Page 28 of Surrogate for the Bratva
I rolled my eyes and picked up another cracker, nibbling it between sips of ginger ale. After five crackers, a yawn split my face and my eyelids grew heavy.
“Some of your color has returned,” he said as he pushed me onto my back and tugged a sheet over my naked body. “Rest. I’ll check on you later,” he whispered and pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead.
My very last thought before sleep claimed me about how much trouble I was in with the sweet version of the sexy Russian.
I could handle one or the other—sexy or sweet—but the knockout punch of them both? I was a mere mortal, how could I be expected to resist a god?
Chapter Eighteen
Igor
“You have a visitor, Boss.” Ivan stood in the doorway of my office located at one of my restaurants with a wary look on his face.
His tone drew my attention more than the thought of a visitor and my brows knitted into a question. “What kind of visitor?”
“The rat fucking snake kind.” Ivan shook his head, the contempt for my visitor evident in his defensive posture and dark scowl.
I stood with a smile, knowing it could only be one person. “I’ll be out shortly.”
Ivan was confused but I didn’t bother to explain the visit to him because it wasn’t his business. “I’ll let him know.”
“No. Don’t say anything at all.” I smiled and once alone, took my time to put on my jacket and a welcome smile because the restaurant was open for business. I entered the dining room with a blank expression until I spotted my visitor. “Dmitry,” I smiled. “So sorry to hear about Yuri.”
His nostrils flared but his gaze darted around the half-full dining room and all the curious gazes aimed our way. It took him a full minute, but Dmitry finally got his emotions under control. “I believe this is yours.” He tossed the floral wreath at my feet.
I looked down at the arrangement of red and white roses and shrugged. “Funny because it has Yuri’s name on it.”
“You bastard,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I know you killed him.”
My brows shot up in mock surprise. “You give me too much credit, Dmitry. Or maybe you don’t give me enough credit. It’s difficult to say with you.”
“Bullshit!” His shout drew even more attention. “You disrespected Yuri and his family with this fucking display.”
“Did I?”
Yuri’s face turned a bright shade of red. He was damn near apoplectic. “You know damn well you did,” he snarled and got in my face.
“Excellent. Disrespect is exactly what I was going for.” My lips curled into a taunting grin. I knew that fucking display would dig under his skin and force him to make an appearance. My smile slowly faded, and I took one step forward, closing the gap between us completely. “Doesn’t feel good to lose those important to you, does it?”
A flash of hurt appeared but he quickly covered it with anger. “I lost my son,” he growled and put a hand to my chest.”
I swiped his hand away and placed my finger in the center of his bony chest. “Yeah, and I wake up each morning without my brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew and Maria.”
Something like pride flashed in his eyes.
“By my calculations you still have a few more to lose before we’re even.” And I had a plan of attack for each life I intended to take.
“You have taken everything already.”
I shook my head and looked around the room, smiling at my customers as if nothing was amiss. “It was my father,” I reminded him.
“It was a Romanov and that is all that matters to me.”
“Good to know. Rumor has it that your mistress has a four-year-old who looks a lot like you.” He let out a strangled noise but otherwise did not respond. “That could be your grandchild, possibly even your great-grandchild. A Voronov.” I didn’t need to issue a direct threat.
Judging by the fear and hatred that flashed in Voronov’s eyes, he heard me loud and clear. “Careful, Romanov. Rumor has it that you haven’t lost everythingyeteither.”
My thoughts automatically went to April.
