Page 26 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

As Friday rolled around, I realized I had made it to the end of the workweek without any incidents. So far so good. The article was published, and I was still breathing, so I was willing to accept that as a victory in itself.

After the driver dropped me off in the parking garage and drove off, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and began for the office.

But before I could leave, the faint scuffle of shoes against the concrete pulled my attention away, and I stopped the moment two people I didn’t recognize stepped in front of me.

At first, I wanted to think it was just a strange coincidence and that maybe they needed directions, but that thought left my mind the moment they flashed smug smiles at me. Immediately, dread sat heavily in my chest.

“Gemma Tyler, correct?” the man asked, looking at me with a slight tilt of his head.

As I glanced between them, it was easy to see how identical they looked with their black hair and dark brown eyes. The man’s hair was trimmed and neatly styled, while the woman’s was pulled back in a long, sleek ponytail.

She had a tall, slender frame that was almost intimidating in a sense—making me wish I could shrink myself beneath her eyes. I suddenly felt inadequate given how our silhouettes were quite the opposite.

I blinked back at them and tried to maintain my composure. I had no real reason to be alarmed yet. “Yes, that’s me. Is there anything I can do for you?”

The woman’s smile grew, but it never reached her eyes. “Yes. We sought you out personally.”

“I’m Adrik, and this is my sister, Alina,” the man said, standing casually with his eyes firmly fixed on me in a way that made my skin crawl. “Ivanov.”

My stomach dropped.

Looking between them, I couldn’t help as my eyes widened and that revelation settled into my skin.

It was them. In the flesh. The very people I framed for the murders committed by the Levovs.

Given how I had gone the week without incident, I had assumed I had gotten away from the situation scot-free. I assumed the Levov-granted immunity I had was doing its job, but I was sorely mistaken.

The uncanny tinge in their eyes only became clearer as they watched me, not looking away for even a second.

“Ah, I see that rings a bell for you. As it should,” Alina murmured, red-painted lips a stark contrast against her near-porcelain skin. “We thought we’d stop by to ask you a couple questions, if you don’t mind.”

My pulse roared in my ears as I stood there, feeling caught and unable to escape. Knowing their connections and line of work, I didn’t want to be near them for a second longer than I had to be.

Fortunately, they were at my workplace, which meant—fingers crossed—there wasn’t anything they could do to me there.

Still, I was completely on edge as my stomach turned and my palms began to sweat. But steeling myself against that fear in me, I looked between them and was poised to leave, taking a step forward. “Actually, I’m about to head in—”

Alina’s hand on my arm stopped me from moving as Adrik subtly adjusted his jacket to expose the sleek, shiny metal of a pistol. “Oh, but this will only take a moment. Surely, you can spare us a few minutes.”

My throat immediately went dry, and as much as I wanted to scream for help, I knew it would be pointless. Knowing there was a gun in between us certainly made me think twice about it.

Letting go of a discreet breath, I stayed in place. “Alright, then.”

She hummed and crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed me like I was less impressive than the dirt lodged in the sole of her boots. “Excellent choice, Gemma.”

“It’s recently come to our attention that an unsavory article about us has been released to the public, and we didn’t take too kindly to hearing that. Especially not once we read it for ourselves.”

I could’ve sworn I felt every one of my organs shrivel at the mention of it, and it took everything in my power to hold my unfettered fear in.

It was my worst nightmare come true, and I had no choice but to face it directly.

“We were curious about how and why an intern at a local paper could’ve possibly—and incorrectly—connected two and two together, and linked us to those pesky murders you mentioned,” Alina began, feigning a look of ignorance. “It was especially difficult to understand when we had nothing to do with them, even if that might be difficult to believe.”

“But we did some digging recently, and after we caught wind of you shacking up with a Levov, it all became very clear, very suddenly,” Adrik added, eyes losing their exaggerated mirth.

I swallowed hard, aware that I was truly caught, and I had no escape plan. Even if I could find a way to contact Ben, he would never arrive on time. If they wanted to, they would simply kill me before he even had the chance to leave work.

I was on my own, and I had to deal with the consequences of lying.

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