Chapter 4 #5
“Don’t worry about me,” I said finally, she sighed, unconvinced, and stepped out of the car.
I followed, just in time to hear the roar of an engine.
A bright green sports car pulled into the driveway and stopped behind us.
Roman jumped out, grinning, clearly pleased with himself.
He’d bought another car, probably for racing.
We often lent cars to our drivers to give them a better chance of winning as many bets as possible.
Roman opened the trunk and pulled out a massive bouquet of red roses.
“Oh my God!” Elif exclaimed, throwing her bag at me, which I caught in mid-air as she headed toward my brother, her high heels clicking on the cobblestones.
“Beautiful roses for the most beautiful woman,” said my brother, handing the bouquet to Elif, who took it with a big smile, almost jumping up and down on the spot, which made me smile and my brother laugh.
"They're gorgeous, thank you, Romy," she said, hugging him close, and he winked at me over her head.
I just gave him the finger as I approached his new car, which was pretty nice.
"White seats and dashboard?" I asked after glancing inside.
"White? But it'll get dirty," added Elif, stepping away from my brother as she leaned in to look inside the cabin.
"No, it won't! I'll be careful," he said, smiling broadly and gently tapping the roof of the car, the idiot.
"Tell me, my dear Romy, what is your job again?
" Elif teased, nudging him with her shoulder.
"Your driver, your bodyguard, your delivery man, your actor, your first baby and your favorite," he listed.
Elif looked at him, pouting without answering.
That idiot always knew how to talk to her, or how to talk in general.
Elif called him a smooth talker, which was undoubtedly the case.
Nikolai and Roman were the most sociable among us.
When it came to negotiating, we sent in the holy trinity of Elif, Roman, and Nikolai, and everything was magically settled.
"I was thinking more about your job as an enforcer for the Bratva," our sister finally grumbled. "You know, your job that risks leaving some very difficult-to-remove red stains on your beautiful leather."
Indeed, Roman held a very particular role within our organization.
His job of managing deliveries and races were merely secondary; his true function within the Bratva was that of the executioner.
He was the one sent to collect debts, the one who punished, the one who avenged.
His role was essential to the structure, without him and his men, there would be no order, no respect for hierarchy, no Bratva.
Everyone knew that the slightest sign of disrespect toward the family would be answered by Roman, waiting around the corner, ready to greet it with blood.
At first glance, people took him for an overexcited kid who treated everything like a joke, but the few times I had seen him in action had been more than enough to reveal the truth hidden behind that mask.
They called him the Karatel, the Punisher.
“I’d never let a single drop of blood touch this leather. You’d have to go through me first,” my brother muttered darkly as he wiped an imaginary stain from the hood, him and his precious cars.
“Don’t say stupid things,” Elif sighed, hitting his chest lightly, Roman smiled at her and winked before kissing her cheek.
“Well, that’s enough for now. I promised the guys I’d go see them and introduce them to my new baby,” he said, climbing back into his car after smacking my shoulder on the way past. By the guys, he meant those idiots he could never stay away from, Anton, Sergei, and Vadim.
They had trained together in Detroit, carried out missions together in the Middle East, and now worked together under the Karatel’s command. Inseparable.
“Say hello to everyone for me, and tell them I’ll invite them over for dinner soon.
I’m thinking borek,” Elif called after him, waving as she headed back inside, her face buried in her bouquet, smiling from ear to ear.
“Any news on the merger?” my brother asked as he fastened his seatbelt, once Elif had disappeared inside.
He could see her exhaustion too, we were all trying to give her as much space as possible.
She already carried enough on her shoulders.
Normally Roman couldn’t care less about the business side of things; paperwork bored him to death.
But this time, he understood how serious it was.
I shook my head, running a hand through my hair.
Sally still hadn’t heard anything, I would have to call tonight.
I didn’t want us to look desperate, but we had no choice anymore, this damn merger had to go through.
“Don’t worry, moy brat. If they drag their feet, I’ll pay them a little visit,” Roman said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
They were dark, reflecting the equally dark thoughts behind them.
“I’m afraid force won’t work this time. These aren’t small-time merchants, but a powerful, wealthy organization in Canada.
Beating them up won’t be enough,” I replied with a sigh as he started the engine, which roared loudly.
“Yeah, but it’ll help us blow off some steam,” he laughed, then floored the accelerator, tires screeching on the gravel as he sped away, leaving me in a cloud of dust. I coughed, squinting.
Bastard. Muttering curses, I headed toward the entrance, brushing dust from my custom-made suit jacket that I’d had tailored barely a week ago.
I was going to strangle that idiot. I had just shut the door behind me, still grumbling, when laughter drifted in from the garden, followed by excited shouts from the boys.
“What’s going on?” I asked Velma, who was carrying a basket of laundry toward the utility room.
“It’s the boys, Mr. Sasha. They wanted to play blind man’s bluff with Mrs. Selina, but she was too tired,” she explained, shifting the basket on her hip.
“The baby hasn’t stopped moving all day, so she went to lie down. Miss Sienna took her place instead.”
And before I could even process her words, I found myself standing in front of the glass doors leading outside. Yes, just hearing Sienna’s name was enough to send my body into autopilot. Damn it.
“Over here, Auntie Sienna!” Andrei shouted.
“No, over here!” Dimitri laughed. Their voices overlapped as they ran around in circles, laughing, and there she was, moving carefully across the grass, barefoot, arms stretched out in front of her, her almost blond hair in the sunlight fluttered down her back.
She wore beige linen trousers and a matching T-shirt that lifted slightly every time she raised her arms, revealing flashes of skin at her waist. My jaw tightened as the urge to touch her hit me hard.
My fingers ached for her warmth, but she no longer wanted me to touch her.
She no longer wanted me near her. And if she thought I would give up that easily, then she hadn’t truly known me during this past year we’d spent together.
I had tried to resist at first. From the very first glance, I had known that if I let her see what lay behind my mask of indifference, I would never let her go.
I had also known from that same instant that Sienna was anything but docile or controllable.
Far from it. But it was too late, far too late.
She was under my skin now, behind my walls, in the place where she saw me as I truly was, and where she herself became real.
I wasn’t going to let it go. I would find out what had caused this sudden change, what made her push me away and I would destroy it until nothing remained.
Until then, I would have to learn something new: self-control.
A self-control I had begun to discover after giving her that injection the other night.
A self-control that had stopped me from going further than a simple kiss.
A self-control that was already pushing me to my limits, already driving me mad.
But I would not touch her again, not until she allowed it.
If she didn’t want it, I had no right to force anything.
I would wait, until I uncovered the source of the problem.
“I’m going to get you, my little rabbits,” she laughed, flashing her beautiful teeth as she moved dangerously close to Rafael near the dining table.
He dodged her hands with a quick movement and escaped, knocking over one of the chairs as he ran.
Sienna stumbled over it, gasping as she pitched forward but I caught her before she could fall, my arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her firmly against me.
Her quick breath brushed my neck as her hands clutched my arms. “Auntie caught Uncle!” Andrei laughed, making the others burst out laughing.
Sienna pulled off the blindfold and lifted her gaze to mine, those damn eyes that were going to kill me. Those damn green eyes.
“I’m the one who caught you,” I murmured, lowering my face toward hers. “Looks like I hit the jackpot.”
Her gaze betrayed her, sliding to my lips despite herself, and I felt a surge of triumph.
Eyes never lied, no matter what the mouth claimed.
“Jackpot huh ?” she asked, arching a brow, her usual deflection, humor as a shield.
A crooked smile tugged at my lips as I raised my hand to touch her flushed cheek but it stopped midair, so close and yet impossibly far. She watched me, waiting. Wanting.
I clenched my fist and lowered my hand, stepping back, slipping my arm from around her waist, my fingers brushing her skin as they withdrew despite myself.
“Never, malen’kaya gadyuka. Never,” I said, wearing what was probably one of the fakest smiles I had ever given.
“You’re aunt looks tired, how about a football match?
” I called to the boys as I took off my jacket, draped it over the back of a chair, loosened my tie, and rolled up my sleeves.
I ignored Sienna with great effort, even though I could feel her gaze burning into me.
Damn self-control.
It was hard as hell.