Page 29 of Savage Little Lies

We walk into the large ballroom. Ornate chandeliers hang overhead as we venture deeper into the crowd of people. A jazz band plays on the stage, and there are tables and chairs set up for people who don’t want to stand around and talk like all the rest. I don’t miss the bar set up to the right where people are crowding around to get a drink that isn’t the champagne that the servers are carrying around on trays.

“Wow, fancy,” Cara says from behind me.

Annika looks over her shoulder at Cara. “Why don’t you fetch us a drink, suka?”

“Respectfully, I’m off the clock,” Cara replies before looking at me. “Unless Dmitri says otherwise.”

Watching her deflect Annika’s harsh words like a shield is honestly pretty hot. Cara’s so sure of herself. So determined. She doesn’t pout or throw a fit like Annika.

She fights back.

“I was going to head to the bar, anyway. I see some people over there that I know,” I say before pulling Annika in that direction.

“Dmitri, you ruthless bastard!” Andrei Smirnov, the head of another Bratva family, greets me with a crooked grin. He reaches out and embraces me, patting my back a little too roughly, but that’s just how he is. He doesn’t half-ass anything.

“Ruthless bastard? You’re the one with the infamous nickname,” I reply with a smirk before we pull apart.

“Touché.” Andrei chuckles before gesturing to Annika. “I heard you were getting married. Congratulations. This must be your bride.”

Annika holds her hand out to Andrei. “I’m Annika Suyunov. Soon to be Ivanov.”

The thought of her carrying my last name makes me nauseous. She’ll indirectly be part of my family. She’ll be cemented into my life.

This alliance has to be worth it.

Andrei awkwardly kisses the top of Annika’s hand. “Andrei Smirnov. Nice to meet you.”

Annika stretches her arm out across my shoulders, forcing me to wrap my arm around her waist as she leans on me. “If you’re a friend of Dmitri, you should come to our wedding. It’s going to be amazing. Totally extravagant.”

“I’ll look out for the invitation,” Andrei replies as he pats me on the bicep. Invitations that haven’t been printed yet because I refuse to officially propose. “Need a drink?”

He can probably sense my lack of desire for all of this. He knows how it is with arranged marriages. They’re typically miserable because they’re created from business, not love.

“Three of them,” I tell him before motioning for Annika to move out of the way since she’s been actively blocking Cara from sight with her own body.

Annika rolls her eyes and shuffles to the side so that Andrei can finally catch sight of Cara.

“And who is this?” Andrei asks as he holds his hand out to Cara, his eyes sweeping over her. He should keep his eyes on her face instead of undressing her with them.

My jaw tenses a little as he steps closer to her. He doesn’t know who she is to me, so I can’t be mad that he doesn’t know she’s off limits yet.

“I’m Cara,” she introduces herself with a polite smile as she places her hand in his.

Andrei kisses the top of her hand and isn’t quick to let go of it. “This is probably the best dress I’ve seen all night, Cara. It’s stunning.” He pauses a moment, flicking his eyes to me before telling her, “Did you know that red used to be the traditional color for wedding gowns in Russia?”

“Thank you. And no, I didn’t know that,” Cara responds with a frown.

“It’s the color of beauty, and it signifies that a woman is ready to become a mother.”

Bewilderment explodes across Annika’s face. I can feel her bristle in anger next to me as Andrei showers Cara with attention and reveals a cultural tidbit she obviously didn’t know since her father was born in the States. Andrei is known for raising hell, which includes starting shit just to cause drama. That’s how he earned his nickname. He’s absolutely ruthless when it comes to gambling in his casino. Andrei always collects on debts owed to him, one way or another.

“Oh, well, you learn something new every day,” Cara says, her tone turning bashful. She glances over at me with a small smile, and I know that she’s thinking about how I bought the dress for her and is wondering if I was aware of the significance.

Of course I was.

My mother wore red when she married my father.

“I’m just full of useless information.” Andrei chuckles before flagging down the bartender. “Three vodka shots.”