Page 49 of Bound to the Bratva
I arch a brow, “What was the remark?”
Aria smirks lightly, “That she didn’t look low class, she was low class.”
I chuckle to myself. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”
Aria nods in agreement, “Which is why today happened the way it did. She overheard me mid-argument with my father and called him weak for allowing me to fight with him. She said I deserved to be slapped, and then it happened. What are you going to do to him, Maxim?”
My blood runs hotter than it has been. Why doesn’t her step-mother know her fucking place? She has no business to be ordering around a man within the Bratva. “I’m going to do whatever is necessary to ensure he never touches you again. And, your stepmother will be put in her place as well,” My thumb caresses her cheek, feeling the soft warmth of her skin. “You have my word, Aria.”
With one last squeeze, I reluctantly release her and stride toward the door, my mind already racing with plans to deal with her father and stepmother. This will not go unpunished. No one lays a hand on my wife and lives to tell the tale.
As I reach for the doorknob, Aria calls out, laced with a touch of fear. “Maxim, please don’t kill him, and be careful.”
I flash her a wolfish grin, the promise of retribution glinting in my eyes. “I’m always careful, Aria.”
I don’t bother responding to the latter because I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get to her father’s home.
It’s not long before I’m out the door, my steps quickening with each passing moment. Her father will learn a harsh lesson tonight, and while I’m not one to put my hands on a woman, I’ll make sure he pays for his wife’s part in it too.
I don’t even give Andrei enough time to get in the car with me. I just left him behind and told him to watch Aria, that I’d be okay. I make the short drive to Aria’s father’s home, my knuckles whitening around the steering wheel as rage simmers under the surface. No one lays a hand on my wife and gets away with it.
Pulling up to the large, imposing house, I take a moment to reign in my temper. I need a clear head for what’s to come, but I know that likely won’t be possible. I tend to allow my feelings to take over me when it comes to those I care about.
Straightening my suit jacket, I drive up to their gate and wait for someone to greet me over the intercom. “Name?” a man’s gruff voice comes through.
“Maxim Volkolv,” I grit, not appreciating the rudeness coming from this man.
I’m buzzed through almost immediately and drive past the gate, and the second I park my car I waste no time. I stride up the front steps and pound on the door, the sound echoing through the eerily silent property.
After a long moment, the door creaks open to reveal one of the men who work for Aria’s father. “Mr. Volkolv, we weren’t expecting you.”
I push past the man and walk into the foyer of the Zuyev home, scanning the premises until Aria’s father is in my view. His brow is furrowed in confusion. “Maxim? What are you?—”
I don’t give him a chance to finish, my fist connecting with his face in a powerful blow that sends him reeling backwards. He staggers, clutching his bloodied nose, eyes wide with shock.
“That’s for laying a hand on your daughter,” I snarl, stalking deeper into the foyer, my imposing presence filling the space. “You forget your place, old man.”
He glares at me, defiance flaring in his gaze even as he presses a handkerchief to his nose. “She is my daughter, which means I can do as I damn well please. You can’t?—”
I cut him off with a sharp gesture, my voice low and dangerous. “No, you can’t. Aria is my wife, which means she’s under my protection. You wouldn’t have enough balls to slap me or my father, would you?”
His eyes go wide. “No, I’d never do such a thing.”
I snort, “Exactly, and she is my wife. She is an extension of the Volkolv line and you’ve slapped one of us. You will never touch her again, do you understand?”
He opens his mouth to respond, but I’m faster than he is, grabbing the front of his shirt and shoving him against the wall, my face mere inches from his. “If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will end you. Are we clear?”
Aria’s father swallows hard, the fight draining from his eyes as he realizes the gravity of the situation. “C-crystal.”
Satisfied, I release him, smoothing down my suit jacket. “I’m glad, but you understand that isn’t enough.”
His eyes go wide and he clears his throat. “I won’t do it again, Maxim. I understand the error of my ways and I won’t allow my temper to get the best of me.”
“Your temper,” I snicker, glancing around the foyer to see if his wife has been nosy enough to come out yet. “It’s not just your temper that influences your decisions, Nikolai. Say, where’s Tatiana hiding?”
Nikolai inhales deeply through his nose, “This doesn’t need to concern her.”
I laugh because that’s hysterical. “Doesn’t it? Almost everything concerns your cunt of a wife,” I speak louder than ever, “Tatiana, where are you?”
