Page 22 of The Bratva's Christmas Bump
He shoves me hard up against the rear wall while Igor presses a button and we instantly descend. Just as we reach the bottom, Igor turns to me. “I don’t repeat myself. The next time I have to ask you twice, you’ll be obeying after he breaks your legs, understand?” He points to blue-tie who watches me with a cold expression.
My heart’s beating so fast that the edges of my vision pulse with darkness. Each step I take feels lighter than the last and my stomach twists into so many knots that the lingering, comforting warmth from my last meal fades.
The lobby’s empty. I desperately glance around, looking for Toto, but even the person from the front desk is missing. There’s no one around when we make it outside and soon, I’m back in a car next to Igor while blue-tie drives us through the city.
“I don’t know what you did or how you did it,” Igor speaks in a flat tone.
I want to speak but my mouth won’t work.
“You put some kind of spell on my son, didn’t you?” He fixes me with a furious glare and I can’t look away. “He has a habit of picking up pet projects and forgetting where his loyalty should be. I entertain it from time to time because it keeps him happy, but this? You? Hardly fitting for a Mafia prince.”
Wait, aMafia prince?
Like the flick of a switch, it suddenly all makes sense. The men in suits. The expensive cars and the penthouse. No one blinking at the murder or caring that I needed help. Maxim’s in the Mafia, seemingly running it right under his father. This has to be some kind of joke and before I can stop myself, shock has a soft scoff escaping me.
“You think it’s funny?” Igor snaps, and I flinch as he raises his hand. “I’ve worked far too hard and far too long for my plans to crumble just because he took pity on another street rat, so we’re going to make a—what the fuck is that?”
I flinch away from him again, but he’s fast for his age. He captures my hand in a vise-like grip with his nails digging painfully into the soft flesh of my wrist. Holding my hand aloft, he stares in disgust at the single gold ring around my finger.
“It’s a ring,” I manage to choke out. “We’re already married.”
“Fuck!” Igor yells so loud that the car swerves when his guard gets a fright. “That stupid fucking son of a bitch!”
He’s crushing my hand in his grip. Every passing second grinds the small bones inside my palm together and the pain flares sharp and hot. I start to struggle, but he seems completely unfazed.
“Let me go!”
“Does he have any idea what the fuck he has just done?” Igor glares at me as if I hold the answer.
“I don’t know,” I gasp as tears bead in my ears. “You’re hurting me, let me go!”
“Do you have any idea what this fucking means?” Every word is spat at me with intent to wound and hurt, and he drags me an inch closer over the seats. “You don’t understand a thing, do you?”
“No,” I gasp, fighting with all my strength. “Let go!”
He does, and I lunge back against my seat, gasping and cradling my hand.
“Idiot son of mine,” Igor growls. “That” —he points at the ring— “Were there witnesses?”
I nod silently.
“Fuck. Do you realize that marrying him grants you all the protection of being a Mafia wife? Did he explain any of that to you? Does he think I have guards to spare? He’s forcing me into a fucking corner because how will it look if I don’t spare men to protect his new bit of tail? Fucking hell.”
Protections? I don’t feel an ounce of that since they are the ones I need protection from.
“Did you see something?” Igor demands. “Did you see something you shouldn’t have?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I gasp, shrinking away from him.
“Spousal privilege. Do you know what that is?”
I nod hastily. “So, what’s the problem?” I gasp. “Anything I know, which is nothing, is through Maxim, so I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone anything.” Communication between a husband and wife is protected. Everyone knows that.
Is that why Maxim married me? So I can’t tell anyone about what I saw? And even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. The cops wouldn’t be able to listen.
“It matters,” Igor snarls. “Because I had plans. Maxim has a wife lined up, and it would be the cherry on top of a perfect deal until you came along.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I hiss. “Just stop the car and let me out. I–I’ll disappear and no one will have to know! I won’t talk to anyone, I won’t bother anyone, I’ll just leave and vanish and—ack!”
