Page 6 of The Bratva's Bride

CHAPTER 4

Nikolai

“So, who’s the luckyman that’s going to get hitched tonight boys?” The comment from my youngest brother earned him a smack to the face with the magazine from his twin.

“Lucky? If you think it’s so lucky then why don’t you volunteer as tribute then?” His twin shot back with a playful scowl.

Great, the night has barely started, and I could already feel a headache coming on. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have all of us in a car together. “Would you all shut up? Alexei is not going to be the one wedding whoever this mystery bride is, he’s too young and has little in the family business. He’s only here because he’s our brother and to play peacekeeper with Arseny.”

Middle aged men or not, get the five of us in a room together and I swear we revert to rowdy teenage boys after a while. That was one of the charms of our family dynamic I appreciated. I could always be comfortable and free around my brothers, and I could always count on them to have my back and keep me grounded.

“Why the hell are we even agreeing to this old ass tradition? We’ve more than enough manpower to overtake their territory if push comes to shove, and we’ve been at a stalemate with them.” Lev—the middle brother—spoke up with a disgruntled grunt.

Our second brother spoke up. “Not all of us are trigger happy like you, you asshole. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to hear this proposal out. Worse to come from it is that one of us gets the ball and chain. Having a truce in place would be good for all of us. A stalemate is too unstable, and the latest push from the Qing Triad is making it clear that it’s not going to stay a stalemate for long. If we can avoid a massacre, then that would be ideal.” I could always count on Stepan to be the voice of reason. Sometimes I wonder why he stuck around the family business given his passive nature.

Sighing heavily, I ran a hand through my hair as I looked out the window from the passenger seat. “We will hear what they have to say. Old tradition or not, sometimes going old school isn’t a bad thing. Stepan is right though, I would rather avoid a bloodbath and have some kind of mutual peace between us and the Qing Triad. There would be too much of a power imbalance if we were to take them out. No doubt the other mafias would appreciate our instant growth if we just overtook the triad’s area of control.”

I had no intentions of going along with this proposed marriage. I’m not one for senseless violence and would rather avoid a nasty confrontation of bullets if possible. As soft as it may seem, it was efficient and effective for me and my brothers. Respect goes a long way more than fear and mindless murder.

“This still feels wrong though. We shouldn’t even be entertaining this archaic idea after what happened with—”

Before Alexei could finish his sentence, I cut him off with a harsh glare, sending the whole cabin into a dead silence. It was a subject all of us agreed to never bring up. It was too sensitive, too deep. Even if the event was one of the main reasons why we ran things how we did, it was still a sore spot for all of us after all these years.

“We’re here sir.” The driver announced as we arrived at the designated warehouse at the docks.

“Thank you. Make sure everyone is in position just in case.” I couldn’t afford to not be cautious with dealings not in a populated area. We were going to be alone with the rival mafia, just us and them. If this meeting were in a restaurant or a park, where there’d be witnesses around, then I would be slightly more lenient, but this wasn’t the case.

“Already on it boss. I’m on standby as always, be careful.” The driver replied with a soft nod of his head.

Exiting the car, I made my way into the warehouse with my brothers. Stepan and Lev, my second and third in command, flanked either side of me while the twins, Alexei and Arseny, were behind me along with some bodyguards.

“Ah, welcome, welcome! I am so pleased that you accepted my invite for tonight. I am Lady Qing, lady of the head.” A woman dressed in a red and gold Chinese dress with matching heels greeted us with a fake smile. I could tell it wasn’t genuine and was forced from how much she strained her face. Also, it was too sickly sweet, like a cake that made your teeth ache with just one bite.

“Nikolai Volkov, head of the Volkov Bratva. These are my brothers and commanders, Stepan, Lev, Alexei, and Arseny. Your invitation stated that you wanted to discuss a truce between us with a marriage proposal?” I just hope this won’t be a complete waste of time or manpower.

“Yes, yes. As you are aware, both of us control great parts of the city, and the violence between us has spanned on too long and has grown tiring, no doubt for both sides. So, don’t you think it is time that we put everything aside and just live with how things are without any encroachment on each other’s territories? The marriage is a way to assure that this truce stays between us, an agreement on both sides.” Lady Qing spoke with her head held high, and a bit too much confidence for my liking.

“And how can we trust you to keep your end of the bargain once this marriage goes through? That you won’t amass with other marriages on the side and expand and overthrow us? One marriage could mean nothing to you.” Stepan spoke up in a voice filled with caution and slight apprehension. He also made a good point. This marriage could just be a ploy to keep us dead in the water while she gathered her army for a strike. She had other children to wed off, so what’s to stop her from using them?

Arranged marriages or marriages for the sake of truce weren’t uncommon in the day, and in some parts of the world it was still a common practice. It required a vast amount of trust from both sides, that neither would harm the other because of the harmony and sanctity of the marriage, and the lives of those involved. I hated the archaic practice, but I also knew it was a necessary evil when push came to shove. I would never force any of my brothers into an arranged marriage, nor would I partake in it myself if it can be helped. But, I was willing to be a sacrifice if necessary.

“We would dare not to harm you while you have our precious heiress with you. My husband adores his daughter and would never dare try anything to bring harm to her or her family, which would include you all once the marriage is done. He is a good man, one of his word.” Lady Qing replied, almost sounding rehearsed.

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