Chapter 3 - Artyom
It had been a week since Ninel bumped into me, and every time I closed my eyes, I felt her body pressed against mine again. Though it was brief, it was electric, and unforgettable.
Every free moment since then, I was either watching her through surveillance or trailing her myself.
I couldn't focus on my meetings or work, so I delegated most of my tasks to Yegor and Zahkar. She’d given me her number, and that meant she trusted me.
That small gesture pushed my plan to the next phase.
After Scott walked out of the hotel with the escort last week, my men grabbed him and held him until I arrived.
I showed him the footage of him and the escort having sex in the room.
Then I told him exactly how I’d ruin him if he didn't do as I instructed: I’d leak the video across every corner of the internet and make sure he’d never work in the U.S. again.
The objective was simple: He'd tell Ninel that he was in an accident.
He'd take her to the park on a romantic picnic at a time, date and place that I'd choose.
Then all he had to do was act like the slimy bastard he really was, since all he wanted to do was fuck Ninel and leave anyway.
He'd make Ninel uncomfortable, touch her if necessary to shake her up just enough so she'd call me.
He agreed.
I couldn't wait to spend some one on one time with Ninel before everything went to shit, because I knew after my plan was executed she'd be mad as hell.
I handed him the letter from the doctor to confirm his alibi of being in a car accident, before breaking two of his fingers and giving him a black eye, just like the injuries laid out in the doctor’s letter.
And then I told him if he breathed a word about any of it, I’d find him by slowly breaking every bone in his body.
This morning, I had his parents picked up as insurance.
Now, I watched from a distance as he walked beside Ninel, fingers entangled with hers on one side and the picnic basket on the other.
She was breathtaking.
Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a triangular sleeved floral dress with a sweetheart neckline that hugged her waist, flaring mid-thigh. Large silver hoops dangled on her ears. Silver heels adorned her feet.
My jaw ticked as she laughed at something he said pressing herself against him. I forced myself to stay put.
In a few hours Ninel would be mine and no man would touch her ever again.
About an hour later, my phone rang. It was Ninel. A small smile curved my lips as I answered.
“Hey, Ninel,” I answered casually, as if I hadn’t been staring at my phone waiting for her to call.
“Artyom…” she sniffed. “Does the offer still stand if I need a buffer?”
My heart slammed once against my ribs, but my voice didn’t betray the turmoil I felt by the sadness in her voice. I expected her to be upset, to shed a few tears. I just didn't expect it to…affect me.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice hardened.
“I'd prefer not to tell you over the phone. Can you come pick me up?”
“Location,” I demanded, acting my role flawlessly.
She gave it to me, before I spoke again.
“Are you safe where you are?”
“I-I think so,” she whispered, trying, and failing, to hold back a sob.
“Don’t move. I’m coming.”
We hung up and my eyes tracked Scott just in time to watch him stagger toward his car, picnic basket swinging in one hand, the other cupped over his nose.
He barely had time to toss the basket into the back seat before my men closed in. Not to kill him, but just a gentle reminder to stay away from Ninel.
But, the filthy hand he had touched Ninel with would be removed. What they did with the rest of him was up to their creativity.
Fifteen minutes later, I jumped out of my car and dialed Ninel’s number. She answered on the first ring.
“Ninel, I’m here. Where exactly are you?”
She gave me quick instructions, and I followed them through the park.
When she saw me approaching, she ran towards me…
face red, and puffy eyed. She crashed into me, and I caught her against me.
We stood there, wrapped around each other in silence.
The longer she stayed in my arms, the more I became aware of just how good she felt against me, how the scent of her shampoo frazzled my senses and how hard I was getting.
I pulled back, gently, and tipped her chin up so I could see her face.
“Ninel, tell me what happened.”
She hesitated, glancing away.
“Ninel…” My voice lowered. I waited until her eyes met mine. “I can’t fix what happened, if I don’t know what happened. Talk to me.”
She swallowed hard. “I met Scott here for a picnic. Things were going fine…until his hand went from my knee and started sliding up under my dress. I told him to stop but he didn’t. So I broke his nose, and he left.”
A cold, proud smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
“You did good. Your brothers would be proud.”
She stiffened, her eyes going wide. “You’re not going to tell them, are you?”
“I’m not,” I said. “That’s between us. Let’s get out of here. I’ll take you to lunch so you can clear your head. That okay?”
She nodded.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She slid hers around my waist. Together, we strolled out of the park, and for a second, I let myself imagine we were a real couple.
At the car, I opened the door and helped her in before taking my place behind the wheel. She stayed quiet the whole ride. I didn’t push her to talk about what just happened.
Ten minutes later, I pulled into the restaurant parking lot.
“Stay there,” I told her, already out of the car.
I circled around and opened her door, helping her out. With a hand on the small of her back, we walked inside together.
The hostess greeted us with a smile.
“Mr. Rykov, always a pleasure. Good afternoon, ma’am.”
“Hi,” Ninel said softly beside me.
“Your usual booth?”
“Yes, please,” I answered.
The hostess guided us down the hallway to the private booths at the back of the restaurant. Ninel slid into one side of the booth and I took the other. The hostess handed us our menus with a polite nod.
“Someone will be with you shortly to take your order,” she said.
“Thank you,” I replied.
She walked away, leaving us alone.
The booth was more like a velvet box, enclosed on three sides, the red suede walls padded and soft. Dim lights glowed faintly from fixtures tucked into the corners, casting shadows that played across Ninel’s face. It was private, and discreet. Exactly how I needed it to be.
“Ninel, are you okay?” I asked softly.
Her gaze met mine, tenderly. “I'll be fine.” Then she smiled and slid the menu toward me. “So, Mr. Rykov, since you’re the expert here, I’ll let you order for me.”
I smiled. “You trust me that much?”
“I love trying new things,” she said with a playful shrug. “And if I don’t like what’s on my plate, I’ll just eat yours.”
I chuckled. “What if I order us the same thing?”
She placed a hand over her chest, dramatically. “Blasphemy! Everyone knows you’re supposed to order different dishes. Variety is the spice of life.”
I laughed. “Alright, alright. Any allergies I should know about?” I asked, pretending not to already know.
“Seafood. I carry an EpiPen just in case.”
Just then, the waitress arrived with a bright smile. “Good afternoon. I’m Candice, and I’ll be your waitress today. Are you ready to order?”
Without glancing at the menu, I ordered their finest sweet red wine and their top dishes. Once she walked away, I turned back to Ninel.
“So, now that you’ve graduated, do you have any plans?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve got a degree in Fine Arts and a minor in Arts Administration,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I decided to take a year off to figure things out. I love painting, but I also want to open an art gallery. Something to honor my mother.” She paused and bit her lower lip.
“What’s holding you back?” I lifted a brow. “I know it’s not the money.”
She shook her head. “I’ve never run a business before. Lev’s busy running the faction with Jaroslav. Avit and Pyotr have the club. Marten just turned the building next door into a casino. And while Mariya and I run the foundation together…that’s really her thing, you know?”
“So you feel like they’re too busy to help?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Or are you afraid of stepping into something unknown?”
She tilted her head, considering what I had just said
“You’re the baby of the family,” I went on. “If you ask, they’ll help. But there’s a chance they’ll take over, maybe not on purpose, but in trying to protect you from it failing, they might end up drowning out your ideas.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that...but you’re right.” She grinned, a spark lighting in her eyes. “I wanted to repaint my room at the mansion once, and it took two months because everyone kept trying to tell me what colors would look best.”
I smirked. “But something tells me you got the color you wanted in the end.”
Her smile widened. “You bet I did.”
Ninel’s room was painted a soft pink with a bold fuchsia accent wall.
I already knew some of the artwork scattered around the Safin mansion was hers, and that she’d started scouting properties for a gallery about three months ago.
But listening to her now, hearing her perspective on her life, made me see her in a different light.
Her voice had a calming quality, soft and serene, like something in it reached inside me and smoothed the jagged edges I had formed over the years.
“What was life like in the Safin mansion, being the youngest sibling?”
Just then, Candice entered with a bottle of wine. I thanked her, uncorked it, and poured us each a glass.
Ninel swirled hers delicately, then took a sip.
“You mean what was it like being spoiled rotten?” she teased, winking. “Life as the youngest has been good.”
I took a sip of my own.
“And your most memorable moment as a child?”
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I can’t pick just one. There’ve been a lot of good memories.”
I asked a few more personal questions but Ninel didn't answer any outright.
Ninel was being evasive and I didn't blame her. She knew how quickly a friend could become an enemy in our world and sharing too much information about your family could lead to your downfall if you let the wrong thing slip.
“What about you?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Didn’t get much of a childhood. By ten, I was already shadowing my father, learning what it meant to be a Bratva leader.”
I braced for pity, but in her eyes, I saw only understanding.
And in that moment, I wished this was a real date, that she was here because she liked me, because she saw something worth exploring…because she wanted a future with me.
Don’t get soft on me, Artie. My father's voice tore through my skull. She’s a Safin, the enemy. Stick to the damn plan. They made a fool of you costing you millions, shattered alliances, and tore your sister away.
But did I really care what her last name was? Or what her brothers had done?
I didn't.
Ninel was mine…for keeps.
Candice returned with our food, placing the dishes before us.
Ninel’s eyes lit up as she inhaled deeply. “Everything smells amazing.”
“And it tastes even better.” I smiled.
As we ate, she told me about her pet goldfish that lived for five years, mainly because her siblings kept replacing it whenever one died.
She shared how she broke her arm falling from a tree in their compound, and about her teddy bear, Snuggles, a gift from her parents just before they died, the one she still slept with.
By the time we stepped out of the restaurant two hours later, we were laughing and talking like a couple in love.
Love?
My thoughts stuttered.
Could Ninel even like a man like me? Farless…love?
Artie, you’re a Bratva leader. You don’t need her to like you, for fuck’s sake. Just carry your name and bear your children.
When I slipped behind the wheel with Ninel in the passenger seat, she turned to me.
“Thank you for this afternoon.”
“No problem. That’s what brothers-in-law are for.”
I started the engine and eased out of the parking lot. She was still smiling, staring ahead.
A comfortable silence stretched between us for five minutes before I broke it.
“Are you ready to head home? I don't think it would seem too awkward if we hung out together, would it?”
Before she could respond, a blacked-out SUV swerved in front of us. I slammed the brakes and another car rammed into us from behind, the force jolted us forward. I expected Ninel to scream, but of course she didn’t.
I glanced at her. Her seatbelt was already off, and a knife was in her hand.
I’d made sure the cameras on this route were offline. My men had locked down the street. I didn't want witnesses. This needed to be perfect, I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and yanked the Glock from the small of my back.
Showtime.
“Ninel!” I grabbed her wrist. “We’ve gotta move!”
I threw open my door and she scrambled over the center console and out after me. The SUVs bracketing us opened and my men spilled out in masks as Ninel and I stood back to back.
“If you shoot, we kill the girl!” one of the masked men barked. “Drop your weapons!”
“No!” Ninel shouted. “If you want me dead, shoot me. If not, I’m not going down without a fight!”
Brave little thing. I smirked, impressed.
I gave a subtle nod to the men in front of me. I fired two quick shots above their heads and they dropped like flies.
As I spun around to face Ninel, she lunged at the man in front of her. She slashed him across his arm before slamming her heeled foot into his chest. He went down…hard.
Damn.
For a fragile thing she packed a punch.
Ninel turned to the other man but he shot at her before she could attack him. But instead of a gunshot echoing in the air a soft hiss escaped the mouth of the gun.
She gasped and her hand shot to her shoulder where a tranquilizer dart stuck out.
She yanked it free and threw it on the ground, breathing hard.
I caught her around the waist as she stumbled, then sagged into me.
She looked at me for a few moments shaking her head, trying to fight the drug that was already coursing through her veins
“Artyom…” she murmured as her eyes fluttered shut.
I tapped her cheek once, twice. “Ninel! Stay with me!”
Nothing.
I turned to my men, voice cold. “Let’s move.”
I scooped her into my arms and carried her to one of the SUVs. One of my men opened the door and I climbed into the backseat with Ninel cradled on my lap. One of my men took the wheel; another took my car.
We drove off and I looked down at Ninel.
“Checkmate, Lev,” I whispered, brushing a knuckle over her cheek. “She’s mine now.”