Page 88 of Of Murder and Matrimony

I let out a watery laugh. “Of course. I promise.”

“You’d better hurry and get your things,” he said, releasing me and chucking me playfully on the cheek. “I have a feeling your husband is eager to see you again.”

I darted to my room and washed my face so I wouldn’t see Dante with tear-stained cheeks and circles under my eyes. There was no reason to take anything my brothers bought me, so I gathered only the pajamas I came in and stuffed them in a grocery bag.

Adrik and Yuri stood waiting by the elevator door, their faces somber. I was practically bouncing with anticipation, and watching them question their actions was satisfying. We took the elevator to the parking level, where Ilya sat behind the wheel of a black SUV, another Bratva soldier riding shotgun.

There was barely room in the second row for my brothers and me, but I didn’t care about feeling like a sardine in a tin if it meant going home. They remained silent for the drive, staring out the windows and anywhere but at me. I wondered if it was possible to negotiate a truce between my two families. I had to try. Nobody could force me to give up Dante, and I’d prefer not to give up my brothers, either.

“We’re being followed,” Ilya warned curtly, glaring at me in the rearview mirror. I shivered at his hateful look. “This was an asinine idea.”

“Keep going,” Adrik ordered, turning his head to look out the back window. “See if you can lose them.”

Ilya pressed the gas pedal, and we sped through the next light as it turned red, cars honking their horns in our wake. I didn’t dare turn around and see if the other vehicle was still there.

“Fuck!” Ilya swore and slammed on his brakes after he turned onto a side road.

Adrik threw an arm across my chest, keeping me from flying forward as we lurched to a stop. There, in front of our car, was another blacked-out SUV. I recognized the man in a black suit coming around the rear of the vehicle, weapon drawn and pointed at us, along with half a dozen Neretti men. Tires screeched behind us, and the other car blocked us in.

“Let me out!” I struggled against Adrik. “It’s Dante!”

“Stop!” Adrik shoved my arms to my sides and pinned me in place. “There’s no way I’m letting you go out there! They might shoot you!”

“Dante won’t shoot me,” I insisted.

“But his trigger-happy men might,” Adrik growled. He nodded at Yuri. “Hold her here.”

Then, my big brother slowly opened his door against the protests of the others. He held his empty hands up and shouted into the night, “Put your guns down unless you want to hit your wife!”

I watched as Dante shouted orders to his men, who lowered their weapons but didn’t put them away. Dante kept his gun aimed at Adrik. “Send her out, Zolotov!”

Adrik ducked back into the car and unbuckled my seatbelt, keeping his body close to mine as he helped me down. My feet had barely hit the ground when I ran at full speed toward my husband. He quickly holstered his weapon and caught me as I flew into his arms. So much for greeting him with dry eyes. Sobs of joy wracked my body, and I couldn’t understand anything he was trying to say.

Finally, he lowered me to the ground, his hands gripping my shoulders as he stared at me with questioning eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” I laughed, my emotions overwhelming me. I grasped his face in my hands and kissed him hard. He faltered slightly, and I remembered his leg. I pulled back, afraid I’d hurt him. “How about you? How’s the gunshot wound?”

“Healing fine,” he confirmed, pulling me close again. “Fuck, I missed you so much, Olesya. I was going mad.”

“I heard.” I breathed him in, that lemon and sage scent filling my nose. “You added arson to your resume.”

He chuckled, but it cut off abruptly as he looked behind me. I turned to find my brothers and their men at gunpoint outside their vehicle.

“Dante, no!” I pushed away from his chest, trying to go to my brothers, but my husband held me back.

His face was a mask of rage. “They took you.”

“They thought you were abusing me,” I explained quickly. “Somebody gave them photos of us with your hand around my neck.”

I grabbed his hand, putting it to my throat and lifting my brows when he frowned. I squeezed my hands over his, willing him to understand.

Realization dawned on his face. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, releasing his hand. His fingers trailed down my neck, making me shiver.

Dante wrapped his hand around my throat again and pulled me close for a kiss, his breath hot against my lips. “I guess I could see how that might be mistaken for something else.”

“You can’t kill them,” I whispered. “I pleaded with Yuri for your life. Now I’m begging you not to kill my brothers.”

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