Page 64 of Pregnant Bratva Wife
“Federico! Long time no see!”
“Hola, Maria. Two of everything, please. And a couple of beers.”
Maria’s eyes darted to Autumn with undisguised interest. “And who is this?”
“My wife,” I said, feeling a strange pride in saying those words. “Autumn.”
Maria’s eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. “¡Qué sorpresa! Federico Lebedev with a wife! The world is full of miracles.” She winked at Autumn. “You must be special to have caught this one.”
Autumn laughed, a sound I hadn’t heard nearly enough. “Or crazy. The jury’s still out.”
I paid while Maria prepared our food, then led Autumn to a table away from the other diners. The beer was cold, the tacos were spicy and perfect, and for a few minutes, we ate in companionable silence.
“How did you find this place?” Autumn finally asked.
“One of my men brought me here years ago. Said it reminded him of home.” I took a pull from my beer. “I’ve been coming ever since.”
“Do you bring many people here?”
I smiled. “No. Just the people I actually like.”
That earned me another small smile.
“Ask me,” I said suddenly.
She looked up, confused. “Ask you what?”
“Whatever you want to know. About me. About what I do. About the Bratva. I won’t lie to you anymore.”
Her fingers tightened around her beer bottle. “Why now?”
“Because you deserve the truth. And because I’m tired of watching you look at me like I might snap and kill someone over dinner.”
She winced. “That obvious, huh?”
“A little.”
She took a deep breath, then met my eyes directly. “Okay. Your family. They’re all Bratva, too?”
“All of them. It’s a family business, passed down for generations.”
“Even the women? Kate, Elena, Beatrice?”
I nodded. “They know everything. They’re part of it too, though in different ways. Not really involved in the illegal aspects of it. Kate handles most of our legitimate business interests. Beatrice is still finding her place, but she’s smart as hell and good with numbers. Kate prefers her own hobbies.”
“And your parents? Were they...?”
“My parents died when we were kids. In a car accident. But yes, they were.”
Her face softened. “I’m sorry.”
I felt that same tug in my throat. “It was a long time ago.”
“Still. That’s young to lose both parents.”
“We had an uncle who stepped in. Raised us until he was killed.” I took another sip of beer, surprised by how easily the words came. I rarely talked about the past. “After that, Caspian took charge. He was only twenty-three, but he grew our territory, made alliances, stabilized things.”
“And now?”
