Page 53 of The Bratva King's Auctioned Bride

“Not unless you have a different answer for me.”

He didn’t. He wasn’t going to let me call my brothers, just like I feared. Crawling into bed, I turned to the side and pulled the covers up to my chin. He huffed and turned off his light, and I eventually fell asleep, full of turmoil. Those carefree days together had become a tense standoff, and I wasn’t going to be the one to blink.

Chapter 37 - Arkadi

It wasn’t like I didn’t know this was coming. No matter how good things were between us, Mila wasn’t going to forget her family existed. Especially not when they were basically just up the road. I hated that she was back to giving me the silent treatment, but I had to put my foot down. Maybe a good night’s sleep would change her outlook. I wouldn’t know since I tossed and turned all night.

As soon as dawn crept through the blinds, I gave up completely and sat up. There were too many things to do if I was going to go ahead with the smash-and-grab against the Fokins. Once I had the upper hand, I’d make them see that Mila and I were happy together.

The faint sun hit her brow, furrowed even in sleep, and my hopes dwindled that she’d be in a more reasonable mood when she woke. I longed to reach out and smooth her ruffled hair down, looking like a halo around her on the pillow. Getting bit first thing in the morning wasn’t on the agenda, so I kept my hands to myself. I couldn’t stop looking at her, perhaps trying to emblazon her on my memory in case…

Her eyes snapped open, and the scowl intensified as she scrambled out of bed. I waited calmly for her to start yelling at me. It was a miracle she hadn’t gone full force with her anger last night and called me every name she could come up with. Her mouth dropped open like she meant to, and I held back a smile. We always had such a good time once we stopped fighting.

Instead of some creative insult, she clamped her lips together. The scowl faded to something much worse. A look of such utter sadness I felt it like a punch. Without saying a single word, not even a sniff, she walked out of the room.

Damn it. This was real and so much worse than I feared. This was going to be the thing that took her away from me, once and for all. And it was my own doing.

Not going to happen. Change of plans. What I had set up to occur over the next few days was so intricate it would be impossible to stop with only a phone call or two. I had to see my second in command here in LA and tell several others in person, or they’d never believe it, not after how adamant I was about regaining my territory.

I hardly believed it myself, but it had been a stupid idea from the start. Even one casualty on Mila’s side, and she would never forgive me. I had zero confidence in the Fokin brothers agreeing to another truce since the first one had ended up with where we were now, but I was going to try it her way first. Anything to get that emptiness out of her eyes.

I whipped on a robe and stormed after her. I was only a few steps behind and caught up with her as she was about to enter a guest room at the end of the hall. When I grabbed her hand, she only let it rest limply in mine and gave me a look of exhaustion. Where was my fiery girl? I couldn’t have broken her, could I?

I was pissed—at myself. Everything was wrong, and I had to make it right.

“Mila,” I snapped, much too harsh. “I told you I need time to take care of some things. Stay put and wait for me. Do you understand?”

Outwardly, I was being a tyrant, at least until I could cancel all the carefully orchestrated attacks I had set up. There was no time for subtlety.

Now, she reacted. Snatching her hand away, she practically leaped away from me, grabbing onto the guest roomdoor handle like it was a weapon she could wield against me. Giving me a death glare, she twisted it and flung open the door.

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” she hissed, stepping inside and slamming it shut in my face.

As much as I didn’t like letting her stew in her renewed hatred of me, I had to move. With a last, regretful look at the door, I hurried out, already barking orders into my phone to set up a meeting between the team leaders. By the time I got to the warehouse, almost half of them were already there, grumbling to each other.

Walking in, I clapped my hands once, calling them to order. A few gave me looks I didn’t like. I hadn’t said anything particular over the phone, but they were expecting bad news.

“Change of plans,” I said. “I’m calling everything off.”

Just as I expected, there was a buzz of discontent. A few even questioned why, quite different from only a few months ago when my word would have been law, instantly obeyed.

“Do you know how long it took me to get all those bombs in place?” one of them asked.

I carefully noted who he was, someone I would have trusted with my life not so long ago. Now he looked every bit as pissed off as I felt, and wasn’t making any effort to hide it.

“Then you’ll have to spend some more time getting them all out and dismantling them,” I said coolly, staring at him until he finally looked away. “If I get word that even one Fokin property goes up, you’ll be held directly responsible.”

“What the fuck is going on, boss?” someone else whined, genuinely upset he didn’t get to cause some mayhem and get revenge.

I got it, I really did, but Mila was more important to me now than any of that. Not many of them would truly understand, though, and I didn’t feel the need to explain.

“This is what we’re doing now,” I shouted, so every last one of them could hear.

“Nothing?” a man who had been a trusted advisor to me while I was in exile groaned.

“For now,” I said, appeasing his disappointment. “I never said we weren’t going to regain what’s rightfully ours. We’re just not doing it this way anymore. Does everyone understand?”

The look they knew all too well made them agree before I started handing out punishments for insubordination. I headed out to the next meeting further north to inform another group, though I was fairly certain they were going to get a heads’ from these guys.

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