AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I suppress a groan. I’m trying not to make her angry because I was hoping to have a nice time after the wedding, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to. Having her try to defend her father is frustrating. She should realize he doesn’t deserve her sympathy.
While I’m massaging the wrinkles out of my forehead, Sage comes over and sits beside me. I’m surprised by this, seeing as she was furious at me just moments ago.
She puts her hand on my arm and lowers her voice. “I know this isn’t how you wanted things to be, and I appreciate that you tried to keep him out of this. I don’t know how to feel about him, honestly, but you have to understand that he’s still my dad. I could hate him and still not want anything bad to happen to him.”
“I guess I’m too heartless to understand,” I grumble as my hands drop into my lap.
“You’re not heartless, Viktor. You just pretend to be, but you should consider dropping the act around me. I’m your wife now, after all.”
I look at her, frowning as I try to understand her intentions. She wants me to be soft and weak, but I’m not willing to go that far for anyone, even my wife. She’s going to have to learn that about me. Weakness in my line of work can be fatal.
My teeth clench, and I turn my head toward my lap again. “What you saw today is as much heart as you’re ever going to get out of me. You’re lucky I didn’t kill him.”
She lets out a long sigh. “You’re the lucky one, Viktor. I only agreed to marry you on the premise that you’d leave him alone. I don’t know what your plans are now, but it had better not involve harming him.”
“That was an old agreement. He came in here and started a new one. It’s too complicated for you to understand, but he’s not leaving this house for a while,” I reply.
“Too complicated? I’m not an idiot, Viktor.”
“It’s Bratva business. That’s all. I wasn’t calling you an idiot, but you’re not informed about how things go here.”
She jumps up from the bed, her voice doubling in volume. “Then inform me! You can’t possibly think I’ll be fine with you keeping me in the dark my whole life. I’m part of your scheme, now, and I deserve to know what’s going on.”
She right, but I don’t like it. It means I’m the one who is wrong, and I can’t afford to be making mistakes. I’ll either have to deny it and put it to rest, or correct it quickly before she starts to doubt my leadership.
I rise from the bed, trying to placate her with kinder words. “Here’s how things go in the Bratva, darling. People try to kill you all the time. Money puts a bounty on your head, and crime attracts… well… criminals. It’s the perfect storm for a short life if you’re not careful.”
“You think my dad wanted to kill you?” she asks defensively. She’s already jumping to conclusions, but I’m not done explaining things.
“No, but he wanted to crash the wedding, and he managed to find out where it was. Do you understand my concern now? There are people out there that would love to kill me, kidnap you, and bring down my entire mafia empire. You think I’ve been cruel to you? You don’t even know what those people would put you through.”
She shrinks a little bit inside herself, her mind wandering across the possibilities. I give her a moment to consider them before continuing.
“So, your dad has connection to people in my organization. I’m sure he made them while gambling at my casino, or else the problem could be even bigger. The point is, we’re compromised, and I need to know who told him about where we would be today. That can’t happen again,” I explain.
“Okay, but he’s still not a threat,” she says quietly.
“No,” I reply, stepping up to her. “But whoever leaked information to him is, and they will pay dearly for their transgressions.”
12
Sage
The strength in his words is undeniable, and the implications are as clear as day. He’s going to kill whoever told my dad about the wedding plans, but that’s only after he gets the information out of my dad.
Fortunately for him, that shouldn’t be difficult. My dad won’t suffer long before running his mouth. I wonder how many times being a complete pushover is going to save his life. He’s already done this twice, and my sympathy for him is at an all-time low.
Still, I can’t stand the idea of Viktor killing him over something like this. After all, he wasn’t the threat. Whoever leaked the information was, and I don’t have much empathy for Viktor’s crew. From what I’ve experienced, they’re all a bunch of crooks.
“You’re leaving?” I ask, chasing after Viktor as he walks toward the door.
He looks over his shoulder at me, hand on the doorknob. “I won’t be long.”
“Take me with you,” I blurt.
He shakes his head. “You don’t want to see this, darling. It would spoil the mood.”
A bitter laugh escapes my mouth. “The mood has been spoiled,darling. If I’m going to be part of your world, I want to experience it first-hand. I’m not waiting on the sidelines for you to come back.”
