CHAPTER 24
Anastasia
Dammit. I should’ve taken the out Rodian gave me and canceled the tea.
My hands tremble as I check my lavender silk dress before heading down the stairs. As I walk down the hallway that leads to the entertainment hall at the side of the house, I can hear feminine voices, and it makes my stomach spin with nerves.
How on earth am I going to deal with thirty-seven women?
What do I do if they all hate me?
The instant I reach the open doors, Marina spots me and comes closer with a proud smile. “You look beautiful.”
I glance past her at the room Miss Zoya decorated.
Round tables are covered with white cloths, small arrangements of pastel-colored roses, and tiered stands loaded with cakes, sandwiches, pastries, and other desserts.
The teacups and saucer sets for each table have different flowers, and I can honestly say, Miss Zoya has totally outdone herself.
Then my gaze sweeps over all the women who are dressed to the nines for the occasion, and as their heads turn to me, I begin to feel queasy.
Marina places her hand on my back and whispers, “Remember, you are the queen. They want you to like them.” I suck in a desperate breath as she guides me deeper into the room, then she announces, “Ladies, I’d like you all to meet Anastasia Volkova, our pakhan’s wife.”
Light applause breaks out around the room, and some women give me warm smiles while others murmur variants of greetings and blessings.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Volkova.”
“It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
“Welcome.”
“Hell yeah! Finally, someone under forty,” a brunette with blond streaks in her hair calls out, and when it draws the laughter of some, the tension gripping my chest eases a little.
The brunette makes a beeline for me, an excited smile on her face. “I’m first!”
“Katya, take your seat and wait to be introduced,” Marina chastises her, but I hold up my hand quickly.
“No, I’d like to meet her first.”
Katya doesn’t reach out her hand, but instead, she gives me a quick hug before beaming at me. “You have no idea how relieved I am that you’re my age!” She takes a step back and looks me up and down. “You have to tell me where you bought the gorgeous dress.”
When I finally get a word in, I smile brightly and say, “I made the dress myself.”
“You like sewing?” Another woman asks, coming closer to admire the stitching. “There’s a small group of us who get together every two weeks to discuss patterns. We’d love to have you join us.”
“Yes,” another agrees, and when she gets up, they all flock toward me.
“Ladies!” Marina claps her hands, then shakes her head sternly. “Please take your seats. I will bring Anastasia to every table so you can all have a moment of her attention.”
Katya squeezes my hand. “Do your rounds, but please come sit by me. I’d love to get to know you better.”
“I will,” I assure her before giving Marina a grateful look for saving me from a stampede.
We move on, and Marina introduces me to so many women there’s no way I’ll remember any of their names. But luckily, no one makes me feel uncomfortable, and I’m totally taking that as a win.
Most come across reserved, and some are talkative, asking about my past. I stick to general answers about my time in the UK.
When we reach a table by the windows, Katya is seated at it with two other women. After Marina introduces me to them, she whispers in my ear, “You can sit here or pick any other table. Have some tea and catch your breath.”
Oh, thank God!
I sink down on the highback chair and let out a sigh while I smile at Katya.
When I reach for one of the teapots, she says, “Let me get that for you.”
“So who are you married to?” I ask.
She gets a mischievous grin on her face. “Sergei Kagan. Your guard.”
My eyebrows fly up as I let out a surprised gasp. “Really?”
“Yes. We only tied the knot eight months ago, but we dated for three years before that.” Pouring tea into my cup, she leans closer. “He told me how sweet you are, so I’ve been dying to meet you.”
“That’s so nice of him to say.” I take a moment to drink my tea before I glance at the other two women and smile at them.
“I’m Galina,” the one who invited me to join her sewing group introduces herself, then she places her hand on the other woman’s arm. “And this is my dear friend, Vera.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“I have to ask,” Vera says. “Did you go to school to learn sewing?”
“I took some classes, but I had a wonderful teacher while I worked at a theater in England.”
Their eyes widen with interest. “We love the theater! You should come with us to a showing of the Nutcracker this Christmas. We never miss it.”
Missing the theater world, I don’t hesitate to reply, “I’d love to.”
I turn my attention back to Katya and ask, “Do you have any hobbies?”
“Besides working on my husband’s last nerve, no.” She lets out a chuckle, then waves. “Speaking of the devil.”
I follow her line of sight and see Sergei looking into the room, and as soon as his eyes fall on me, he nods before disappearing back to where he came from.
“Hmph. He didn’t even glance at me,” Katya complains.
“Take it easy on my cousin,” Galina mutters. “He’s working.”
“Oh, the two of you are family?” I ask as I glance between them.
“We’re cousins-in-law,” Katya explains, then she gestures at Vera. “And we’re sisters.”
“The Bratva consists of a tight-knit group,” Galina informs me. “Outsiders don’t understand our world.”
Marina comes back to get me, and excusing myself, I once again do my rounds, trying to memorize as much as possible about the women I’m meeting.
By the time the guests start leaving, I’m dead on my feet and regret choosing to wear high heels.
Katya hangs back to ask, “If you’re not busy next week, would you like to go out for lunch? I know a cute bistro that serves the freshest baked bread you’ll ever taste. It’s to die for.”
“Anastasia will check her schedule and let you know,” Marina answers for me, which makes me frown.
Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t need to check anything. I’d love to have lunch with you. Send me the day and time, and I’ll be there.”
“Great!”
As Katya walks to the front door, Marina mutters, “You said yes too quickly. Telling them you have to check your schedule shows them you’re busy as the pakhan’s wife and your time is valuable.”
I’m so over the lessons for today and just nod and smile, but as soon as she’s done, I say, “With that done, I’m taking a well-deserved break. Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it.”
Pulling my shoes off in the foyer, I go barefoot up the stairs so I can soak in a long hot bath.
Rodian
Done checking the final crate, I order, “Pack everything and get the trucks on the road.” I pull my phone out as I walk to the exit of the warehouse and dial Constantin’s number.
It almost goes to voicemail before he answers, “Dragomir.”
“It’s Rodian. I’m calling to let you know Atanas’ shipment is en route to you.”
“My guy at the border will be ready. How’s my order coming along?”
“It will be done by Tuesday, but I’ll wait a week between shipments, so we don’t draw attention at the border.”
“That works for me.” I hear a little girl’s voice, then he mutters, “Rodian, give me a second.”
“Sure.” I stop by the Rolls-Royce and glance over the deserted area where the warehouse is located while I wait.
“What’s wrong, my precious girl?” Constantin asks.
“I-I was brushing… my baby’s hair... and her head fell off,” the little one cries, making my heart squeeze in my chest.
There’s movement, then he uses a loving tone I haven’t heard before as he says, “There, all fixed. I’m almost done, then we’ll go to the park. Go put on your shoes.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
There’s a moment where nothing happens before he returns to his usual clipped tone as he says, “I’m back. I’m sending through another order today. I’d appreciate it if you could get it done as fast as possible.”
Frowning, I ask, “Are you preparing for a war none of us know about?”
“Something like that,” he grumbles.
“You need backup?”
“Not yet.”
“Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.” Curious, I can’t stop myself from asking, “You have a kid?”
“Yes.”
His brusque answer draws a chuckle from me. “One day I’ll get you to talk more.”
“Don’t start. Atanas is already a pain in my ass,” he mutters. “Talk later.”
When he ends the call, I open the passenger door and get into the SUV.
“Where to?” Andrei asks, already waiting behind the steering wheel.
“The office.”
Now that we have the manufacturing of weapons up and running, I’m looking into expanding into steel fabrication, foundries, and metal processing. It makes sense to start producing more of the materials we need for weapons.
While I have a second, I send Anastasia a text.
Rodian: How did the tea party go?
She reads the message almost immediately, then three dots appear.
Anastasia: It actually went very well. I met Sergei’s wife. She’s really nice, and we have a lunch date for next week.
I glance at Andrei. “Anastasia is going to have lunch with Katya next week. Will you mind taking over from Sergei for an hour or two? I don’t want to put him in a position where he has to choose between his own wife and mine.”
“No problem,” my friend answers without thinking twice.
Rodian: That’s good. Andrei will guard you during that outing.
Anastasia: Why? Where will Sergei be?
Rodian: He will be with me because his first instinct will be to protect Katya. Andrei will guard you.
Anastasia: Okay.
Rodian: See you later, moya krasavitsa. I love you.
Anastasia: Be safe. Love you!
Tucking my phone away, I rest my elbow on the door and rub over my beard that’s in desperate need of a trim.
“Constantin is sending through another order,” I mention to my underboss. “I think he’s getting ready for some serious action.”
“He didn’t tell you what?”
I shake my head. “No. The man is a closed book.”
“At least the relationship between you and Atanas is going well. How are things with Devran and Ryo?”
“There hasn’t been an opportunity to talk to them. I’m thinking of organizing a get-together, but it’s difficult with us all in different countries.”
“It’s worth a try.”
My thoughts turn to the alliance and the meeting I have with them all tomorrow morning while Anastasia will be out shopping.
I have to check how I can start using the others’ services. If I’m the only one making money, it won’t strengthen the bonds that took me so fucking long to establish.
“Have you heard back from Zubkov, Yeltsin, and Popov?”
Nodding, I look at Andrei. “Killing Sokolov and marrying Anastasia has made them all fall in line.”
“Did you check with Rosie or Tim to keep tabs on them?” he asks.
“Yes. The three are going about business as usual. Nothing out of place.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
Andrei parks the Rolls-Royce in the usual spot, and getting out, we walk into the bar and head straight to the back where my office is.
Getting to work, checking sites and possible business contacts, time flies by, and only when we hear the bell for the last round of drinks do I realize it’s two am.
“Blyad?! Anastasia is going to skin me alive,” I mutter as I shove my chair back.
Andrei grabs his coat, and shrugging it on, he says, “Sorry, I should’ve kept an eye on the time.”
Hoping she’s not waiting up like she usually does, I rush out of the office so I can get my ass home.