Slavik
As much as I wanted to continue, fucking her in the bathroom of a restaurant wasn’t what I had in mind for today.
I jerked away.
The dress had ridden up. The slits were open, exposing her thighs. She touched her lips and shook her head, getting to her feet.
She nearly fell to the floor, but I captured her, not letting her go until I was sure she was balanced.
“I’m fine.”
“I ordered dinner for you. Let’s go and eat.” I held my hand out. She took it.
Sergei was outside of the bathroom. Again, I hated the way he looked at my wife. I made a note to look into a replacement bodyguard for my wife. I wouldn’t kill Sergei for having a little crush, if that was even what he had. I wasn’t a fool. I was very much aware of the bonds that formed between wives and bodyguards. They were always around each other. They became friends and for some, it turned into a relationship.
Not all husbands liked their women fucking the help, though. For me, it wasn’t Sergei’s social standing that was the problem. I simply didn’t want him or any man touching my wife.
She belonged to me.
I’d taken her virginity. All of her firsts, and every encounter after that all belonged to me.
I wasn’t going to give her up.
Back at our table, I nodded for the waiter to bring out our dinner. Staring at Aurora now, her lips swollen, her hair a little disheveled, she looked everywhere but at me. The fire no longer in her eyes, but now, I wanted to talk.
“Your father had nothing to do with the attack. He didn’t send those men.”
Her gaze landed back on me, exactly where I wanted them. “Oh.”
“Yes. It would seem the men who attacked the party had formed what they felt was an elite group of soldiers.”
“I don’t understand.” Her frown was cute.
“To put it simply, the soldiers that worked for your father, and the other Capos, decided they didn’t like taking orders. They formed their own group, considering themselves the best of the soldiers. They weren’t, which is why they were let go with ease. We don’t make it a habit of driving out our best soldiers.”
“Why attack the party?”
“They didn’t like the Bratva connection. They attacked the party as it contained the two of us.”
“They were intentionally going to kill us?” she asked. “They attacked and hurt people. Killed people because of us.”
“Our marriage is a peace treaty. It is what stops the streets from running red with blood. They hoped to kill us to void the peace treaty, or to make us believe they’d attacked, voiding the treaty and starting up a street war.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“You wanted conversation. You asked what I’d been doing this week. This is what I’d been doing.”
I’d never talked work with anyone outside of who I dealt with.
Aurora sat back. “Does that mean there are more soldiers out there? No one would attack and leave themselves vulnerable, would they?”
“You’re right. They recruited more soldiers who were not happy with the alliance, as well as people, mostly ex-military men, who are not good at taking orders. They created a small army within a matter of weeks, if not months.”
“So we’re in danger right now as we’re having our meal?”
I nodded. The truth was, even without the small army, I was in danger every single second of my life. She didn’t need to know that. So far, the dinner was going well.
“I don’t know how you can be so calm.”
“Easy. They’re not the first people who’ve wanted to kill me and I have no doubt they won’t be the last.” I sipped at my wine.
Our dinner arrived.
The waiter left.
“You’re … amazing,” she said.
I smiled. “Why?”
“I’m freaking out and I don’t have the first clue what is going on or even why, and yet, this just seems all a little surreal. You’re a strong man, Slavik.”
I didn’t pay attention to the compliment.
All my life, I’d lived with the threat of being killed. It was not new to me and fighting to survive was second nature.
“How was your week?” I asked.
“Boring. I didn’t do anything quite as exciting as you. I used the pool. Cooked myself some food. Read. That’s about it.”
Just as I was about to say something, a couple stopped by our table.
I recognized Andrei Belov. He controlled section two of cities under Ivan’s control. He was a brigadier like me and answered to the Volkov Bratva. With the attack, Ivan had organized a meeting with all of us to take place in my territory, seeing as this was where we were attacked.
The woman on Andrei’s arms was his intended. Her name escaped me.
“I thought it was you, and you were not wrong. This place is amazing,” he said.
“I only have the best.”
“Bethany, I’d like you to meet Slavik Ivanov and his wife, Aurora.”
“It is so nice to meet you both.” Bethany shook my hand and turned to Aurora. “We need to organize a lunch or a shopping trip. I would love to do both.” She put her hand on Andrei’s chest. “I know we’re going to be leaving soon, and it’s so hard to make friends here. What do you say?”
Aurora smiled but didn’t say anything.
“My wife is available tomorrow. I’ll make the arrangements with you, Andrei.”
“Call it a date.”
Andrei shook my hand and they made their excuses to leave.
I wasn’t like Andrei. To look and to listen to him, men believed his position of power was unfounded. What they didn’t know was he had a mean streak and in fact, I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy to be alone with him when he was on the warpath.
Ivan Volkov did not pick soft men to run his cities. It was why he’d gotten six of the best, divided up his cities into sections, and we ruled them all.
“Do I have to go to lunch?” Aurora asked.
“Yes. It would be rude not to and he’s a friend. You’ll be safe.”
“It’s easy for you to say.”
“What is the problem?”
“She doesn’t really want to have lunch with me.”
“Did I see her talking to someone else?” I asked.
“You don’t understand. It’s fine.” She waved her hand in the air, dismissing me. Whatever had happened in the bathroom was gone, and I was pissed off Andrei had interrupted my dinner.