Page 33 of Plus-Sized Bratva Prisoner

“Man, what’s wrong? You look like you’re in pain,” Leon says, handing me a vodka.

“You’ve changed, Leon,” is all I can really say without insulting him. He has changed, but is it real? What is going on with him? Can a man really change that much in such a short amount of time? I doubt it.

“I met the most amazing woman in the entire world, Yefim. Love changes a man. Marriage changes a man. I’m a lot happier than I’ve ever been in my life.” He grins at me.

I nod, wondering if he’s maybe just drunk.

Oleg spots me from where he is standing outside on the patio. “Yefim, brother,” he shouts, waving in my direction.

“I better go say hello to everyone else,” I smile at Leon.

“Go on, we’ll catch up later.”

“Oleg,” I say, stepping outside and slapping my brother on the shoulder. “Is the business managing without me?”

“I think it’s doing better without you,” he teases, his eyes scanning the crowd for Tia. “Where is yourwife?”

He spits the word 'wife' out as though it is tainted with suspicion.

“Tia is meeting the other girls.”

“Hmm.” He nods, not smiling.

“You need to get over yourself, Oleg,” I warn him.

“We will see about that.”

Later in the evening, while we are all sitting around the dinner table, I finally find out what he meant when he said that.

Oleg, Alexei and Anya are grilling Tia heavily. Question after question, they seem to be going out of their way to catch Tia off guard and find out the truth about what is going on.

I’m beginning to grow more and more nervous as the questions intensify over time.

She is so soft and gentle compared to my family. She doesn’t know enough to handle this kind of interrogation. But somehow, she looks relaxed, she’s laughing, she’s teasing them a little with her answers, and to my surprise, she’s even impressing them with what she knows about the business and her feedback on where she might suggest changes.

She was listening this past week when we went over things.

I’m surprised she remembered so much from what I showed her.

I think I am learning that Tia is far more observant that she lets on. She watches and learns and catches you by surprise.

Staring at her as she smiles at my brothers, answering another question, I feel my heart tugging in my chest.

I wonder how long I will have to wait before she gives in to me. Before she lets me near her without reluctance.

After dinner the whole family goes out onto the patio again for drinks and to stretch our legs.

We are chatting and enjoying the cool evening air when Leon receives a surprise visitor.

One of our allies has dropped in to say hello.

“I’m so sorry, Leon, I didn’t know you were hosting a family event.”

“It’s no problem, come in, grab a drink, join us,” he says warmly, welcoming Renaldo into the party.

The Dubrovs all know him, as he works with us a lot. And it is, of course, no surprise when he spots Tia right away and asks who she is.

“That’s Tia,” I hear one of the wives answer him.

---