Page 23 of Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet 2)

“Amazing,” the woman says, excited enough to talk about herself that she doesn’t mind the sudden change in conversation. She holds out an arm for her male friend to take, but when he doesn’t, she clears her throat to catch his attention. He jumps forward to take his place. “Brad and I got married a few years ago, so we’ve been living the high school sweetheart dream. “

The woman turns towards me and seems to see me for the first time. She blinks and her cheeks flush. “Who is this? I’m sorry, did I interrupt a business meeting or something?”

“No,” Molly says nervously. “This is … um … my—”

“Her husband,” I finish, standing up to take the woman’s hand. “Viktor.”

Angela flutters her absurdly long lashes at me as I stand and move around the booth to slide into the same seat as Molly. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and gesture. “Join us. Please.”

Molly explains how they all know each other as the two take their spots across from us. “Brad played football for our high school, and Angela was a cheerleader—”

“Head cheerleader,” Angela corrects, pushing her blonde hair back over her shoulder. “I always lobbied for you to make the team, Molly. I just couldn’t get the other girls on board.”

The way her mouth turns up in a smile at the memory tells me Angela probably wasn’t on Molly’s side.

Molly waves it away. “It was a long time ago.”

“You didn’t make the team?” I ask, feigning confusion and tucking her into my side. “But you are unnaturally flexible. Really,” I say, turning towards our stunned lunch guests. “I’ve seen Molly get in positions that you wouldn’t believe.”

Angela’s face goes red, and Molly hides a laugh with a cough into her elbow.

“It was about more than flexibility,” Angela says. “You have to know what to do with that flexibility, unfortunately.”

“Oh, she knows what to do with it,” I purr, wagging my brows at Molly.

Molly grips my thigh under the table. It’s a warning, but it only serves to speed up my heart and spur me on.

Angela lets out a humorless laugh and cuddles up to her husband, who is too busy looking out the window at the parking lot to even pretend he is paying any attention. “Are you two newlyweds? It sure seems that way. Brad and I were the same way after we got married. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. Honestly, he still has a hard time.”

“We got married in Paris last year, but it wasn’t legal, so we just had the small ceremony last week,” I say before Molly can answer.

Angela’s eyes bulge out. “Paris? That’s …”

“Beautiful,” Molly interrupts. “He proposed to me at the top of a mountain in Switzerland, we were married in Paris two months later, and now it is finally official. It has been a whirlwind.”

“Jet setters,” Angela says, bitterness obvious in her tone.

The waitress brings out our shake with two straws, and I’m now grateful for the iconic symbol of cutesy romance. Molly and I both drink from the shake while staring into each other’s eyes and trying not to laugh.

Angela talks about her job as a legal assistant and Brad’s position at the construction company, but Molly and I one-up each of her stories with tales of our fictitious travels and wealth. By the time we finish our shake, Angela is begging her husband to slide out of the booth so they can escape.

“It is late. We should really order and get going,” she says, pinching her husband’s arm. “It was great to see you, though, Molly.”

Molly squeezes my bicep and waves to her high school “friend,” and the second Angela and Brad are out of earshot, she collapses into a fit of laughter, her head on my shoulder.

She stays close to me all the way out to the car, and when I climb into the driver’s seat, she sighs.

“That was amazing. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to stick it to Angela? God. She is unbearable.”

“She seemed it,” I agree.

Molly reaches across the console and grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers. “Thanks for that, Viktor. Even if it was all bullshit, it felt good.”

It did. It felt so good.

I wish I could whisk Molly and Theo off to Switzerland and Paris. I wish I had the time to woo them both the way they deserve, but keeping them safe is my main priority right now. It has to be. As much as I want to daydream about a future where Molly and I are carefree jet setters, I have to be practical.

Right now, I have to be a mob boss above everything.

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