Page 77 of Ruthless Lullaby

Behind Pavel, my brother Timofey saunters in, a glass of vodka already in hand. He's flanked by a few of my Bratva comrades.

"Maron!" Timofey booms, clapping me on the shoulder. "Happy birthday,bratok!" He looks at Mindy by my side. "I see you've brought a beautiful guest to celebrate with us."

I grin, wrapping my arm possessively around Mindy's waist. "Timo, this is Mindy - my fiancée. Mindy, meet my brother, Timofey."

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mindy says smiling shyly.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Timofey's eyes widen. "Fiancée?” He looks at me. “We need to catch up more often, Maron. I feel like I’m missing out on your life. What time is the wedding? Am I even invited?"

"Maybe if you behave well." I smirk at my brother.

Timofey lifts his glass to Mindy, before looking back at me. "You know well that’s not my strong suit."

There's a moment of silence before Timofey turns and raises his glass toward the crowd of guests. "It's about damn time you settle, Maron," he shouts. "We thought you'd never recover after Elena ran off!" His gesture is followed by a chorus of drunken cheers and congratulations.

Ublyudok!

My brother can never shut the fuck up. He also has a sixth sense to say the worst possible things at the worst possible times.

I chuckle, my grip on Mindy tightening slightly. “I was always going to. Just needed to find the right woman."

"Is Maurice coming?" Timofey inquires.

Chert voz’mi, Timofey!

Seriously?

I shoot daggers at him. "No," I respond curtly.

My brother’s expression turns serious. "Why not?"

"Excuse me," I tell Mindy. Understandably so, there’s confusion on her face as she looks at me. She still has no idea that Maurice and I are related. I was going to tell her later, but I wanted her to sign the contract first. Now, Timofey is fucking up my entire plan and I don’t like it.

I yank my idiot brother aside, making sure Mindy can’t see us. "Listen, Timo. I purposely left Maurice off the guest list. We had a major fallout over his behavior. He's been acting like an irresponsible asshole. You know he's always been the family fuck-up, but recently, he exceeded his worst self. He has no place here."

"I thought you two had smoothed things out," Timofey says with eyebrows raised. "From what I've seen, Maurice has been on his best behavior lately. Even made an effort to visit Mom."

Blyad.

I need to shut him up before he says something even more stupid in front of Mindy. I lean in closer to his ear. "Alright, I’ll drop the bomb, Timo. Maurice is Mindy's ex-boyfriend. They split up not too long ago because Maurice fucked up."

Timofey's jaw practically hits the floor. "Holy fuck. Maurice’s ex? Talk about a shitty love triangle,bratok!"

"Whatever," I growl. "I don't want Maurice here tonight, you understand? I don't even want him to know about this party. And you better keep your mouth shut unless want to get your ass kicked!"

“Fuck. Does Maurice know that you’re screwing his ex?” Timofey shakes his head.

“Hey!” I bark. “You keep your fucking mouth shut, alright? Show some respect, especially in front of Mindy!”

Timofey wheezes out a laugh and he holds up his hands. "Alright, alright relax,bratan. I won’t say anything." He motions with his right hand, showing me that he has his mouth sealed.

I realize I’ve been grabbing the neck of his shirt as I was talking to him. I relax my grip and let go of my brother. Giving him a cold glare, I pat his shoulder. “That’s more like it.”

***

As the night drags on and the drinks keep flowing, Mindy's inhibitions start to slip away. Her laughter is louder now, her face flushed with a mixture of alcohol and excitement. And through it all, she remains insanely sexy. As much as I try, I can’t stop my mind from being consumed with fantasies about her. I can't wait for everyone to fuck off from my house so I can slam that bedroom door shut, and fuck my new fiancée until she screams my name.

In a sudden burst of boldness, she leans closer to me, her warm breath tickling my ear. "I brought a few songs with me, Maron. I want to sing it for your guests." she chuckles, whispering to me. "But mainly for you. Consider it a part of your birthday gift."

---