Chapter 37
Leo
“A h, Leonid, there you are. Sit. Join us,” Dimitri says, gesturing to the empty chairs and taking a deep puff on his cigar.
“And my dear Norelle, marriage becomes you. I believe you know my new plaything, Nadya,” he states, gesturing to the woman sitting beside him, and squeezing her breast in his meaty paw.
Nadya blinks slightly, the only sign of discomfort, but she makes no move to resist. Nora looks at me beseechingly. I can feel her tense at my side, looking at Nadya in disbelief before turning her furious attention to her father.
“You promised,” she seethes. “You promised that if I went through with the wedding without complaint, you’d leave Nadya alone!” She goes to pull Nadya from my uncle’s grasp, but I hold her back. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it’s clear that Nora knows this woman.
“I made no such promise. I said she would remain unharmed, which, as you can see for yourself, she is,” her father states, his voice tinged with amusement at his loophole.
“I would hardly call kidnapping and sexual assault unharmed,” Nora snarls. “Nadya, I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. I’ll fix it, I promise,” she says pleadingly.
Dimitri doesn’t stop fondling the woman, looking right at Nora as he does so, his eyes lighting up with pleasure at the pain it causes her, and at how submissive Nadya is being.
Whatever’s going on is clearly causing Nora distress. “What is the meaning of this, Pakhan?” I ask my uncle.
“Allow me to explain,” Quinn replies. “Norelle here is under the belief that this whore is her friend.”
“Fuck you,” Nora snaps, which only makes her father chuckle.
Quinn tuts lightly. “It seems your husband needs to teach you how a lady should properly behave around her betters. As I was saying,” he continues, “Norelle is under the mistaken belief that this pitiful creature is her friend. She doesn’t know that Nadya is my property, that she’s worked for me this whole time, reporting back on Norelle’s movements, making sure she remained pure for you.
You should thank Nadya, Leo, she did a remarkable job of fucking any man who looked at your wife so she would remain unsullied. ”
It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with what he’s saying before the penny drops.
Nora realizes at the same time. “You sent Nadya to pretend to be my friend? She was just pretending the whole time?” she asks, her voice breaking and her eyes welling with tears as I look at her.
“No, Nora, I—” Nadya’s protest is cut off by the sharp sound of Dimitri slapping her across the face.
“What did I say about keeping that pretty mouth of yours shut unless there’s a cock in it?” Dimitri snarls.
“That’s correct, Norelle. As Nadya’s services are no longer required in New York, I thought I would offer her as a gift to our new friend. Since you weren’t to his liking, I figured he would need a plaything to keep him amused. Now, I believe your Pakhan told you both to sit,” he says commandingly.
“I’m sorry, Nora. Honestly, I had no idea,” I whisper in her ear, as I guide her to sit down beside me. Outwardly, I’m trying to keep my cool, but inwardly, I want to tear Quinn limb from limb. I turn to my uncle and ask, “Is this really necessary, Uncle?”
Dimitri shrugs. “I thought you would appreciate your new bride knowing that she has nothing and no one to run to. Or have you fooled yourself into believing she loves you? As I suspected, you seem quite taken with your new wife. This is not a bad thing, but you must remember who you are and what her role is. Women are manipulative creatures, you’d be smart not to forget that.
She needs to know who is in charge. Perhaps if you have a little fun with our Nadya here or dear Tatiana, it will remind her,” he suggests.
“No, thank you,” I respond tightly.
The tension is thick, and I worry that the situation is escalating. I can feel Nora trembling beside me, still trying to come to terms with the betrayal. At that moment, Nikolai and Tatiana appear.
“Pakhan, Mr. Quinn,” Nikolai says with a deferential bow of his head. “Forgive us for the intrusion, we were rather hoping we could steal the newlyweds away. They have promised us a dance and there are many people eager to meet the newest member of our family.”
I shoot Nikolai a relieved glance.
“Be my guest, Nikolai, I’ve learned all I need to from this enlightening conversation. Be warned, though, Leo seems rather tetchy about sharing his new toy. Rather unfair, I’d say, considering he had your dear wife before you,” he adds, looking at Nora to gauge her reaction.
Nora is silent, her face impassive.
“Thank you, Pakhan, we appreciate you throwing this little soirée. We were so disappointed we were unable to attend the wedding,” Tatiana says.
“My dear Tatiana, you look more beautiful than ever, the one that got away. Had I known what an exquisite rose you would become, I would have claimed you as my own bride,” Dimitri says, his eyes roaming her body.
“You praise me highly, Pakhan. I would be honored if you could save me a dance later,” she says demurely.
Dimitri agrees before dismissing us with a flick of his wrist, his attention returning to Nadya. Nikolai leads Nora away from Quinn and my uncle, while I follow behind with Tatiana.
“Keep your hands to yourself, brother,” I warn as we move through the crowd.
“I just saved your ass, brother,” Nikolai replies with a grin. He turns his attention to Nora, saying, “Come on, you look like you need a drink.”
I ask Tatiana if she wants a drink, but she points toward the dancefloor, and I follow, reluctantly.
“You seem tense, Leonid,” she says, arching a perfectly shaped brow as we fall into rhythm. “Or maybe it’s just married life already taking its toll?”
“I didn’t marry to suffer,” I reply evenly, scanning the crowd behind her for signs of Nikolai and Nora. “Though the company tonight might test that theory. Thank you for rescuing us from my uncle and Quinn.”
She leans in slightly, her breath warm against my ear. “Powerful men think they’re untouchable. But they’re just little boys with big guns, trying to prove something. Especially to each other.”
I smirk despite myself. “And what about you, Tatiana? You’ve been in their orbit long enough. Still think they’re just boys with guns?”
Her eyes glitter. “I think most men are. Give them a pretty face and a pair of tits, and suddenly strategy flies out the window.” She tilts her head, watching me closely. “You, at least, used to have a good head on your shoulders. But now… I wonder.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just an observation,” she says with a careless shrug, though the edge in her voice is unmistakable. “Marriage has changed you.”
“You know it’s just an arrangement, I had to marry Nora,” I say firmly, not missing the way her jaw ticks at the mention of her name.
“She’s very—” Tatiana’s eyes sweep the room until they land on Nora, who’s standing by the bar with Nikolai, her posture tight but composed. “—fresh. Like a puppy trying to keep up in a dog fight.”
I step back slightly, just enough to put space between us. “Careful, Tatiana. That ‘puppy’ is my wife.”
She laughs again, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Relax. I’m just teasing. If I didn’t know better I’d think you had feelings for her. She’s quite pretty, really. But I always pictured your bride being… fiercer. Someone who already knows the rules of the game.”
Someone like her. Though I never wanted Tatiana, there was always something a little calculating about her. But she’s good for Nikolai.
I don’t bother answering and just give a shrug.
She smiles, slow and sultry. “But you must admit, it’s strange—Dimitri parading around a broken whore like Nadya as if she’s some prize, Quinn spinning stories like a madman, and you… playing the doting husband.”
“What do you want from me, Tatiana?”
“For now?” She spins once under my arm, her dress catching the light. “Just a dance. Though I’d watch your back, Leonid. The people closest to you are always the ones holding the knife.”
My eyes go to the table where my uncle and Quinn are laughing. Nadya is between them looking like a broken woman. Being in this business means always watching your back and not knowing who to trust. The fact that Quinn sent Nadya to spy on his daughter for years, proves that point.
I resolve to be more careful.