Page 34 of The Bratva's Bounty

"You make it sound like I broke into Cortez's drug dens and stole their stash or went around terrorizing people for shits and giggles, which, no, I didn't do any of that," I quickly defended myself, glaring softly at Nikolai, who glowered at me from behind his empty glass.

The two of us stared each other down for a moment before I threw in the towel with a fed-up scoff. "I just… You know what, never mind." Throwing my hands into the air, I shot up from the couch and threw the bundled blanket onto it. "I'm going home."

At that, Stepan stood and got in my path, blocking me with his smaller frame. "Nah, ah," he objected, shoving at my chest. "You are going to sit your ass back down and give Kolya the migraine of his life," he demanded in a stern voice with a matching expression.

Gritting my teeth, I rubbed at my chest to ease the sudden, nagging ache. "I don't feel like it right now, and if you shove me again, I will knock your ass out." Brother or not, I wouldn't hesitate to push back if need be. Besides, it wouldn't be the first or last time we'd get into a tiff with each other.

"Lev, if you don't sit your ass down and start talking, thenIwill lay it out on the floor and start punching you until the words come out," Nikolai threatened me with a very heavy sigh and glare. "Don't make me get my wife."

Fuck no. I can't handle another psycho right now.

But speaking of my lovely she-devil of a sister-in-law…

"Oh my God, Nicki, I can't believe you did that, he's going to be so fucking pissed." Her faint laughter echoed from the kitchen, growing closer with herfootsteps. "But come on, you gotta let me know who this man is. You can't keep edging me like this."

Nicki?

Shaking my head in denial, I forced all thoughts of her out of my mind. I fucking hated how hung up on her I was that hearing her name crashed her into the front of my head. I mean, Angel was probably talking to a different Nicki, for all it mattered. Nicki was a common nickname… Right? People used to tease Nikolai by calling him Niki until he smashed their faces and broke a few bones.

My nerves slowly settled as I rationalized everything.

If only it stayed that way.

If I wasn't stroking out before with my nonsensical question, then I would now at the sight of Nicole's smug face when she rounded the corner with Angel. "Oh,d?i ca, you made it back." The damn minx had the gall to act sweet and innocent! Running up to me as if she hadn't just stranded me out in the middle of the road in the pouring rain!

Leaning up to her tippy toes, she grabbed the front of my shirt to pull me down a little. "Ange, meet my man." Nicole giggled, pressing a playful kiss against my cheek.

Angel choked on the water she had been sipping, going into a coughing fit until her face was red and to the point where I worried she might throw up because of how violently her body jerked.

Stunned, as if I'd been smacked in the face by a wooden plank, all I could do was watch Nikolai rush up to Angel and fret over her. Of course, Angel merely clung to him for support while waving his attempts off. "Oh my God, Lev, I am so sorry about your short life," Angel strained out between her struggles to control her fit.

"So much for not getting with a crazy chick," Stepan snickered, quickly stifling his laugh and covering it up with a cough.

Smiling innocently, Nicole looked up at me with devious eyes. "Told you I'd meet you at home."

"Blyat'."

Fuck me.

Chapter 18

Nicole

"You left me strandedin the middle of the road." Lev had to pause his complaining to sneeze. "In the pouring rain!"

Lev was quick to haul me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and took me to his place a little way from Nikolai's, after he recollected himself. So, we've been at his home (or was it technically ours now?) for a while now.

Suppressing my nervous chuckle, I awkwardly patted his shoulders a little before forcing him to lie down on his couch. "Now, now." Giving him a half-apologetic grin, I bundled his shivering body up tightly with the blanket. "I didn't leave you stranded… I left the bike for you," I retorted, letting my nervousness slip past my awkward lips with a curt chuckle.

Lev's body rumbled with his growl, and his beady blue eyes narrowed sharply at me. "It was locked for half an hour!" he half shouted before letting out another sneeze, followed by an annoyed grumble. "I swear, the moment I get better—"

I didn't give him a chance to finish his little threat. My index finger found the loop to his collar effortlessly under his turtleneck, curling around it and jerking his face to me as I leaned down close. "Now, now, I might give you some slack while you are sick—"

"Because of you!" Lev's voice cut out with a violent jerk of the collar.

Taking in a deep breath, I kept a rather sweet smile on my face as I kept talking, "As I was saying, I might give you some slack given your state, but that doesn't mean you can start mouthing off to me, got that?" My sweetened voice dipped lowly with danger toward the end as my face grew closer to his until there was only a mere inch between us. "Or you can continue to be a mouthy lil' shit and get punished for it later."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I caught the slightest glimpse of his neck muscles tightening. As his jaw clenched harder and harder, his eyes stormed over with conflict as he glared back at me. "You wouldn't. You're just an uppity little brat yourself who can talk a game, and that's it," he bit back with a challenging shine to his eyes.

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