Page 48 of Forced Bratva Hostage

He snatched a glass from the waiter's tray and faced me. “Bottoms up.”

“You sure you want another one?” My brows arched, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “I think you've had one too many of those already.”

“See?” He laughed. “That's the married Afanasy talking.” Richard drained the champagne in a single shot. “The manIremember would've grabbed himself a glass by now.”

Wren still had that small smile on her face; for some reason, she found Richard's behavior hilarious. It was hard to explain to her that he was our host for the night.

“Oh, hey, Mike!” He spotted an associate of his in a group of four men to our right. “Afan, you're gonna have to excuse me.” Richard tapped my shoulder and left to join the group.

Wren's brows remained raised as we watched him leave. “Clearly, I must be invisible tonight.” She let out a faint cackle, her words hinting at how Richard hadn't acknowledged her presence.

“Trust me, it's better that you didn't have a conversation with him in that state,” I said, eyes fixed on her.

Wren's gaze shifted from me, and I watched her squint, her brows rising as she stared in a particular direction. I traced her gaze to an elegant woman in a blue dress, laughing and smiling with a few other women.

“Oh, my God, is that Julia?” Wren muttered, a chuckle breaking from her lips. “Itisher!” Her voice was tinged with excitement.

My brows knitted together in confusion, my head tilting as I wondered how connected she was to my brother's wife. “Wait a minute, you know her from somewhere?” I asked, curiosity creeping into my voice.

“Are you kidding? That's my friend.” She giggled, not taking her eyes off Julia.

Friend?I thought.

Wren turned to face me, a glimmer of desperation coloring her eyes. “Can I please go say hello to her?”

She didn't have to beg the way that she did. We were husband and wife now, not jailer and prisoner.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

She beamed, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she left. I watched her wave, gliding toward Julia, whose jaw dropped, her mouth open in a silent scream.

They, indeed, knew each other. I wiped a palm over my face, thinking about what a small world it was.

Since Julia was here, that meant Roman wasn't too far behind. He was definitely here somewhere, and I scanned the space, my eyes roaming the surroundings for at least a glimpse of him.

“Small world, huh?” a familiar voice spoke from behind me.

Before I could turn around, my cousin, Alexei, materialized beside me, cradling a glass, his eyes fixed on the excited duo. “Your bride is friends with Roman's wife.” He stole a glance at me. “What are the odds?” His lips curled into a smile.

“Good to see you, too, cousin.” I released a dismissive chuckle, tapping his shoulder. “You seen Roman yet?”

“No,” he replied, taking a sip from his glass. “But I'm sure he's around somewhere.” Alexei paused for a moment. “So, how's it like being married?”

Upon his question, memories of my time with Wren came flooding back into my mind, infusing me with a mix of emotions. I jerked my eyes, watching my wife laugh so genuinely, lost in her conversation with Julia.

This wasn't a talk we could have in here, so I turned to face him. “Wanna go out for a smoke?”

He looked at me, his smirk spreading. “This sounds promising. Let's do it.”

I took one last look at Wren, but she still seemed engrossed in her discussion with Julia. Quietly, Alexei and I headed out, exiting the hall.

We made our way to a secluded balcony, the full moon casting its soft glow over the entire compound. The breeze wasgentle and cool out here, carrying with it a subtle scent of flowers from a nearby garden.

Just as I was about to light a cigarette, Alexei's phone vibrated in his pocket. He dipped his hand, withdrawing it, and as he glanced at the screen, he jerked his head back. “I'm sorry, cousin. I have to take this. It's urgent.”

“Sure, of course,” I replied, nodding.

“Yes?” He walked away, his voice thick and threatening.

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