Arranged Bratva Love

Slavik

I listened to Cara’s accusations. My wife on her knees, tears filling her eyes as she looked at me.

All the while, a perfect story painted for all to hear. I saw my men and Ivan’s, and their anger grew with each word spoken.

My wife.

The woman I’d fallen in love with was a traitor?

“You see, Slavik, we can’t let her leave here. Look at the damage she has caused. I told Ivan he never should have done the treaty. You, yourself, fought against it.”

I stared at Aurora. She made no sound. No defense.

“Do you trust me?” I asked.

“Of course, I trust you,” Cara said. Her hands touched my shoulder. “How could I not? I brought her to you. I knew you’d follow me to protect me. You love me.”

The buzz in my pocket alerted me to the next step, and I turned to Cara. I dropped the gun and stroked her cheek. She was a good friend, the best. Through thick and thin, she’d been there for me and for Ivan.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” I said, grabbing her head and shoving her down to the ground as she screamed.

My men tensed up.

“Do you really think bringing my wife to this factory was all it was going to take? All this information gathered together, pointing the finger of blame at my woman?” I asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. She has polluted your mind, Vik. This is not you. Please, someone, stop him. He’s a traitor to Ivan. Kill him. Please, kill him.”

I pointed my gun at Cara’s head.

“You thought you could get away with it, but Cara, the moment you started to steal from Ivan, I knew. I knew the funds being taken, the men who started to attack. You’re not the brightest woman. All you’ve ever been able to sell is your cunt. Sex is all you know and you think you could take this from Ivan? From me!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of my men approach my wife, and I raised my gun. “You touch her, and I will fucking kill you.”

“She’s a traitor, boss.”

I shot him in the leg and turned to look at all of my men. “Now would be a good time for you to come out.”

“I rather like the suspense and drama,” Ivan Volkov said, removing the hat and scarf he’d used to cover himself so I could get him on a plane and back to my city.

Cara gasped. “Ivan. I knew it. I knew you were alive. Please, tell him to stop. You know I would never hurt you.”

“Oh, honey. You were sloppy, darling,” Ivan said. He looked around at the information Cara had left.

I’d known from the start of the attacks she had something to do with it. At first, I wasn’t sure why. The little crumbs she’d left me to work with didn’t give anything away. The money she stole was used to take Ivan out, but as she did, she got sloppy.

Cara was never much of a thinker or a planner.

“This is all Aurora and those Italian bastards!”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Ivan moved toward my wife and offered her a hand. “I am so very sorry for all of this mess.”

My wife continued to shake.

I’d pointed a gun at her to play along, to draw Cara away from my wife so she’d be out of harm’s way. I still held a firm grip on Cara’s hair, but all I wanted to do was go to my woman, to pull her into my arms, to kiss her, to tell her it was going to be okay.

Tears fell from her cheeks.

“Oh, Cara, you were doing so well. I have to say when Slavik told me of your involvement in this months ago, I told him he was lying. There was no way you’d hurt me or the Bratva.”

“I wouldn’t. You know this. You know me.”

“Exactly. I know you and I told him to get the proof. Until I happened to overhear this.” He lifted his cell phone and played the recording he got.

“Remember, do not come back until Ivan is dead. I want him gone. Send me a picture if you have to, and I will make sure your debt is removed. You will not owe me a thing. The Bratva will be mine, Cara’s.”

Ivan clicked off his cell phone. “I’m a cautious guy. Men can be bought, as can women. Nothing is ever sacred anymore, so I designed my own security system. I know when people are in my house, Cara. Your guy was dead before he even finished the call. You finished that conversation with me.”

Cara’s face went pale.

Ivan had called me. Told me exactly what to do and so I did. I left my wife and immediately went to his side. I made the final announcement of his death, and with it, we waited, making our way back to my city where Cara refused to leave. I knew something was going down today the moment I watched her enter my apartment building. Aurora’s guard had called me as soon as Cara entered. His call had stayed with me until the moment he died. His family would be taken care of.

“No. No. No,” Cara said. “You’re lying. You’re bluffing. It’s all that whore’s fault.” She started to cry, but the tears never made an appearance.

Ivan crouched down to be on her level. “You want to tell me what is going on?”

Cara went silent. “You think I don’t know about her? You think I didn’t know when you changed our plans?”

Ivan’s jaw clenched.

“You’re never going to be happy with her. I won’t allow it. I will hunt you down, and I will kill you,” Cara said. “You and Slavik, you’re both mine, and you gave him away. It was supposed to be us three against the world.”

“Cara, you had the job you wanted. You had everything you wanted. I offered you more power and you refused.”

I’d been there when Ivan had told her to take any city or cities as her own. She’d told him no. All she wanted was her own brothel. To control men. To help him from the ground. We’d always accepted that. I put as much protection on her as Ivan did.

We grew up together. Our lives were bound with one another, but Cara, she wasn’t the same person.

“I know what you have to do,” Cara said. “Do it. You think I won’t do it again? Next time, I’ll be better. Next time I’ll make sure every single person you love is dead long before I put a bullet in your head. I’ll make you all suffer. This … this will be a party in comparison.”

Ivan pulled out his gun as Cara continued to rant, pressed the muzzle against her head, and pulled the trigger. I let her go.

Her corpse lay on the ground.

I looked at Ivan for a split second before I went to my woman. Aurora collapsed against me with a sob. Her body shook in my arms, and I ran my hands all over her, trying to make sure she was okay. To find any sign that she was hurt.

“She was crazy,” Aurora said. “You were going to kill me.”

I cupped her face. “No. I was never going to kill you. I’ve seen how Cara is, and I knew she’d hurt you. She would have killed you, Aurora. All I did was get her away from you.”

I slammed my lips down on her lips, not caring about the men who surrounded us. They were already following Ivan’s orders, dealing with the body and the cleanup. All the information Cara had gathered would be destroyed. Breaking the kiss, I stared into my woman’s eyes. “I love you.” I spoke the words slowly so she wouldn’t have any room for doubt.

The amazement on her face made me laugh. “What?”

“I’m in love with you.” I could have lost her. One wrong move today and she … no, there was no way I’d let it happen. I refused to even think of losing her. “I will never hurt you, Aurora. Never. You are my fucking life, and not just because of the baby.”

“You know?”

I groaned. “I’ve known since the attack at the restaurant. I know you heard Ivan. I didn’t want you to think I knocked you up on command. I got you pregnant because I can’t take my hands off you. I’m in love with you, Aurora. So much so, you drive me crazy.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out the folded tickets I had stored there. Cara had messed with my plans. “I wanted to give you this on your birthday, but Cara, she … you know how it is.”

Aurora looked up with tears in her eyes. “You remembered my birthday?”

“I never forgot it. How could I forget one of the best days? You were born on it.”

“Fucking gross. You’re supposed to be my fucking beast, and here you are spilling your heart out.” Ivan made a vomiting noise.

I kissed my wife before turning toward my best friends. He looked sad. Our men were all gone. “You okay?”

“The cleaning crew is outside. I figured I’d let you finish your little declaration before I brought you in.” He turned to Aurora. “It’s nothing special he’s gotten you. A month alone with him on a honeymoon vacation. In the meantime, I get to step in here and deal with his shit.”

“You’re babysitting,” I said. “Nothing more.”

Ivan rolled his eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”

He looked pissed off. Not that I could blame him. Cara, Ivan, and I went back a lifetime. We were each other’s best friend. The one person in the whole world we could rely on.

Leaving the building, I put Aurora in my car and told her to stay. I walked to Ivan, who stood watching as the building began to burn.

“I thought you said the cleaning crew was here?” I asked.

“It is. They’re doing what I told them.”

I glanced over at the building. The flames were engulfing it, taking up all of Cara’s betrayal in smoke. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It just goes to show you never really know anyone, right? Cara was supposed to be on our team.”

“Who did she mean?” I asked.

“What?”

“It sounded to me like she thought you betrayed her. Who was the woman?”

Ivan smirked. “There is no woman.”

The lie was easy to detect.

“Remember who we are, Slavik,” Ivan said, putting his sunglasses on. “And if you ever betray me, your wife will belong to me. I’ll keep you alive just to make me watch you hurt her.”

“I won’t ever betray you.”

He looked at the house. “Funny, Cara once said the same thing.”

There was a difference between me and Cara. I wasn’t in love with Ivan, and I didn’t feel cheated.

I watched as Ivan climbed into his car, and he snapped his fingers for his driver to start moving.

I went back to Aurora.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“For us, yes. For Ivan, that I can’t tell.” I cupped her cheek, drawing her in close. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to wish you a happy birthday.”

She smiled. A true, honest, full-faced smile, and I was smitten.

“I wanted to hate you,” I said.

“And now you love me?”

“Yes. You always told me that you were second best, but I promise you, Aurora, you’ll always be my first.” I took possession of her mouth, holding her tight to me. The building in flames faded behind us.

I was never going to let this woman go. She never stood a chance.

I loved her. There was no denying that, and I never intended to hold back. Aurora would have all of me, the parts I didn’t let anyone else see.

“Slavik,” Aurora said.

“Yeah.”

“I love you.”

I smiled. “Call me Vik.”