Page 35 of Marked & Bred By the Bratva
I turn, crowding her against the dresser.
“They’d be right,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her lips.
She shakes her head, laughing. “Baby, focus.”
I adjust her cardigan and kiss her forehead.
Then we go.
* * *
The apartment smells like old carpet and lemon cleaner.
There’s a woman waiting at the door before we even knock. Ava’s mom. She’s petite, with the same big brown eyes, her dark curls pulled into a bun, her apron still on. She takes one look at me and freezes.
“Mom, this is Lev,” Ava says quickly. “Lev, this is my mother, Dee.”
I hold out a hand. “Pleasure.”
She hesitates, then takes it.
“You’re tall,” she says blinking up at me.
Ava groans. “Ma.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Dee adds, stepping back to let us in. “Mostly about how you’re hot in a terrifying way.”
Ava swats her mom’s arm. “Mama, that was private!”
Dee just laughs.
Inside, the place is simple but cozy. Family pictures on the walls. A side table stacked with magazines and mail. Someone else is here too, a younger guy on the couch. In his late teens, with headphones around his neck.
“Don’t mind Miles,” Dee says. “He’s always glued to that phone.”
“Hi,” the kid says without looking.
When he finally glances up, his eyes go wide, and the phone drops.
* * *
Dinner is loud. Dee made Jollof rice, beans, plantains and chicken. It’s fucking delicious. And I compliment her. Ava chatters nervously. Miles keeps staring at me wide-eyed while I eat quietly.
Eventually Dee asks the million dollar question, “So what do you do, Lev?”
Ava nearly chokes.
I take a sip of my water before setting down the glass, whipping my mouth, and reply, “logistics.”
Dee squints. “Like shipping?”
“Something like that.”
“You got a business card?”
Ava blurts, “Mom.”
Dee raises her eyebrows. “What? You never know, maybe I can get Lev some business..”
