Page 33 of The Bratva's Innocent Bride

“Boris,” I laugh, “that was legitimately the best sex of my life, and you haven’t even gotten your dick out yet. So, what’s wrong?”

He lets out a sigh and brings a hand to his face, scrubbing over his head.

“I’ve just—things haven’t exactly been going my way lately. And I want to make sure I do this with you, right.”

“What is this?” I ask, breathless. “Why wouldn’t you do it right?”

“Olive,” he says, shaking his head. “Your friend. I can’t promise that I won’t…approach her. I’m not saying kidnap, and I’m definitely not saying marry. But I can’t be certain that she’s not involved in her father’s dealings. And if she is, she could be a valuable source of intel.”

“Boris,” I say, wrestling with the thing that I’ve been hesitant to tell him since he was stabbed. All this time, I’ve been defending Olive tooth and nail, but it was her bodyguard—the guy always hanging around her at work—that came after me. That doesn’t mean nothing.

Of course, now that I know what kind of guy her dad is, it could just be him using Olive’s guy to try and drive a wedge between us. But it could also be Olive, and I would be a fool not to acknowledge that.

As I spend more time with the Milovs, I realize that the world isn’t what I thought it was. That means Olive could be someone I’ve never known.

The thought of it is painful, especially as I think about every Saturday night we’ve spent together, all the episodes of The Bachelor, Bridgerton, Friends, and every show that even remotely involves romance.

I think of her, holding my hair back while I vomited into the toilet. Telling everyone at the party, it was her hurling her guts. Every heartbreak, every late night, every emergency call to which she came running. She told me she loved me, and I said it right back because we were the closest thing two strangers could ever get to being sisters.

“It could have been Olive,” I breathe, a tear slipping down my cheek. I look away from Boris, not wanting him to see this weakness in me.

“A betrayal from the person you love most in the world is the most painful,” he says, taking my chin and turning my head so I’m looking at him again. “If one of my brothers ever betrayed me, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I hope that Olive wasn’t behind it—”

“It was her bodyguard,” I say, a tiny sob ripping from my throat. “I’ve seen the guy lingering around her before. I used to think he was a boyfriend or one of the guys she kept around in case she got bored, but looking back on it, I realize he’s a bodyguard.”

“Allard could have used him strategically,” Boris says, running a hand over his chin. “To make you think Olive has betrayed you.”

“Maybe,” I say, closing my eyes. “But what I’m saying now is that I can’t be sure it wasn’t her.”

“Fiona—”

“Just promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll let me talk to her. I want to look her in the face to see if she truly was the one behind this. I need to see her myself. If she knows about everything her dad has been doing, then she’s made a fool of both of us.”

“If Olive is involved in my next steps,” he says, “I promise you that I will give you an audience with her if it’s within my power.”

“Thank you,” I breathe, then, “what are the next steps?”

“I don’t know just yet,” Boris says. “Right now, I suppose it’s just getting this damn wound to heal. After that—well, I still haven’t gotten revenge for the death in the community. For the embarrassment at the arms deal.”

When I raise an eyebrow at that, Boris tells me quickly about what happened.

“That was very smooth, telling him it was a test.”

“Yes, but if we don’t figure out how Allard pulled it off, it could very well happen at the next trade-off. If that happens, Nevio will surely realize it wasn’t a test. My failures will just continue to compound.”

“Boris—”

“They are failures—but that’s okay. I can own up to them. The failed arms deal, kidnapping the wrong woman—”

“—I would argue you kidnapped the right woman—”

“—the stabbing. Each one of them demonstrates a moment in which I could have done something different. Better watch over the weapons. Actually checking to see what Olive looked like, more security at Noch. But I am learning from those mistakes. And I won’t continue to let my family down.”

“Your family is so, so proud of you,” I say, eyes shining with tears for this man who truly thinks he isn’t doing enough. “I—I wish I had what you have. Your brothers and sister—they all came immediately to help you. The only person I’ve ever had in my life who would do that is Olive, and now I’m not even sure if that was genuine. You’re not failing them. They love and respect you so much.”

“Fiona—”

“I’m telling you, you’re not allowed to talk about yourself like that anymore,” I say, and when I move my hips against him, I see his eyes darken.

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