Page 7 of The Bratva's Arranged Virgin Bride
Chapter 4 - Nat
I was stunned, practically hanging over the edge of the balcony to hear every last word. I never believed my heart could hurt worse than it already did after what I just learned. Or that I could be so angry.
The piece of crap was Arkadi’s brother.
It all made perfect sense now. Mila’s caginess and holding back, always changing the subject with lightning speed whenever I brought Kolya up. It was because she knew. Mila knew all along that she was married to the man’s brother, and she still kept it from me. I, as good as a sister, was always there for her when her own brothers turned their backs on her because of who she married.
No, I had to be wrong about that.
Once my heart climbed back down out of my throat and slowed to a somewhat normal pace, it also made sense why my uncles and cousins were so adamant about kicking me out of the meeting before Kolya arrived. Ugh, just hearing them say his name made me want to punch something. To think I used to like saying it, used to believe the smiles he gave me when he heard it were real.
But I still hung out with Mila, so excluding me went beyond the usual need to keep me far from danger. This time, they were keeping me on the outside because they didn’t trust me not to say something to Mila about this disgusting new alliance. That in itself hurt, but not as much as the memories assailing me.
That pain and betrayal gnawed at me as I listened to their plans. Why were they doing this? I was too shocked to care, toodevastated at hearing his laughter as they agreed to an alliance. Amarriage.
The whirlwind of feelings assailing me crystallized into my old friend, rage. I remembered the thing that had been fueling me for the past months, the thing that helped me get out of bed in the morning when nothing else seemed worthwhile.
Revenge against the piece of crap, Kolya Cheslov. No, Mikhailov. Even his name had been a lie. He was nothing but lies. My hands tightened once more around the railing, to keep myself from running to my father’s gun safe.
Closing my eyes, I indulged in a nice little fantasy about which gun I’d choose, how I’d burst through the patio doors as they were toasting their insane plan. As soon as Kolya recognized me, I’d shoot him somewhere really painful first, maybe the kneecap. Then, as he screamed in agony, I’d end him before one of my uncles got the gun away from me. It was a nice daydream, better than having to welcome that swine into my family.
The only hitch was that he wouldn’t suffer very much, just a few seconds of intense pain. Nowhere near good enough when I’d been suffering for months. Thinking about it calmed me down enough to keep listening as they hashed out the details, and there was no way anyone could convince me my uncles and cousins hadn’t planned this together beforehand.
They believed that Kolya was plotting something with Arkadi and wanted to keep an eye on him. My cousin Masha, like me, was young and female, but she was one of the biggest badasses in the family. She was a crack shot, skilled at surveillance and hacking, and had so many judo medals they lined her parents’ walls in their family home back in Moscow. Neither my uncles nor my cousins were worried in the least thatMasha couldn’t handle herself, and in fact, once Kolya left, they were crowing about the fact that she’d get all the info they were after within a few weeks, or even days.
I sat back, closing my eyes against a sick feeling in my stomach, threatening to make me heave my guts out over the balcony edge. That man would be right under my nose from now on, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing I could do about it. Especially not when my family seemed to need him for something.
I’d have to be civil to him, welcoming even. Would we pretend we didn’t know each other? Oh, he’d probably love that. Thinking about him laughing to himself because of that made me stalk to my room before I threw something and gave away my hiding spot.
Normally, my childhood room was a safe haven, a place that shielded me from all cares. Many fond memories filled the bright, airy space. Some of my favorite stuffed animals still hung out on the giant bed, resting against all the cream and rose pillows. Framed pictures of happier times littered my desk, along with my unopened laptop and a stack of thrillers and romances I was working my way through. They were supposed to keep me from thinking too much, but they didn’t help at all.
Kicking off my shoes, my toes sank into the thick rug, where I began to wear a track with my pacing. The gauzy curtains were thrown open to let in all the late afternoon sunlight, but I still couldn’t shake the darkness that engulfed me after what I heard.
My anger was so strong I couldn’t make myself care what my family’s ultimate plan for all this was. Not when I’d been waiting for my revenge for so long. I not only knew where hewas, but he was so close. And yet, my hands were tied. It was a brand new torment.
About an hour later, Masha found me in my room, still worked up and with no idea how I was going to deal with Kolya becoming part of my family. Oh my God, he couldn’t live here with Masha, could he?
I had to arrange my face like I wasn’t about to tear my own hair out, and also pretend ignorance as she told me she would be moving out.
“Finally found your own place?” I asked.
She sat down on my bed and sighed. “I’ll be going in just a few days.”
“What? Why so soon?”
She wouldn’t give me a straight answer, and all her feeble excuses fell flat. Not enough room? The wing she and Lilia shared had six bedrooms and bathrooms, a gym, and an entertainment room. It wasn’t like it was inconvenient to her work either, since she’d been shadowing my father since she arrived. I was so damn frustrated not being able to call her out that tears sprang to my eyes.
“I’ll miss you,” I said, trying to cover the true reason I was on the verge of crying.
Masha might have been a stone-faced assassin in front of my father, but she was my friend underneath it all. We hadn’t been able to grow up together since she grew up in Russia, but we always found common ground whenever we visited, and since she and Lilia had moved here, we’d become thick as thieves. She clearly hated keeping secrets from me.
“Why all of a sudden?” I asked, trying to worm information from her that I already knew. Trying to see if she’doutright lie to me. “Does this have something to do with that meeting all of you just had?”
She looked pained. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, really.”
“But you still can’t tell me anything about it. Doesn’t anyone trust me?” The pain I showed her wasn’t fake.
“It’s not that at all,” she hurried to say. “Of course, everyone in the family trusts you.”
