Page 51 of Unwilling Bratva Bride

“Basically. It’s not like the movies, but yes. Sergei Vadim is the Don, and I work for the family. The whole lot of that crew of assholes.”

Adley nodded against my chest. “Do you…do you kill people?”

That was the big one—the one I was expecting and the one that would be the most difficult to fully explain.

“Only when necessary. If someone poses a serious threat to the family, me or my brothers, I won’t hesitate to take them out. But I do try to find other ways through the situation. Killing is messy, and I don’t always have the time or tools for clean up.”

There was a long stretch of silence. I wasn’t about to break it, either. Adley could take as long as she wanted getting used to that one. I was in no rush.

“What do the Vadims do? I mean, what are there ‘jobs’ as far as mob people go?”

That one made me laugh, and I smirked as Adley looked up at me, still stroking my hand up and down her soft skin.

“Mostly, they sell recreational supplements and own clubs where people can use and get shitfaced. They’re not big on selling arms anymore. They used to, but it was too risky.”

“Oh.” Adley’s voice was quiet, and I made her look at me again.

“Oh?”

“I just thought…it would be worse, I guess.” She shrugged against me, and I still held her chin, making eye contact.

“It’s not peachy, but sure. Most of the trouble comes in the way of other families trying to take over Vadim territory or hinder the supply. But yeah, the ‘company motto,’ so to speak, is to sell to the rich assholes who can afford it. Their dumb asses can sort it out when they have a problem.”

“Ha, well, they tend to have good lawyers, so…”

She let that one hang, and I could sense the contempt from her. “Not a fan of the rich, Adley?”

“Not particularly,” she admitted, shrugging again. “They’ve tried to push out the bodega for years. Rich folk are the reason my family struggles, and I’ve yet to meet a wealthy person who didn’t step on anyone and everyone they could to get to the top.”

I laughed, wrapping my arms around her. “You’re not wrong.”

Stillness crept back in, and after a few moments, I could feel Adley’s body relax completely, giving up to the exhaustion as I ran my thumb up and down her arm.

I wasn’t especially tired, but I wasn’t moving either. So, I just closed my eyes, content to stay right where I was until I couldn’t anymore.

***

When morning came, I told Adley I had more business to attend to. Donovan needed tracking, and I needed more information about what he was planning. He would be in the city “running errands” today, which meant he’d be making the rounds among his allies and either guaranteeing their support or cutting off the fat.

Adley seemed to understand and promised not to do anymore snooping while I was out with my brothers. As I finished pulling on my leather jacket, I stopped Adley before she got into the closet and fetched clothes. Now that she’d showered, I pulled her up against me.

“I mean, you could. I’d just have to punish you again.”

Her cheeks flushed that delicious pink, and she looked down at the floor for only a moment before her eyes found mine again. The bath towel wrapped around her pressed against my shirt, making it damp.

“I’ll ask you if I have a question. I said I would. But…” Adley leaned backward, putting space between us even as I chased after her. “Maybe I’ll go to that library of yours andrearrange all the books. They really should be color-coded and then arranged by size. Don’t you think?”

I laughed, nuzzling into her neck and kissing her smooth skin. “Hmm, if you’re looking for a punishment from me, I wouldn’t start with the library. That’s Vlad’s domain.”

“And yours?” She asked breathlessly.

“Oh, between your thighs.”

A tiny squeak left her as I reached around her ass to play with her slit, teasing the skin where I could get at it under the towel.

“Ivan!” She giggled, and holy fuck, we were not supposed to be doing this, teasing and toying with each other like teenagers.

But I couldn’t help it.

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