Page 71 of Sins He Taught Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 3)

Matvei

No more hospital visits. I’ve made that a rule, and I’m going to stick to it. I don’t have the energy to constantly be racing back and forth between the mansion and Holzman Hospital every other day. Especially not when the ride back is so quiet.

When we return home, Nikolas tells me that he’s feeling a lot better, which is good news. The doctors said that it’s a minor infection and he’ll be fine after a few days of antibiotics. Nikolas is full of energy when we get home, and reluctantly, I agree to play a game of Go Fish with him and Victoria.

I lose the first two rounds, but after the third game, I pull through and secure a victory. Nikolas and Victoria both clap for me. After that, I decide to sit back and watch them play. My mind is in other places anyway.

I can’t help but remember Victoria’s reaction to what I called her in the hospital. My wife. She seemed almost offended by that, like it was unbelievable that I could ever marry a woman like her. It shouldn’t bother me, but I can’t shake the feeling.

I don’t believe in marriage. I made that very clear to Daniella the night of Oleg’s wedding. I’ve seen too many fall apart to bother committing myself to a union like that.

But while I watch the two of them play together, I imagine what it would be like to marry Victoria.

She’d be a headache, of course. Women like her are always willing to fight, even when she’s clearly at my mercy. It would be exciting, too, to say the least. We’d have plenty more drunken romps on the couch together.

And more. Much more.

But these stupid fantasies don’t matter—they’ll never come true. As soon as her father’s debt is paid, she’ll return to her old life and I’ll have Niko to take care of. We don’t mean anything to each other, simple as that.

It’s better this way.

Nikolas starts to get drowsy from his medicine. When he puts his head down and falls asleep, I reach for the cards and pack them up. Victoria scoops Nikolas into her arms and turns to me. “I’ll get him tucked into bed.”

She disappears up the staircase, and I climb up and head to the kitchen. I need a drink of something that’s going to burn. It’ll be a good distraction from me thinking about Victoria’s offense at my comment.

“Man up,” I mutter to myself, grabbing a glass and filling it with soda and a dash of dark liquor. I take a long drink and place the empty cup on the counter a moment later. I fill it again just as Victoria steps into the room with me.

“Mind pouring me one?” she asks, the hint of a smile on her lips.

“You sure? You didn’t do so hot last time.”

“I did perfectly well for my first time with you,” she replies. I smirk and pour her a glass, sliding it in her direction.

“What is this?” she asks.

“Rum and Coke.”

“Hm.” Carefully, she takes a sip, tilting her head as she thinks. “Not bad.”

“It’s one of my favorites.”

There’s a lull in the conversation, and she leans across the island in the kitchen, looking up at me. “What’s on your mind? Why are you so quiet?”

I nearly consider bringing up the wife comment again, but it’s dead. Time to move on from that. “I’ve been hearing some talk that this could be the Albanians. We’ve always had some kind of situation with them. Not an outright war, but it’s gotten close a few times. They might’ve had something to do with the vigilante and my brother.”

Victoria says, “What would they gain from it? And why would they go out of their way to hire a vigilante when they could probably just do it themselves?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But I need to figure this out.” I don’t want to talk about this with her. She doesn’t need to see this side of the business. Victoria’s concern is taking care of Nikolas and that’s all.

“More importantly,” I continue, “I’m curious about why you haven’t contacted the FBI yet.”

She coughs up her drink. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Victoria. There are cameras everywhere. Do you think I didn’t know?.”

“You were spying on me?”

“This is my house. Nothing happens in here that I don’t know about. You should remember that from the last time I caught you betraying me.”

---