Page 21 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

“Hush,” Anya says again. “Well, Viktor just seemed completely incapable of looking both ways when crossing main roads and he'd just cycle across. One day, a car hit him. His bike was completely wrecked. When we got to him, he was crying like a baby.”

“I was not,” Viktor says.

“You were, and it wasn't because you were hurt like Mother thought. It was because your beloved bike was no more and you knew Father wouldn't get you another.” Anya laughs with glee and it's almost contagious.

She starts to tell another story and I listen with interest. Viktor keeps trying to interject with little jabs, but Anya seems to be an amazing storyteller, and I quickly come to like her a lot.

After the fifth or sixth story, I lost count. She smiles at me. “I bet we can do something together one of these days while Gwen is away. I'll call you.”

I smile and stand slowly. “I'd really like that. It would be nice to get out.” Why is my heart racing? I feel like I cannot breathe. I don't think I can go out into public. Maybe if I canconvince Anya to go to her family's restaurant, I've always felt safe there. I give an awkward smile. “I'm going to head to bed. I'm exhausted. I'll catch up with you when you call.”

“Okay, have a good rest,” Anya says. “Viktor, I hope you're not going to chase me away. I'm sure you have another bottle of wine you can open.”

I leave them as they start to bicker again, and I'm grateful to get to my bedroom. I shower, change into my pajamas, and brush my teeth. I climb into bed and lie there, staring at the open window. There's a cool breeze coming in. It was windy today but despite the slight chill, I want the window open. I feel safer with fresh air. I hate the feeling of being closed off from the outside.

I have a nightmare again and I'm up early. I have a shower again because I've sweated right through my pajamas. I know Rachel will change the bedding. She always does. I'm pretty sure she's sick of me. She doesn't show it though, she's always polite to me. She doesn't question why my sheets are always soaked with sweat, as well as my pajamas.

Once I'm dressed and ready, I go downstairs to the dining room. I hear bickering and I already know Anya is back. Did she ever leave? I walk in and notice she's got on different clothes, so she must have come back this morning.

“Good morning. I'm glad you're awake. Viktor wouldn't let me wake you. He said you needed your sleep. Isn't he thoughtful?” She bombards me with this, and I definitely haven't had enough coffee to deal with so much at once.

“Thank you?” I say hesitantly.

“No problem. Come and have breakfast. Viktor says you need some new clothes, so we're going shopping.”

“I don't need new clothes,” I say quietly, staring at Viktor. “I just want my clothes from Roman's house.”

“Shopping will be more fun,” Anya insists. “We can have a regular girl's day out.”

I nod. “Okay.”

Rachel brings out breakfast for all of us. Today it is granola and yogurt. It's delicious and I happily eat it. I finish my food and sip my coffee as Anya bickers with Viktor about how many guards to take.

“Why do we have to take guards?” I ask.

“For your protection,” Viktor says. “I insist on it.”

“I thought you said guards would draw attention to me,” I say curiously.

“Not if you're with Anya. She doesn't go anywhere without guards.” Viktor finishes his coffee. “I have to go to the office. Three guards, Anya. I mean it.”

“Yes Viktor, I heard you the first billion times you insisted,” Anya sighs and shakes her head. She looks at me. “Men. Ready to go?”

I finish my coffee. “Sure. I just need to get my purse.”

“You won't need it. Today's shopping trip is on our family.” She stands and offers me her arm. I hook my arm through hers and she practically skips us out of the house. Viktor is standing outside speaking to a guard whose name I know is Martin.

He turns to us. “Martin and one guard will drive you and another will follow behind.”

Anya waves him off. “Yes, yes. Go.”

She leads me to a car that's idling nearby. She climbs in and I get in after her, sitting next to her. “This is going to be so much fun,” Anya says with a naughty grin. I'm learning quickly that she's a troublemaker.

“Are you the youngest of your siblings?” I ask curiously, although I think I already know the answer.

“Yes, why?” she asks.

“Because you seem to cause your brother a lot of grief. Throughout my life and friendships, it's always been the youngest sibling who causes the trouble,” I grin. “Not that there's a problem with that. I didn't think anything could bother Viktor until you came along.”

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