Page 49 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

His lips pulled slightly. “And text me when you get home.”

“Done and done.”

Satisfied, Alex leaned in and kissed me softly. It sent warmth through me, causing me to shiver indiscernibly.

His grin as he pulled back made my heart clench, and for a moment, I wished he was coming home with me. But I knew there wasn’t anything either of us could do about it.

“Drive safe,” I murmured to him before he retracted his hands and let me go.

“I will. See you soon.”

With a final nod and smile, we parted ways, and I made my way out to the SUV as Alex returned to the meeting with my brothers.

As much as I wanted to be with him at that moment, the thought of heading home and being able to decompress was far too tempting to give up. When I eventually got in the back seat, the driver pulled out of Ari’s driveway just as the sun started to go down, casting a soft glow over everything.

I watched as the city moved by us while he avoided the congested areas and bustle, allowing me to relax more the further we were from it all.

As much as I wanted to forget about it, my mind kept going back to how aggressively the festival had been taken over, and how terrified I had been. I was so afraid of not only getting hurt myself but of losing Alex, too.

He did everything to put himself between me and that danger, willing to suffer just to protect me.

I appreciated it more than anything, but knowing he’d sacrifice himself for me brought a strange feeling over me.

I didn’t want him to have to do that. I didn’t want that danger following us forever.

Lost in thought, aware that I’d be home soon enough, I didn’t anticipate how quickly everything would change, or how quickly the vehicle behind us was catching up.

Not until it crashed into our rear bumper, and the force of that collision made my body strain against the seatbelt, head colliding with the seat in front of me before everything went deafeningly still.

Chapter 25 - Alexander

There was no ignoring how strange it felt for me to be in the same room as the Levovs—face-to-face with nowhere to run. Sitting across from them, I looked between each of them, noting how comfortable they looked despite the topic at hand.

Ari was in the middle as the others sat around, whiskey glasses in hand, while they looked back at me. With Lara gone, the veiled amusement left with her, and their expressions were steeled.

There was no room left for banter or light-heartedness. Not when things were getting serious.

I felt as if I had wandered into a wolf den, unsure of what I might see on the other side.

For a moment, a part of me wished I had my brothers behind me to level the playing field, but there was nothing I could do. I had to face it alone. Besides, I had the feeling the room would be a lot more hostile if I wasn’t by myself.

Being put in the hot seat before them was intimidating, and if I were truly their enemy, I knew I’d be sweating bullets. But I reminded myself that I was no different; I was a leader in my own right, and while I was out of my element at that moment, I wasn’t going to let myself forget that.

I had a significant standing of my own, along with a family to protect and a name to immortalize. I couldn’t let all of that go to waste just because the Levovs were in front of me.

Eventually, Ari sighed and leaned back in his seat, eyes never leaving mine. The muted anger in them gleaned back at me.

“I won’t lie to you, Novikov, I’m pissed about all of this,” he uttered, lip curling slightly with his irritation. “Not only didyou bring Lara into all of this by forcing her hand, but now she’s getting caught in the crosshairs. I’m sure you’re aware of how dangerously close we all were to losing her today.”

My heart sank slightly at the mention of it. I was fartooaware. And that was the problem—the reason I was even here in the first place. I nodded, trying to hold back just how remorseful I felt about it. “That’s why I couldn’t put this off any longer—I can’t even take her out for the afternoon without risking everything.”

Ari’s evaluating gaze remained on me. “For the time being, none of us can be too careful. I’d suggest you don’t even take those risks until this is all over.”

I nodded. As much as I didn’t want to keep Lara isolated at home, I couldn’t deny I had been considering it ever since the Gromovs started getting in the way.

“That being said, we’re all wondering why you requested this meeting,” Ari murmured, leaning forward slightly. “I told you to handle this situation before it got worse, Novikov. I hope you aren’t planning on disappointing me.”

Pulling in a breath, I met his gaze completely, not backing down. “This meeting is long overdue, if I’m being honest.”

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