Page 46 of Bratva Queen

A groan and a hand stretching out—knocking my arm—shook me from my dreaming.

“Ah,malyshka,” Stepan said. “What a wonderful night, my love.” He kissed my shoulder briefly, then turned to get up. I sat up.

“Where are you going?”

“Well,” he chuckled patronizingly, “business doesn’t stop just because we got married. These things are constantly on the move. You know that.”

“But our honeymoon… we need to pack and get the staff ready for—”

He froze and clicked his fingers, hissing between his teeth, “Right… I forgot to tell you. Um, we’ll need to postpone that.”

We were supposed to be flying to Greece for two weeks, to lay back in the sun and feel its warmth, and swim in the bluest of waters. I’d been so excited about it, I even bought various bikinis which, obviously, weren’t easy to find in Moscow.

“Postpone until when?” I asked.

“Well, maybe next year?”

“What?” I stood up out of bed and stomped toward him as he pulled his pants on. “Next fucking year?”

“This shit going down right now is crazy, Isabel. It’s dangerous, and it’s unexpected. I have no idea what might go wrong. Going to Greece right now would be the worst move for a bratva king to make!”

“It’s not justgoing to Greece!” I raged. “It’s your damnhoneymoon! It’s about starting amarriagetogether!”

“I know, I know.” He started to take my hands and try to calm me down.

“I thought that was what you wanted! To marry me! To make me your goddamn queen! But look at this! You treat me like nothing on our very first day of being wed!”

“Meelaya…”

“Don’t call me that!”

“This isn’t good for the baby. You need to calm down.”

“Oh it isn’t? Me shouting at you isn’t good for the baby? Well what about this life it’s being born into, huh? What about its father not giving a shit—”

“That’s enough,” he said in a dark tone.

Stepan held my wrists tight and slowly, though forcefully, pushed me to sit down on the bed. He put his shirt on and buttoned it up as he spoke sternly. “Your hormones are clearly all over the place. It’s just the pregnancy. It’s probably best for you to stay home anyway, to rest and not put your body through any strain.”

I glared at him. As if he knew what was best for me. By the looks of things, bullets would come flying through our very own windows before I could even put my body through any kind of fucking strain.

“Then let me go without you,” I said, my arms folded as I pouted. “Lying on the beaches of Greece is the best rest I’ll get.”

Stepan looked at me, frowning, then began to laugh.

“What?” I asked, slamming my hands on the bed. “What is so crazy about that? I’ve been so excited about this!”

“Isabel!” Stepan said loudly, still laughing. “Don’t you get it? You’re mine now. You’re not going anywhere without me. You’re staying in this house until I get back.” His voice calmed down from amused to serious as he ran the back of his finger along my cheek. “Be a good girl, Isabel.”

Chapter18

Aleksei

Stepan walked out of the house showered and dressed, but without his bags and without Isabel.

“Where’s Isabel? The pilot is already fueled and ready—”

“Oh no, you can tell him it’s off. We’re not going to Greece.”

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