Page 30 of Savage Boss

Vlad didn’t mind, he had nothing left to say.

He set his phone down and stared blankly out the window, trying to wrap his head around the knowledge that he now had a seat at the table of the Bratva. He would have an equal vote among the most powerful families in Russia. He would shape politics, commerce, history. He would be replacing Petrov.

He would sit next to his best friend, each with their own vote and influence. The power rushing through him was heady. It was breathtaking.

“Wake up, Vlad!” Jane slapped his arm to get his attention. “What the fuck was that and why do you look like someone just gave you a pony for Christmas?”

Vlad looked down at his wife who was scowling at him. “They gave me a seat at the table.”

Jane narrowed her eyes at him. “For dinner?”

He laughed, a truly joyous sound spilling from his lips and startling his wife. Uninhibited laughter was rare for him. “No, malysh, not a real table. I now have a seat of power within the Bratva.”

She understood right away, a gamut of emotions flashing across her face. Surprise, fear, open-mouthed shock and then, finally, pride. Vlad was suddenly glad that they’d shared this moment. That she’d barged into his office to change a wet diaper and he’d let her stay.

“We should celebrate,” she announced. “I’ll get the nanny to take Joey upstairs.”

Vlad despised that she’d nicknamed their son after a baby kangaroo, but he allowed it, wanting to keep the peace. “No, he should stay. This momentous phone call will affect his future as well.”

Vlad strode around the desk and took Joseph from Jane. He shook out a blanket on top of the rug in front of the fireplace, between two plush leather chairs and laid Joseph on top. Joseph wiggled and immediately grabbed his feet. He had discovered his toes three days ago and was now obsessed.

Vlad took Jane’s hand and pulled her over to one of the big chairs, sinking into the comfortable cushions with Jane on his lap. She wiggled on top of him trying to find a comfortable position, which was her ass pressed over his groin, her legs slung over the side of the chair and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“Tell me,” she said softly, her eyes on their son, her pride in him evident on her face.

“You see this ring?” he held his hand up to show her. It was a heavy masculine ring with a ruby in the middle. He’d never told her about its background before. “It was a promise given to my grandfather that one day a Sitnikov would sit at the table of the Bratva. I will be the first Sitnikov to fulfill the promise.”

Vlad spent a good few hours explaining the inner workings of the Bratva to his wife, a conversation he’d never had with anyone before. She asked questions and absorbed what he was saying like an intelligent little sponge. She never once accused him of being a criminal though some of her questions probed criminal activities. Vlad was judicious in the information he gave when it came to the shadier aspects of the Bratva. She would have to remain in the dark about some things, especially when they impacted her safety.

She was now laying alongside their son on the floor. Her hand was resting on Joseph’s belly, which was slowly rising and falling. After amusing himself with his own feet and having a milk snack, he fell asleep on the floor. Jane had snuggled up with him after eating from the tray Vlad requested be brought into the office. They ate an informal meal while discussing their future as part of the Bratva. It was cozy, mentally stimulating, and one of the best evenings Vlad had ever known. He would treasure these hours.

“I heard you say Petrov was in town,” she finally broached the subject after they’d exhausted the subject of the Bratva.

“Da,” Vlad admitted. “His second-in-command came to me three weeks ago, demanding reparations for Petrov’s son. It was an attempt to distract me while Petrov made his way into the country. It was this man that you took pictures of me meeting with.”

“That’s why you were so upset?” she asked, her dark eyes flicking up to him, the golden brown depths turned velvet in the soft light from the fireplace. “You were worried they would come after me?”

Vlad held in the grim comment that he knew Petrov’s second personally. The man was an utter psychopath who got off specifically on torturing and dismembering women. He loved to prey on those who were weaker than him. Normally the Bratva did not condone true serial killers in their midst as it could draw attention to the underworld organization, but the man was good at covering his tracks and his cold precision made him a good asset.

“Da, you cannot go anywhere near that man. You understand?” He held Jane’s gaze, allowing her to see his vulnerability, his fear for her.

She nodded. “I understand, stay the fuck away from Petrov’s second-in-command. But the old man… he’s fair game, right? I’d love to get my taser on him.”

Vlad groaned, but he couldn’t help the grin that stretched his lips over Jane’s irrepressible attitude. “You know Joseph’s first word will be fuck. And if this happens, I will spank your ass until you learn to clean up your language.”

She laughed, hiding her face in her shoulder so she wouldn’t wake up their sleeping son.

She lifted shining eyes to Vlad. “Promises, promises.”

Chapter Sixteen

Vlad was heading to a meeting at his southside restaurant when his car phone rang. He owned several restaurants throughout the city. Once upon a time they were good for laundering money, though with new advances in technology he was looking to unload a few of them. He was about to meet with a potential buyer and his mind was on the sale.

“Da,” he answered impatiently.

“You left your cell phone at home again, Vlad. I’ve been trying to track you down for the past 45 minutes.”

Vlad’s lips curled in contentment. “What can I do for you, malysh?”

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