Page 48 of The Bratva's Sold Bride

The ride into town was worse than tense silence, with her asking me a few questions about my meeting, like a stranger making small talk at a cocktail party. I hated it and almost wished she’d get pissed off again. The guard she seemed to like the most out of my security crew was tasked with driving us in, and then tagging along wherever Olivia wanted to go while I headed out to the work site.

It was little more than a cleared spot in the jungle, surrounded by farmland that had lain fallow for some years due to the owner’s ill health, and it was about to be consumed by the persistent trees and vines if I didn’t have plans to start clearing right away. The thought of a brand-new project was like starting an adventure. Anything could happen and it filled me with excitement. Once Olivia understood my intent, hopefully, she’d come to see it like that, too.

We found Ivan in the coffee shop where Zoey went to work on her book, pathetically waiting around in hopes that she’d show up.

“Are you finally on the hook?” I teased, sitting down beside him. “How many cups of coffee have you had?”

“I like the coffee here,” he said.

“It is pretty good coffee,” Olivia agreed, showing a hint of the first real smile at my brother’s expense. “But I bet you wished you didn’t have to drink it all alone.”

He grumbled. “Well, you’re here now.” Then, his face lit up when someone walked through the door.

Olivia’s smile brightened just as much when she saw it was her new friend. Zoey waved and came over, setting down her things before going to the counter to place her order. Ivan jumped up, nearly knocking over his chair in his haste to pay for her coffee.

“Do you want to chaperone these two or go shopping with Andre?” I asked.

“What if I wanted to go to your meeting with you?” she asked.

It was the first bit of zest I’d seen from her in three days, and I wavered for a moment. But I didn’t want her to have to see me act like a crime boss if things went sideways. It was better to keep her in the dark for a few more days, then everything would be settled, and I could give her the good news that this resort was going to be run by a normal businessman and his wife.

“Next time,” I promised, meaning it.

She sighed and said she’d stay there, so I left her guard discreetly posted on the bench outside, surprised when Ivan caught up with me before I could reach the car.

“I thought you’d want to stay with your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he answered, making us both smirk at the sixth-grade level comeback. “I’m coming with you.”

“There’s no need; it’s just signing a few contracts.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Even so, I’ll go with you.”

“Do you know something?”

“I know a lot of things,” he said, snapping his seatbelt. “And I might have heard some rumblings about someone notwanting this deal to go through.” He popped open the glove compartment where a gun always resided, and nodded toward the trunk in question.

“I’m loaded up,” I said, referring to the arsenal back there. “Do I need to be, though?”

“Probably not. Hopefully not.”

He put me on edge, so I called up a few members of my security to head that way, just in case. All I wanted to do was sign these damn contracts with no fuss. Was that ever going to be possible, even when I stepped aside from the Bratva?

I glanced at Ivan, wondering if I should tell him my plans, but the tense set of his jaw warned me it wasn’t the time to talk about wanting a peaceful existence.

When we arrived at the site, Señor Alvarez, the farmer who owned the surrounding land, wasn’t there yet, and the realtor stood beside his car, twisting his hands. The man I was working with to organize construction crews sat in his truck.

“It’s not good news,” the realtor said, when I asked him why he looked so anxious. “It seems like Señor Alvarez is being advised not to sell after all.”

“What?” I asked, shocked. “Who’s advising him? He was desperate to unload this land since he’s not working it anymore, and he was thrilled with my offer.”

“That’s the thing. He’s a sick old man and doesn’t want trouble. I guess whoever spoke with him was rather forceful about not wanting you to have the property.”

The construction foreman got out of his truck and walked over, looking as glum as the realtor. “Has he given you the news?”

“So, you know about it, too? Are you being advised by someone as well?”

He nodded, clearly pissed off. “Threatened is more like it. But I don’t need any trouble either, and the way things are going, I won’t be able to find anyone willing to work.”

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