Page 22 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

I nodded. “Exactly. Either way, they’ll have to tread carefully to keep their sister safe.”

Yuri looked at me with a questioning look. “What happens if they get enough information on us, track you and your home down, and raid the house? What would you do if they found Lara—what would stop them from simply taking her back?”

“If you don’t have her, then the plan will fall apart,” Valentin murmured.

As much as I didn’t even want to consider the thought, they were right, and it was a possibility I couldn’t turn a blind eye to. I had to be prepared for anything.

Just imagining them taking her from me sent a streak of irritation through me, but I held it back for the time being. I didn’t want my brothers to see that kind of vulnerability in me.

“If any scenario were to come about where the Levovs get close enough to take her back, then I can only hope she doesn’t choose to go with them,” I began, looking between them. “I realize this is an important aspect that I can’t overlook; that being said, gaining Lara’s trust is my priority right now. If we can reach a point where Lara willingly picks me over her own brothers, then I’ll be golden.”

Yuri snickered at that as he leaned back in his chair. “You’ll have your work cut out for you then. She couldn’t even look at you during the ceremony.”

Damien chuckled to himself. “He’s not wrong about that. She looked about ready to kill you herself.”

I shrugged. “You might be surprised by how quickly things can change.”

They all looked at me before exchanging glances with each other, as if wondering if there was a hidden meaning in my words. Regardless, I pressed on before they could start connecting too many dots.

“So, while I’m working to earn Lara’s favor by being a proper husband, I need tabs kept on the Levovs. I need to know if they get too close for comfort, and what their plans might be if they have any.”

They all nodded, aware of what was expected of them. Surely, they had already deduced that themselves.

“On top of the Levovs, I caught wind that the Gromovs were quite pleased about your bid on Lara, although they weren’t particularly happy to hear you were in their territory without them knowing until it was too late,” Damien informed me, expression serious. “It’s lucky they let it slide and didn’t cause a scene at the auction.”

“Those bastards…” I muttered, shaking my head. Letting out a scoff, I continued, “They wouldn’t have done anything. Notwhen I was their biggest bidder of the night. It wouldn’t be good for business, no matter how you look at it.”

Damien sighed. “Still, they know you purchased Lara, and if they feel so inclined, they might go to the Levovs about it. But as far as I’ve heard, they’re not letting that money go to waste.”

“What, are they spending it already?”

He nodded. “While they gave you the betting chip you needed, you’ve also given them the means for more men, weapons, and anything else they can spend it on. They’re on the move, and while we don’t know what their end goal is, we can already assume it isn’t great for us.”

Letting those words sink in, I sighed and absently rubbed my temples. “Add them to the list of assholes we need to keep our eyes on. I shouldn’t be surprised they’d take this opportunity to make moves of their own…opportunistic as always.”

“We’re still making reparations with our previous supplier after the last stunt they pulled,” Damien mumbled to himself, visibly annoyed by the thought. “Thanks to the Gromovs interrupting the last time, they’re hesitant to deal with us again. They were our best one, too.”

I nodded, feeling my irritation rising at the thought.

The Gromovs had been leeching since day one—bottom-of-the-barrel scum who weren’t beneath intercepting deals and taking whatever they felt they were entitled to. We were familiar with them back in Canada, constantly dealing with their antics. Once they heard we were leaving the country to lay down roots in New York, they decided to do the same.

It seemed that no matter what we did or where we went, we could never fully shake them. They were a nuisance and always managed to stick their noses where they didn’t belong. Between hijacking deals, trying to hit our warehouses, and weaseling their way into our alliances with other families,twisting and changing the narrative to elevate themselves, they weren’t above playing dirty.

While we were more than willing to do whatever it took, we at least had some integrity when it came to our work. For the most part, anyway.

Still, I couldn’t help but consider Damien’s words more closely. Since the Gromovs were the ones who captured Lara and sold her to me, they had that information to use against us, and if push came to shove, I had no doubt they would take full advantage of it.

Even if they abducted Lara, I had every reason to believe the Levovs would focus their attention more on who currently had their sister rather than who took her in the first place. Regardless, if they found the Gromovs, it would only be a matter of time before they found us, too.

Scrubbing a hand down my face, there was no doubting the growing tension between us and the other families.

While I knew I was poking the bear with the Levovs, I hadn't anticipated the role the Gromovs would end up playing in the whole thing, and I had to be prepared for any outcome.

Regardless of my desire to gain Lara’s trust, I had to keep a close eye on both sides and make sure my plan didn’t completely blow up in my face.

Chapter 12 - Lara

I wanted to believe that sleeping with Alex had cured every issue we had and that it was a step in the right direction, but as he left me alone in the house, I couldn’t ignore how false that truly was.

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