Page 69 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

“I’ve seen how you men live. I’ll be damned before I let myself become that kind of a mess.”

I nodded. I’d thought the same thing months ago, and here I was, risking it all for a woman I never thought I’d meet.

She’d been freaking worried this morning, afraid of how this would turn out. I needed to go back home to her. I needed to see her face and watch her give that delightful smile when I broke the news to her.

Rising to my feet, I smoothed out my suit and nodded to thePakhan. “I’ll be leaving now. I’ll give you an update if there’s any soon.”

He nodded back. “Khorosho.”

Dobryn was leaning on the white S.U.V. when I reached the parking lot. His face wrinkled with concern when he saw me. “How did it go, sir?”

“Luckily, he wasn’t angry.” I climbed into the back seat, pulling out my phone to text Giselle that I was on my way home.

The car roared beneath me, and soon, Dobryn reeled it out of the parking lot. “Where are we going now?” he asked, peering at me through the rearview mirror.

“Home….” I trailed off as I thought of Giselle. I hadn’t gotten her anything yet ever since we got married.

We’d been able to find the shipment with her help, although I’d had to destroy it to protect her. It was still a million times better than one of the rivals getting their hands on it.

“Stop by a florist shop,” I ordered as I pocketed my phone.

Dobryn’s gaze met mine in the mirror. “Flowers?” he asked. “That’s a first for you, Andrei,” he teased.

I shook my head. He needed to pick a side; one day, he’d choose to call mesir,and the next day, I was Andrei.

Dobryn was the only one of my men with whom I had that sort of relationship. He’d been by my side since we were teenagers, and I trusted him more than anyone else. We were more friends than anything else.

Ignoring his teasing, I asked, “What type of flowers do women like?”

He made a noise with his throat as he thought. “Roses, lilies. There are a ton of them. Depends on which one matches her personality.”

“I’ll have to decide when we get to the store.”

He pulled over in front of a floral store minutes later.

The moment I stepped into the store, one of the florists was holding a bouquet that caught my attention.

I smiled.

The soft pink petals were layered and perfectly symmetrical, like porcelain roses. I knew instantly that this style best suited Giselle’s personality.

That was exactly what I needed.

“What is that called?”

The florist smiled at me; her brown eyes lit up. “Camellias.”

“I need a bouquet of those for my wife.” Today was the first time I’d used that word, and it tasted delicious on the tip of my tongue.

My wife.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this has been booked already,” she said, her smile fading into an apologetic look. “This was grown in a greenhouse and cost a fortune to fly in. It’s very pricey, but I can get you something similar.”

“I don’t want something similar,” I deadpanned. “I want this. When can you get another one into the city?”

She chewed on her lip. “By tonight, but—”

“No buts.” I pulled out my black card and slid it over to her. “I want it flown in by tonight. I don’t care how much it costs.”

---