Page 68 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

I cleared my throat, circling the rim of the glass in my hand. He wasn’t going to like the answer he would get, especially since he already didn’t approve of Giselle. Still, I couldn’t lie to him. He had to know the truth.

“The police tracked us down to the lake house. That fucker Gavril must’ve stroked a deal with them or something because they found us.”

He exhaled loudly, waiting for me to finish.

“There was no way that shipment was leaving there with us. It was either we got caught trying to smuggle it out, or we left it there.”

His brows drew with a frown. “If you’d left it there, at least we could’ve found a way to get it back. It’s not that hard to find a cop to bribe.”

“It is not, but the house was under Giselle’s name. If they found it there, they would have reasons to cuff her and shackle her to trial like a fucking dog. I wasn’t going to let anyone touch her.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed his jaw, nodding slowly with understanding. “So, all of this—the reason I lost millions worth of shipment—is because you were trying to protect a woman?”

“Not just a woman,” I corrected. “My wife. I would burn a million more shipments to see that she is safe.”

A moment of silence stretched between us. I expected his rage, and I was ready for it. I didn’t give a shit if he chose to put a bullet in my head right now; I would die a happy man knowing my woman was home and safe.

But rather than the bloodshot eyes I expected, he grinned.

He pushed up from his chair, strode across the room, and placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing tightly. “You did the right thing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, confused that he was applauding me.

“You chose honor over greed. You protected what’s yours.” Egor’s grin widened, approval gleaming in his eyes. “That is the core of the Bratva.”

Relief washed through me. I hadn’t expected him to let it go so easily or even applaud me for it; I’d readied myself for the worse, but hearing those words settled something in my chest.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

He shook his head as he returned to his chair. “There is no need to thank me, Andrei. We’re family—brothers. The most we can do is look out for each other. The girl is a Yezhov now; she is part of the family, and keeping her safe also comes first.”

My lips curled with a smile. “You seem like you’ve finally accepted her.”

He chuckled and took a swig of his drink. “It wasn’t the girl I had problems with. It was you.”

“Me?”

“I needed to know for certain you knew the responsibilities that came with marriage,” he explained. “A woman is not an item for our possession, but you choosing to put her first means you already knew all of that.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But Giselle was the reason I learned all of that. With most women I’d met before her, it was always just sex, entertainment, and nothing more. With her, it was different.

She was the flicker of light in my dark tunnel.

The only good part of my dark existence.

I sighed, thinking back to Rafayel’s words. This was what love was, and she was the first person I’d ever held such a strong desire for.

A knock came on the door, and Miron sauntered in with his hair tousled and a wild look in his eyes.

He reeked of tequila and pussy.

I wrinkled my face in disgust. “There’s something called taking a shower after fucking. You must not have heard of that, you fucking idiot.”

He smiled and slumped next to me on the couch. “Look who’s talking.” A playful grin tugged at the corners of his lips, and his eyes glinted with mischief. “Marriage becomes you, dear cousin.”

“And being a drunk, pussy-whipped idiot becomes you,” I replied, patting his back. “You need to get your shit together soon.”

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