Page 3 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

Strolling in with my hands tucked into my trouser pockets, I glanced around, noting everything from the unwashed floors and grungy velvet seats to the less-than-ideal clientele.

As I found a place to sit down, somewhat perturbed by even being there, I kept my distaste in as a waitress approached me with a warm smile that vaguely gave away her own disdain for the club.

“Can I get anything for you?”

I considered it for a moment, glancing over at some of the men present. A simple glance at them was all the information I needed to be well aware of what type of individuals they were. Slimy, predatory, and unlike the company I kept.

With a decided breath, I nod. “Whiskey on the rocks, please.”

She nodded simply, then scurried off.

I was no stranger to gritty, less-than-ideal places, but something about the club made me feel like I needed to go home and scrub every inch of myself. To survive the night, I knew a drink would be necessary.

At the very least, it wasn’t the most talkative crowd, and nobody made any move to approach me. Instead, we all waited for the auction to start as a sense of anticipation lingered in the air.

I may have been in that crowd, waiting for the taboo event to get underway, but I wasn’t one of them. Far from it.

Never in my life would I associate with them. I found underground auctions gross, even if many in my line of work frequented them often.

Most of them were looking for a gem to catch their eye—a plaything to tend to their unsavory desires and fantasies. Their intentions were far from clean, and most of them deserved time in hell for it.

They bought and used those women, and while it appeared like I planned on doing the same thing, it couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I was there for only one woman—the key to my slowly unraveling plan.

She would be the center of my attention, and the only one I’d bid on. I didn’t care what I had to do to make it happen, I had to pull out all the stops to have her.

Eventually, my drink came out, and I gave the waitress a nod as I accepted it. Her smile lingered a moment longer than necessary before she finally turned and left, but I paid it no mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about my inevitable prize.

Whispers moved through the city quickly, carrying word that the Levov sister had been secured as a last-minute sale. She was up for auction, and the moment I heard that, I knew I couldn’t miss it.

I'd never even planned on going to the auction, but with that development in mind, I knew I had to go, and I didn’t waste a moment.

She would be the perfect stepping stone—my means of finding a place in New York for me and my brothers.

The Levov woman was certainly a prize in the business, and whoever had her would surely reap the benefits. With suchan illustrious name behind me, I had no doubt my position would skyrocket.

That would mean more alliances, bigger and better deals, expanding the business, and being given the notoriety I deserved.

It was all too perfect, and if it meant sitting through this god-awful event, then so be it.

Given what was at stake and how imperative it was for us to gain a better standing in the city, I had to have her. I needed the peace of mind of knowing our footing in the city was secured.

In the grand scheme of things, we were still outsiders.

Back in British Columbia, we were the top dogs. We called the shots and made our mark up north, but in America, it was a different game. There was a whole new set of rules and well-established families to contend with.

Despite coming from a fortunate place, we essentially had to work from the ground up, and that fight had been tough. We were still working on our rise, and I had dedicated the last few years to propping my family up.

There was only so much we could get from basing ourselves in Canada—a place far too big with the population ineffectively spread out. The major cities got us by, but we needed more. We needed to expand, which was why we bothered moving in the first place.

Of course, relocating to New York hadn’t been easy, and we'd managed to meet some opposition already, but that didn’t matter. I was aiming high, and nobody was higher than the Levovs.

They were the kings of kings, and so long as I secured their sister, I would eventually find myself among them.

It was an ambitious game but necessary.

As the stage lights came on and the first woman was brought out, the auction was finally underway.

---