Page 53 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

“Try that shit again and see what happens,” he spat at me, matching my fury.

As the shock subsided while Matvey rubbed at his thumb before shaking it off, I met his cold gaze as anger rushed into me all over again. “It doesn’t matter what you’re planning, or how you hope to screw them over. My husband and brothers will be coming for me, and they won’t take it easy on you.”

Matvey scoffed, not taking it seriously. “That’s what they always say…but don’t worry. We’ll be leaving New York soon enough, and everything is unraveling nicely.”

At the mention of leaving the city, where I’d be separated from everyone, panic pulsed within my chest and expanded throughout my body.

As I tried to grapple with the idea without showing any fear to Matvey, I heard a chuckle from behind me, and before long, two others joined him.

Immediately, one looked familiar, with his sandy-blond hair that was slightly longer than the kingpin’s. He smirked at me while the other, who looked younger than both of them but still bore a resemblance, tapped away absently on his phone.

“I had to see the Levov Princess for myself once again,” the smirking man said, arms crossed over his chest. “Long time no see, Lara.”

That was when it clicked.

“You…from the auction,” I mumbled, recalling how he had been the one to handle me with the slightest bit of care compared to the other guards. He was a Gromov all along—the one who wasn’t supposed to put me up for auction in the first place. It was easy to see how alike they looked.

He nodded and chuckled, wearing the same satisfied expression as his older brother. “That’s right. The name’s Rurik. This is Misha. I got myself in a lot of trouble for accidentally selling you off to Novikov, but things turned out all right in the end, didn’t they?”

Matvey gave his brother an unimpressed look, teetering on the edge of getting ready to scold him. “Is the jet almost ready?”

Seemingly catching on to the veiled warning in his tone, Rurik sighed. “They’re fuelling up now.”

The kingpin looked vaguely agitated, and he gave Misha’s shoulder a dismissive smack. “Tell them to hurry up. I’m not waiting around all night.”

Misha, who couldn’t have been older than seventeen, did as his brother said and went off. Matvey still looked unimpressed as Rurik hung around, seemingly waiting for the pilot to be ready before his plans could continue.

When I looked at him, trying my hardest not to panic, Matvey smirked.

“Don’t worry, Lara. This will all be over soon enough. Then, the fun will really start.”

Chapter 27 - Alexander

The thought of anyone taking my wife and assuming they could have her all for themselves was enough to send a never-ending rage through my system, but knowing it was Matvey Gromov thinking that made it even worse. All the harder to stomach.

No part of me could ever accept that, and I’d never give up on her just because it seemed like a hassle to get her back. I didn’t want her to assume that just because it had taken us some time to get the report and head out. Time was critical, and I was angry I didn’t know about it sooner.

I was furious with myself for even sending her out on her own. I should’ve been with her, or better yet, I should’ve let her stay at the house while I handled everything with her brothers. It was a critical mistake, and I couldn’t help but beat myself up for it.

I was well aware of Matvey’s intentions with her. He was greedy and slimy and wanted the status for himself. He wanted to take everything from me, down to the woman I married.

It was perfectly clear, and I knew damn well he wasn’t bluffing. Which meant I had to get to her as fast as possible and end that nightmare for her.

As Damien drove as fast as he could, focused on the road ahead, I sat in the passenger seat, stewing over everything. I was pissed beyond belief, both at Gromov and myself.

While I told him I’d drive, he wouldn’t accept it. He knew where my mind was, and he wasn’t willing to risk it. I had cursed at him initially, but a part of me knew he was right.

The other three were in the back, all silent yet ready to spring to action. When we were all together, there was normallyno shortage of smart-ass comments and bickering, but given the gravity of the situation, nobody was willing to say a word.

They knew almost anything would set me off, and rather than cause more tension, they kept quiet.

A part of me was glad, seeing as I could only think about getting Lara back at that moment. Instead, I watched as our vehicle traveled towards the small pin on the GPS, knuckles squeezed so tight that they ached.

Glancing in the side mirror, I watched as the Levovs followed us, along with several other units behind them. We made up a convoy then, and at the very least, we had more vehicles up ahead that were en route the moment we gave the word.

The plan was for them to hit first and establish what we were dealing with. Then, we’d head in and find Lara.

As reluctant as I was to admit it, their quick thinking got us on the road fairly quickly, and with the location secured by tracking Lara’s phone, which it seemed the Gromovs completely overlooked, we didn’t have much room left for guessing.

---