Page 17 of The Bratva's Arranged Virgin Bride
“What’s going on?” I asked Kolya.
“We’re getting married,” he grunted, pointing at the table. “Sign the papers.”
Looking over them, they seemed real and official, and the bald man finally spoke up, introducing himself as a judge. He didn’t seem like the kind to owe favors to the mob, but they came in all shapes and sizes.
With Kolya’s eyes burning holes into my back, I placed the papers down and shakily signed each one where the woman had put a neat red x to make it easy for me. This was what I wanted, right? Right?
It was over in minutes, just a few words from each of us, and then the judge and the woman were on their way. Kolya and I were alone, husband and wife at last.
“It’s legal,” he said, eyes so dark I could hardly see the pupils.
I swallowed hard. “Okay, so now what?” I asked.
“Come with me.”
Good lord, I was getting sick of being bossed around by him, but I had no doubt he’d just pick me up and carry me wherever he wanted me if I didn’t obey. So I followed him to a room at the end of the hall, where he opened the door and waved me in ahead of him.
It wasn’t a dungeon, but a cozy library with an open view to the beach. Potted ferns hung along the top edge of the windows instead of curtains, and the blinds were pulled all the way up to let in all the bright natural light. An overstuffed, pale green sofa sat along one wall, a woven reed rug sprawled across most of the bamboo flooring, and there was a brushed metal desk in the corner, facing out toward the sea.
“Have a seat,” he told me, moving to pull the desk chair out for me. What a gentleman. I sat, looking up at him expectantly. I opened my mouth to ask what this was about, but he held up his hand. “Get your father on a video chat.”
“That’s not a good—”
“Not another word,” he interrupted. “Do it now.”
Oh, hell, and I thought I was scared of Kolya. I set my phone on a small stand in the middle of the desk and did what he demanded.
My father answered immediately, his stern face filling the screen. My heart flipped over at the look of relief in his eyeswhen he saw me sitting there unharmed, and then the shouting started.
“What in the hell were you thinking? You could have killed your cousin and that guard. Tell me right now what—”
His tirade cut off abruptly when Kolya stepped into view. “I came into this arrangement in good faith,” he said. I sincerely doubted that, but what could I say to dispute it? “In your absence, you put Matvey in charge. He and your brothers all agreed to a marriage to join our families.”
“My daughter was not part of the deal,” my father bellowed.
Kolya remained silent, only glancing at me. His look said,Fix this.
“It was my decision, Papa.”
Once again, there was a flurry of yelling, and once again, Kolya cut him off.
“I upheld my end of the alliance by showing up and marrying the woman who walked down the aisle, Aleks. If you don’t hold up your end, my brother and I will consider it an act of betrayal.” He paused menacingly. “An act of war.”
My father looked furious, and I was never so glad he was on another continent thousands of miles away. The look in Papa’s eyes through the screen should have been enough to drop Kolya on the spot, but he remained unshaken, only staring right back at him.
I was furious, too, underneath the shock. Was he really threatening my family? And could Arkadi be back to plotting against us? If he was part of this, where did that leave Mila?
Never in a million years would I have believed Mila would work against her own brothers if she’d been honest with mefrom the start. But she hadn’t been, and now I wasn’t sure what to believe. All I knew was I had to convince my father not to do anything rash. I had to fix this if I wanted to get my revenge, and I did. More than anything, now.
Katie appeared behind my father, putting her hand on his shoulder as she peered through the screen at me. She looked confused, disappointed, hurt. I knew all those feelings much too well, and hated seeing them on my old friend’s face because of me.
“What’s going on, Nat?” she asked.
“You’re speaking as if she has a choice in this,” my father spluttered. He’d never shout at Katie.
“Just let her explain,” she said calmly, squeezing his shoulder.
It had taken me a while to get used to them being together, because, at first, it was just too weird for my childhood best friend to be my stepmother, but their love was real and true, and there was no way I could have stood in the way of their happiness. And she understood me like no one else. I gave her a long, meaningful look. Barely a blink went by before she gave me one back.
