Page 35 of The Bratva's Sold Bride

Oh, I definitely did, and not just because she seemed sweet and I was desperate for a friend. This woman might have been just the chance I was looking for.

“Um, I’m not sure I can,” I said, glancing warily at Dima.

“I’d be happy to,” Ivan said, not at all aware of the delicate scene I was performing.

Dima only rumbled without answering either way, and then grunted that we needed to get the shopping done and be on our way home.

Oh, he couldn’t have done a better job if I’d given him a script in advance. I noticed Zoey’s concerned face as he took my arm and led me firmly toward the door. It was all I could do to hide my smile as we left.

Chapter 22 - Dimitry

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I snapped at my brother.

I was so disconcerted to see another American at all, and to have Olivia and Ivan chatting blithely with her, saying who knew what, I lost my cool a bit.

“Who just shows up in a tiny mountain town like this?” I continued.

“There was that other American when we first got here,” Olivia piped up.

It was so clear she wanted a friend. Was I overreacting? I really didn’t think so, not when I hadn’t heard anything from Benedikt in days. That man could not be trusted in the best circumstances.

“Hikers pass through this way all the time,” Ivan said. “That’s how we found the place.”

“All the time is a vast overstatement.”

Of course, he’d be on the new arrival’s side. She was a very pretty blonde woman, just his type, and a way to pass the time while he was down here tormenting me.

“We’re all just going to leave this new woman alone until I can run a thorough search on her,” I said, laying down the law. I caught Olivia’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Until I hear something definitive from your father, we can’t be too careful.”

“Have you heard anything from the Kuzmins?” Ivan asked.

“How the hell do you know so much about this, anyway?” I retorted, ready to shove him out of the moving car.

“I know about the debt from Aleks,” he told me. “Neither one of us knew how he managed to pay them off.”

Olivia snickered, and I sighed. “If he paid them off,” I said.

Why couldn’t they take this seriously? Olivia hadn’t lived some sheltered life; she had to realize just how dangerous a man who was backed into a corner could be. And the Kuzmins… it was probably better if she didn’t understand the full scope of their capabilities.

We drove the rest of the way home in silence, and once we got there, Olivia scurried off somewhere, probably sick of our arguing. I led Ivan to the back, where he promptly resumed annoying me.

“So, have you heard from the Kuzmins?” he asked again.

“No,” I admitted.

“Then chill out. I’ve never seen you get so worked up about anything before.”

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He was right; I was wound up and about to unravel.

“I’m in deep,” I admitted, looking toward the house and wondering what Olivia was doing. “Now that she’s starting to relax and warm up to me, I can’t let my guard down. I can’t let anything hurt her.”

My younger brother gave me a long look, seeming almost wise for a brief moment. “If you really want your wife to fall in love with you, you shouldn’t be using your honeymoon time running background checks.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I said without too much heat.

“Or berating me,” he continued. “And you should stop acting like such a jailer.”

That was a step too far. “What do you know about it?” I demanded.

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