Page 46 of Cruel Bratva King

“Lilianna!”

Her shrill voice pricked the air, catching my attention and causing some eyes to turn before our eyes met.

“Eva!” I shrieked excitedly and hurried over to the table-for-two she had reserved us. My arms went around her shoulders, and she hugged me tightly.

I buried my nose in the crook of her purple woolen sweater, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

“Oh God, Eva… I have missed you,” her sweater muffled my voice. But her airy laughter and gentle pats on my back told me she heard every word.

“I have missed you more, Lily.”

I pulled back to look into her eyes and immediately felt nostalgic. I felt like I could breathe again and everything seemed almost perfect for a second.

Almost.

The looming tall figure behind me had not escaped my memory. I was well aware of one of Sergey’s bodyguards, who was permanently affixed to watch my every move.

I spun around and faced him squarely.

Thankfully, he blended in with the rest of the customers—looking casual in a navy-blue t-shirt on a pair of washed jeans. However, his bulging muscles and stark chiseled features stood out and caught the attention of the ladies in the café.

I cleared my throat and mustered a small smile. “Uh, hi. Can you, uh, back up just a little bit? My friend and I need some space to talk about girls' stuff.”

He leaned closer, only slightly, with his eyes looking everywhere else but on me. “The boss said I shouldn’t leave your side, ma’am. I’m just following orders.”

I let out a sharp breath and massaged my temple. I could feel a mild wave of a headache coming in. “You aren’t leaving my side, okay? You’ll just have to go to theotherside, where you see those empty seats, sit down, and wait for my friend and I here to finish. Besides, Flynn. . .”

“It’s Finley.”

“Same thing,” I snapped. “This is a café. A bunch of these folks here are harmless, innocent people. They won’t try anything stupid.Iwon’t try anything stupid. I know Sergey’s watching, and I know you are following orders. But, look around, Flavio, it’ll be creepy to have you stand behind me. This isn’t some action flick. Just go over to that spot and relax. We'll be done in no time.”

He looked skeptical but finally gave in. His jaw tightened. “Fine. I’ll go right over there, Ma'am. I won’t be far away. And, again, my name is Finley,” he mumbled with a grunt and walked away to give us some room.

I turned to face Eva again, and we squealed delightfully as we sat down.

“Oh, sweetheart, look at you,” she started. “It feels like decades since I set my eyes on you. I’ve been worried sick about you and thinking of ways to kill that dickhead for making you go through all of this,” she waved a finger at Finley, and I snorted.

“You couldn’t even hurt a fly, Eva. Even in your dreams.”

“Maybe,” she arched a perfectly carved eyebrow. “But I could strangle that…”

“Bastard? Asshole? Dick?” I encouraged her with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes.

“All of the above,” she huffed, picking at her manicured fingernails with a frown. “You don’t deserve this, Lily.”

“No one does, Eva,” I shook my head and released a sigh. “So, guess what?”

Eva looked up and shrugged. “What?”

“I almost had a miscarriage.”

Eva’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped. “What?”

“Yeah, because of some girl,” I said and began to fill in Eva on all the latest events in my life. I told her about Giulia and the horrible things she said about how Sergey misuses women like me and how he would kill me after getting what he wanted.

Eva seethed. “That bitch!”

I giggled. “Easy, Tiger. She likes Sergey and is doing whatever she can to quench whatever orwhoeverposes as a threat to her interest.”

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