Page 51 of The Bratva King's Auctioned Bride

“Oh, I realize it all right. But Helga is an expert seamstress and promises to make sure nothing gets ruined.”

Once she was sure the woman I hired to get her things together was worthy, she had no more excuses, and we were on our way. When we landed early in the morning, her smile was brighter than the sun trying to break through the smog. She might have been worried, but there was no denying she was thrilled to be home.

I was pleased too, breathing in the air that smelled like traffic and oil more than the sea, at least at the airport. We took a small detour to see the mighty Pacific on our way to my new place—our new place, and sat in the back of the chauffeured car, watching the waves crash against the sand for a long time. Even after the long flight, she was ethereally beautiful, but her face was tinged with sadness.

“This is going to be fine,” I said. “No, it’s going to be great. Wait and see.”

Pressing her hand against the window as if she could catch the seagulls dive-bombing the water, she sighed. “That’s all I can do. Wait and see.”

Since neither one of us was in disguise, it wasn’t safe to get out and frolic on the sand, so we headed home, where she began to explore the house. I promised her she could make any changes she wanted, or hell, we could move somewhere completely different if she preferred. As soon as she was occupied with that, I began to secretly round everyone up.

The men who had stayed behind after the complete and utter breakdown between the Fokins and my organization were scattered, trying to hang onto what was left and not get swept up and punished for remaining loyal to me.

I hated keeping anything from Mila, letting her continue to believe I was content to sort out the remnants of my battered empire for now. As much as I wanted everything I swore to her to be true, I didn’t know how it was possible. There was no way the Fokins would see reason or accept their beloved baby sister being with me, so this was the only way.

That or accept defeat, which was something I wasn’t wired to do. I had worked tirelessly, taken beatings, been shot at and threatened, had spent countless hours and even more money to gain a serious foothold in this great city. I wanted what was mine.

Mila wouldn’t like that I was plotting a swift and furious takeover that would leave her brothers reeling. Not a takeover, a takeback. Fair was fair, after all, and I would be sure to keep the casualties to a minimum, with strict orders not to harm any of her immediate family.

It was going to be a harrowing balancing act, and I wasn’t sure how long I could keep it up, but it was for the greater good. Once everything was back the way it should be, Mila and I could move forward with repairing the rift between our families.

If only it weren’t already the size of the Grand Canyon, while I was about to tear it open even wider.

Chapter 36 - Mila

The first thing we did together when we arrived back in sunny Los Angeles was move into a big house that Arkadi said was brand new to him. It was on the complete other side of the city from my brothers, much further south and closer to the beach.

It was nothing like the palace in Rome that had belonged to his libertine brother, or the sleek modern mansion in Moscow, which had better suited Arkadi’s no-nonsense temperament. The three-story Spanish colonial-style house ambled over a huge swathe of land, was shaded by palm trees I had to crane my neck to see the tops of, and was surrounded by neatly manicured lawns. The pale orange stucco contrasted nicely with the dark tile roof, perfectly offset by the sky, which was shockingly clear and blue when we first rolled up as if it wanted to welcome me home.

“Do you like it?” he asked before we were even in the front doors. “Is it big enough?”

The place could have doubled as a shopping mall. “It’s more than big enough.”

“Too big?” It was cute how much he wanted me to like our new home.

“Gosh, Arkadi, let me get inside and check it out.”

With that, he picked me up and carried me across the threshold, only setting me down when I whacked him on the shoulder, halfway to a big, open living area with a stunning view of the pool outside. As we continued to explore, I decided I liked it fine, maybe even better than the modern glasshouse we just moved from. There were still walls of windows, but this place was a bit cozier, despite every room being massive.

“Why’d you get a new place?” I asked. “Was it to keep our location a secret, or was it something else?”

I left it hanging heavily between us that my brothers might have seized his old house or even destroyed it completely.

“I just wanted a fresh start,” he said with a shrug.

After we finished a quick tour that barely scratched the surface, he told me he had to go out for a while, but wouldn’t be gone too long. He assured me that security was already set up and in place, and it didn’t cross my mind that it was for any other reason than protection. That was huge, not feeling like a prisoner anymore. How long it lasted was anyone’s guess, but I was taking the good times as they came.

The first thing I wanted to do was choose which of the many bedrooms would be ours, and I ended up picking one that wasn’t the absolute biggest, but had the best view. It was a second-floor corner room with a balcony that wrapped around the two sides. The pool and lush gardens were directly below us to the back, and a riot of hibiscus flowers surrounding a bubbling fountain were to the side. The adjoining bathroom was decked out with a tub that could easily fit six people, two showers, and enough counter space for both of us to have our stuff without a turf war.

The bedding and walls were too bland for my taste, but they could easily be changed with a few clicks on the computer once Arkadi set me up for online shopping. He had promised I could change whatever I wanted, after all.

By the time he got home, it was almost dinner time, and I hadn’t gotten around to checking out the kitchen yet. He found me in an entertainment room trying to figure out the TV remote and swept me into his arms.

“I missed you,” he said, as if he’d been gone for weeks instead of hours.

Come to think of it, I missed him too, and burrowed close against his hard chest. “I haven’t made dinner yet,” I admitted.

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. We can order in until we get a cook set up. Grinning sheepishly, he let me out of his bear hug and stepped back, suddenly presenting me with a small box wrapped up with a big white bow.

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