Page 33 of The Bratva King's Auctioned Bride

Chapter 23 - Arkadi

I was the one who played games, not the one who got played, but it felt like Mila was the one currently holding all the cards. She actually packed a bag and moved out, and since this ridiculous palace was like a small town on its own, that actually meant something. It took a great deal of strength not to demand she unpack and sit her beautiful ass back down so we could talk, but it was clear she was much too angry.

Some time later, she went for a dip in the pool, and watching her move gracefully through the water was almost my undoing. I was seconds from ordering her back to our room, except that was exactly what she wanted.

Oh, she might not have realized it, or maybe it was so she could prove I was the tyrant she believed me to be. It wasn’t for the reason I wanted, though, which was because she couldn’t be without me. It was beginning to feel very much like I couldn’t be without her.

After she finally went inside, I had no other choice but to get up to my room before I went after her. I had a few things to check in on in Moscow, and it was time to update her family by answering their messages. That was getting tough, and I was considering sending out a decoy so someone they knew would have an eyewitness account of seeing her, alive and well.

That was dangerous because if my decoy got caught, everything would crumble, and I’d have to play my hand. I wasn’t ready for that. Mila was mine, was going to stay mine. The near fight we’d had at the slightest mention of her brothers made everything more difficult. I could no longer just keep her away from them, not when I also wanted her to be happy now as well, damn it.

I couldn’t exactly invite them over for a wedding reception, either. Talk about starting a war to end all wars.

I finally fell asleep with this sticky problem on my mind, determined to come up with a way to shake things up between Mila and me. Get her talking again, and perhaps smiling.

In the morning, I woke up to bright sunshine streaming through the opening in the curtains, and a much brighter outlook to match. Until I checked my phone. There was a string of messages from my brother. Kolya was heading to Rome.

Nope, not happening. That wasn’t at all what I had in mind when I decided something had to change. I called him, hopping out of bed and pacing until he picked up.

“Turn around,” I ordered as soon as he answered. “Go back to Milan. Hell, go anywhere, just not here.”

“Are you telling me not to come to my own house?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter whose house it is,” I snapped. “I don’t want you anywhere near my wife.”

The little shit cracked up at that. “So that’s actually true? I didn’t believe Uncle Eldar when he told me. Come on, I’d love to meet my only sister-in-law.”

“Not happening. I hope you’ve turned around by now?”

“You’re being awfully ungrateful. Have you forgotten it was me who tipped you off that she was in Milan in the first place? I basically introduced you two.”

“Fuck off, Kolya. And turn around.”

“It’s too late,” he sighed, not sounding at all sorry. “I’m practically there.”

“Let me guess. Your last deal went sideways, and now you need a place to lay low for a while.”

As usual, he’d pissed off the wrong people, and now they were out for his blood. And as usual, he was laughing and carefree about it, filling me in on how much money he managed to make off with before they found out he was ripping them off.

I ended the call and raced to Mila’s room to get her up and out before Kolya arrived. She looked much too adorable, all rumpled and bleary-eyed, when I shoved the desk she crammed up against the door out of the way and burst in.

I scowled at the dainty writing desk. Really? A barricade? A useless one, but it still stung.

“What’s going on?” she asked, instantly sitting up. It was easy to see how she’d been raised, on high alert at the slightest hint of trouble.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, only a small lie. “But we’re leaving. Now. Don’t even bother packing. I’ll buy you new things at our next location.”

“And where’s that going to be?” she asked, making a point not to get out of bed.

Good question. “Never mind that,” I said. “Just be ready to leave in ten minutes. No longer.”

As I left the room, I got a text from the gate guard and swore, hurrying to the front door. Kolya hadn’t been exaggerating about how close he was. He was already here. Furious at my younger brother, I rushed out to get rid of him, ready to physically throw him off the property until I could leave with Mila. By the time I made it down to the front, his bright red sports car was zooming up the long driveway.

I didn’t wait for him to get out, but I was ready when he parked the car to block the door. “Turn the engine back on and get the hell out of here,” I said. “You can come back in an hour.”

He raised a brow at me, not at all as intimidated as he should have been. As if sharing the same parents would keep me from bashing his face in. Not only was he not scared, he had the audacity to shove open his car door and barrel out.

I smacked him in the chest, keeping him from advancing toward the door. No amount of threats would get him to change his mind and choose another hiding spot, so I switched to cajoling. I even offered him a bribe.

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