Page 12 of Hating the Bratva

“Miami will see that we have him under control.”

“Miami will see that he’s not fucking dead and he’s marrying my girl.”

Gavril doesn’t say anything. He allows me to try to process this bullshit.

“And she knows?” I ask.

He nods once. So after I had my lips on hers last night, they decided to promise her to someone else.

“And what about me? I need a wife to be Pakhan. Unless you plan on handing that off to Ivan too?”

He glares at me, a warning that I’m getting out of hand. But my Russian temper runs hot through my veins.

“We’ll find someone else for you.”

Yeah, right, as if another woman could just replace Delaney. Gavril’s betrayal hits me deeply. I shoot him one last look before storming out of the office. It’s better that I keep my mouth closed rather than to get killed today.

*****

The buzzing of my phone on the nightstand wakes me up. No one has called me within the last day. After the bombshell that was dropped on me on Saturday, it seems like everyone has stayed clear. Denis’s, Delaney’s dad’s, name flashes across the screen. I swipe to answer and press the phone against my ear before lying back against the pillows.

“Alek,” I answer.

“I know you’re not the person I should probably be calling.”

I sit up at the sound of his panicked voice.

“What happened?” I balance the phone on my shoulder as I get out of bed and walk toward my closet.

“She didn’t come home Saturday night. She went out but never came back. She was upset, so I assumed she spent the night with a friend.”

I pull the phone away from my ear and check the time. It’s three a.m. on Monday.

“She has class on Monday, and it’s not like her to be gone still. I’d go looking for her, but…”

He’s a senator. The press closely monitors everything he does, and the last thing we want them to find out is that the senator’s daughter has gone missing. It would be on the front page of every damn newspaper.

“You should have called me on Saturday night,” I practically growl into the phone. I grab a pair of jeans off the hanger and pull them on. After I dropped Delaney off on Friday night, I spend some time talking business with Denis in his office. He never once mentioned Delaney being promised to Ivan, but now I wonder if he knew the whole time.

“Did you know?” I ask, grabbing a black shirt and a hoodie from my drawer and throwing them on.

He stays silent, and that’s all the answer I need.

“And you’re okay with her marrying him?”

“No, I’m not okay with it, but my hands are tied. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Say fucking no. Tell Gavril that she’ll only marry Ivan over your dead body.”

If I were in his situation, there would be no way I’d let my daughter marry someone like Ivan. He’s notorious for being a scumbag.

“I’ll find her,” I say, hanging up the phone because his response would just piss me off more, and the last thing I need to do is put my hands on a senator.

I jam my phone, wallet, and keys in my pocket and head downstairs to where my temporary office is set up until the construction team is finished with the room. I start up the computer, annoyed with how long the thing takes. It only takes me minutes to pull up all Delaney’s phone records, including her text messages. There’s a reason I’m in charge of the intelligence side of the business. I can find out anything about anybody with just the stroke of the keyboard. I click on the text messages between her and someone named Robin.

Robin: Are you ready to go yet?

Delaney: No, I’m staying the night. There’s no way I’m going back home.

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