leaves while Igor drains his glass. “That was quick.”

“I didn’t want to keep you waiting since we’re here for business,” I say.

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