Page 2 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

What a load of shit. Of course I'm not depressed. I'm just distracted. By what? I don't know. It's a mystery to me. I need to focus. I need to get my head in the game. I have a lot going on in the family, and I need to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

I turn my attention to the rest of the club, where bodies are writhing against each other on the dance floor, or people are shouting over the music to be heard at tables dispersed amongst the club. I see a woman near the VIP section, and I pause. She has dark brown hair and full lips. She has a great figure withcurves in all the right places. She's laughing at something her date or her boyfriend has said and her smile is almost the same as Riley's.

Riley.

Gwen's friend needed rescuing not so long ago, and I will remember that day forever. I wasn't sure we were going to get to her in time. We had planned everything meticulously. We put trackers on the Vultures' vehicles and watched and waited. Gwen hadn't been happy waiting. She knew every second counted. Once we pinpointed it down to two locations, we mounted two teams to hit at the exact same time. We kept in contact the entire time and the Vultures didn't know what hit them when we entered. I remember shooting so many people that day. Who knew one location could hold so many bodies? It was going to be one hell of a cleanup.

We cleared the rooms one at a time while taking out the gang members before we came to the basement. There was no one at the door and we walked in to find the young girl strapped to a chair. Her face was dirty with streaks from where she had cried. Her mouth was sealed shut with duct tape that I had to peel gently off her. Her hands were tied behind her using cable ties and they were cutting into her wrists. I had cut them swiftly, and she had slumped forward, rolling her shoulders.

“Who are you?” she had asked, wide-eyed.

“The cavalry,” I had responded. “Gwen sent us,” I add.

She had looked so relieved. I helped her up, and she almost immediately collapsed in my arms. I picked her up bridal style and carried her out of that godforsaken place and into the car. We had arranged for a doctor to be waiting at Roman's place to look her over, and Gwen had been so relieved when wedelivered her. Roman was happy with himself, of course. He'd been a hero to Gwen that day.

Now it felt almost like a distant memory, even though it was just a few weeks ago. The second time she had been taken, we had rescued her as well. It's like she had a penchant for trouble, that one. It's enough to keep any person on edge. I don't know what I'll do if she's taken again; I suppose I'd have to rescue her. No thanks to the person actually doing the work. At least not from my brothers. What did I expect? For them to become all emotional when we came over from Russia? We were here to do business and to prove ourselves to our family, which is what I should be focusing on. Yet, seeing the woman down below, I can only think of Riley.

I still don't understand what my brother Roman sees in Gwen. He married her so quickly, made her a part of our life without thinking, and yet calls me impulsive. Then again, Rigor isn't much better. He kidnapped the wrong girl and married her. That still makes me chuckle—the two of them tied down by these completely innocent souls. Although Fiona has a bite to her, I'll give her that. She did save Rigor's life. Gwen isn't exactly helpless either.

But Riley, she's fragile. She is breakable, and thinking about her now lights a fire inside of me. I want to protect her from this life, this style of living. I want to keep her safe from it all. I don't know how I'm meant to do that, though. She's staying with Gwen and Roman at the moment, I know that much. Maybe I should drop by and check on her.

I make my way back to the VIP section and order another whiskey, going to sit near Anton, who is now surrounded by the girls swooning over him. They excuse themselves to the bathroom, and Anton looks over at me. “Someone's moody,” he teases. “Can't get it up tonight, Brother?”

“Fuck off,” I say angrily. “There's nothing wrong with me.”

“There is, even if you won't admit it,” Anton says with a grin. “You're going soft in your old age.”

“We're a minute apart,” I point out.

“Not in our minds, apparently, or in our hearts. What's wrong? Who are you pining for?”

I could tell him about my worries about Riley, but he'll just tease me about her, and I'm in no mood. “Enjoy your tarts tonight, Anton. I'm out of here.”

“Viktor…” he says as I down my whiskey and get up. “I thought we were just having some fun.”

“I'm not in the mood,” I say, walking out of the VIP section. I go past the girl who reminds me of Riley and I can't help but drink her in. Riley is perfect. She's sexier and more appealing. The girl is similar, and if she didn't have a date, I would bed her easily to satisfy this itch I have about Riley.

That makes up my mind. I'm going to check on Riley tomorrow while she’s still awake with Gwen and Roman. I walk out of the club, nodding to the bouncer standing there before I walk to my car. Some punks are leaning against it and I growl at them to get off of it before I climb in. I pull away from the club and join the traffic. Las Vegas is so alive at night, the lights and the people, but I just have one singular goal in mind right now and I want to make sure she's okay. That's all.

Maybe then I can get some rest.

Chapter 2 - Riley

I arrive at campus with time to spare. I park my car and before I can make sense of anything, I hear a knock at my window and nearly jump out of my skin. I smile as I see Brittany at my door.

“Hey, I thought it was you.”

I grab my things and get out of my car, hugging her tightly. “Hey Brit.”

“Hey Riley, where have you been?”

“It's been a bit hectic,” I admit. Though I will never tell her exactly what kind of chaos my life dived into, I'm happy to see her and for life to get back to normal. I plaster a smile on my face as we walk along campus together. Brittany is catching me up with all the latest gossip from our lectures. Political science wasn't my first choice, but now that I've been studying it for over a year, I'm really into it. I originally wanted to be a nurse, but life has a weird way of changing courses and minds.

We go to class and I sit through the lecture, taking notes as the professor lectures. We're given our exam timetable at the end of the lesson and I panic slightly. Gwen has been collecting notes for me, but I'm going to have to try to catch up on all the work before exams in two weeks. Once we're through with the day's classes, Brit twists my arm into going for coffee with the girls before I meet Gwen for lunch. I'm my usual bubbly self because that is what is expected of me.

We arrive at the cafe in time to see Jordan and Sasha grabbing a table. We place our coffee orders and join them.

“Hey, Riley.”

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