Page 54 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

“Good. Keep it that way. Let them think they have us under their control. Have the men keep track of when they leave and follow them discreetly.”

“Yes, boss.”

I hang up and clench my fingers around my phone so tightly that the screen cracks. It looks like it doesn’t matter what I do after all—war will always find its way to my doorstep.

“Is everything okay?” Audrey asks.

Her voice soothes me in ways even whiskey has never managed to. I nod and give her a vague answer because I don’t want her worrying about me or my business. “There’s somewhere I need to be.”

“Will you be long?”

“I’m not sure.”

She smiles, but it barely reaches her eyes. “Go ahead. I’ll wait until you come back.”

I inch closer to her, pressing my forehead against hers. The need to be inside her keeps growing stronger by the second, but I can’t stay. “I’ll be back as soon as I finish my meeting, okay?”

She nods. “Stay safe.”

“Always, baby.” I press a kiss to the top of her head, and then another to her neck. “Don’t go anywhere without Dimitri.”

“Sure.”

I pull away from her and start to leave, each stride heavy with reluctance. I would rather be with her right now—hugging her, kissing her, and making love to her. But we don’t always get what we want.

Before, I only had to protect myself and my empire. I never worried about Ruslan because he could take care of himself.

Now I have a wife to protect.

The thought of Emiliano laying a finger on Audrey sends something dark and murderous unfurling inside my chest. He already made the mistake of hurting her once.

There won’t be a second time.

If war is what he wants...

Then I’ll show him exactly why the bratva has ruled Miami for years.

Chapter Fifteen

Audrey

Warmth.

It’s the first thing I register when I slowly drift awake. Not the expensive Egyptian cotton sheets or the faint scent of cedar and bergamot lingering in the room.

But him. My husband.

Igor’s arm is draped possessively around my waist, holding me against his chest as though he fell asleep afraid I’d disappear if he let go.

For a long moment, I don’t move, afraid I’ll wake him if I do. Instead, I relish the steady beat of his heart and the distant chirping of birds outside the bedroom windows.

Everything feels serene, and I find myself wishing time would freeze so we could just remain like this forever.

It’s strange how quickly life can change.

Just two days ago, I thought I’d lost him all over again. He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes, convinced I’d betrayed him. Every glance hurt. Every conversation felt like walking across broken glass, but now he trusts me again, and somehow, that hurts even more than when he looked at me with nothing but fury in his eyes.

Because I’m lying to him and he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know that I was truly working for his enemy. The fear that he might find out before I have a chance to explain everything grips me like a vise. I close my eyes for a second, pushing that fear down to the back of my mind.