Page 5 of The Bratva's Arranged Virgin Bride
Chapter 3 - Kolya
Three days. It only took three measly days from the time I arranged to be seen, meeting with my brother, until the Fokins demanded my presence. Or, rather, invited me over to their leader’s house for a friendly chat. I’d come unarmed, like they told me, but I was never good at following directions to a tee, so my men waited outside the lavish gates to this huge mansion. If I didn’t return in the allotted time, we’d no longer be on friendly terms.
I couldn’t help but feel smug about my easy victory, but I was doing my best to convey an air of subservience and gratitude to my hosts. Just like I knew everything about them, they knew exactly who I was. They were nervous, and rightly so, because they knew how much trouble I could make for them. Since they refused to speak to Arkadi, my brother was a loose cannon they didn’t want to go off, and I was the fuse they were going to try to cut before the explosion.
I was escorted into an airy library full of overstuffed leather couches and a welcoming breeze from the open glass doors. That was the only thing welcoming. The air around the Fokins fairly crackled with hostility and resentment.
“Come in and have a seat,” one of the young cousins, Lilia, said, with what looked to be a sincere smile. She swept her older cousins and stone-faced sister with a wide-eyed look, probably reminding them not to appear so much like a firing squad.
“Yes, please do,” Masha said, older than Lilia by just one year. She got up and poured us all glasses of iced tea.
The men all sat down stiffly, and I followed suit, waiting for one of them to take the lead. I wasn’t overly worried about two of the new arrivals to the Fokin organization hereon American soil. It wasn’t as if Matvey and Daniil weren’t formidable; they’d easily shoot me without a care for the stains it would put on the expensive Persian rug if I tried something I shouldn’t. However, all my intel told me they were less of control freaks than Ivan and Nikolai, the only two American Fokins at the meeting. Their cousins weren’t more malleable, just less made of stone. They seemed willing to hear me out, at least.
I would have been stunned that the head of the family and owner of this house, Aleks, wasn’t there, but I was already well aware that half the Fokins were in Russia. My people in St. Petersburg were going to keep them busy as long as I needed them to. The only trickery in that was to get them off US soil and out of my way. The deal on the table over there was very real. Maybe they’d even end up coming to an agreement that benefited all of us, unwittingly causing the alliance my brother couldn’t achieve. That would be hilarious.
“Why are you in Los Angeles?” Ivan asked as soon as we all had iced tea in our hands.
Rurik, who up until that point had remained silent, sighed. The youngest brother of Matvey and Daniil, he was the least known to me, making him someone I was wary of. Outwardly, he seemed bookish and quiet, but still, waters ran deep, and some of the quietest men I knew could lash out the hardest when pushed enough. But I wasn’t there to push, and I smiled at him before calmly answering Ivan.
“I’m not here to cause any trouble if that’s what you’re really asking,” I said.
“It is,” he grunted.
“I’m just here to run my new club,” I assured them. “Have you been yet? The DJ is renowned, and the drinks are top-notch.”
Ivan glared at me; the others barely refrained from rolling their eyes. They didn’t buy it for a second, because there was no way they didn’t know about the other businesses I was currently running in town. Just like I knew, they’d already been to the club. To prove my point, Matvey whipped out a map of the city, with not just my club, but my warehouses, the handful of convenience stores, and the apartment building I’d acquired circled in red. They almost got everything, and I kept a smile to myself at what they’d missed.
“Come on,” I laughed. “There’s plenty for everyone. And wouldn’t it be better if we were friends instead of enemies?”
“Is that a threat?” Nik asked through gritted teeth.
Matvey held up his hand. “Is that a message from your brother?”
My eyebrows shot up as I shook my head, feigning confusion. “I haven’t seen Arkadi in years,” I lied. “I don’t even use the same last name. What would make you think I was my estranged brother’s messenger boy?”
It was so clear how much they wanted to catch me in the lie, but that would have meant they’d have to end the meeting in outrage. By thinking I wasn’t aware they’d been tracking Arkadi, they believed they had the upper hand. I was okay with letting them think that.
“Didn’t Arkadi marry into your family?” I asked innocently. “I would think you’d know what he was up to.”
They grumbled, not willing to admit they were against Arkadi, but I was well aware they didn’t trust him. We put down our iced tea and got down to business.
They were very good, very subtle, easing into the subject of an alliance. So far, they knew I’d met with Arkadi, but theydidn’t have a clue what we talked about. I made regular sweeps of my club, and there was no surveillance that I hadn’t ordered. For all they knew, I was conspiring with him, and they couldn’t have that. The Mikhailovs had already almost brought them to their knees once.
“I’d welcome an alliance,” I said, holding out my open hands.
“We’re not against that,” Nikolai said, too quickly.
Just as I suspected. Their bluster was all a ruse. They wanted me on board, in hopes of finding out what I was up to with my brother.
“A business partnership?” I suggested. “Something fifty-fifty? It would have to be something substantial.” I nodded toward the map still lying on the table between us to remind them I was gaining ground fast in this town. “It would have to be something important to you, so I’d know you weren’t just trying to keep an eye on me.”
“How about a real melding of the families?” Masha piped up. So far, she’d been sitting quietly, but her alert gaze darted from each speaker as she listened. “You should know there’s nothing we care more about than family. How about a marriage? I would be willing to do it myself… if that’s pleasing to you, of course.”
She batted her eyelashes, and her cousins and sister didn’t act like they were about to choke, so I had to believe they’d already discussed this option ahead of time. Every fiber in my body rebelled at the thought of being legally bound to a Fokin, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to be the only one to object.
Married? Into the family, I was trying to dismantle? Masha was an attractive woman, beautiful even, but not at all mytype. I was still having trouble getting a certain blonde in Milan out of my head, not that she’d have anything nice to say to me if we ever met up again. She’d blow my brains out before she smiled at me after what I did. I never thought I was the marrying type, more the love ‘em and steal from ‘em and leave ‘em type.
Still, this would be an even better opportunity than I could have dreamed of. Walking away with a partnership was supposed to be impressive enough to Arkadi, but now I’d be part of the family as well if I agreed. I could gain power so much more quickly as an insider. I looked up, already nodding.
