Arranged Bratva Love

Andrei

“What is this, Andrei?”

I smiled as I moved toward my wife. The island had been a dream and I had to say, I hated being back in the city. I’d been looking for a house, somewhere away from all the distractions of life, far from the penthouse. I’d found this beauty, in the middle of nowhere, enough land for us to build whatever we wanted, and this beautiful seven-bedroom house, complete with an en suite.

Ivan sent me the details for it. It was going for a great price. I’d already purchased it, but after a brief look at the details, I just knew Adelaide would love it. There was a great deal of security, and I was already making the necessary choices for the men who’d be guarding my wife.

“It’s a house,” I said.

“I know it’s a house, silly, but I was wondering why you’ve brought me here.” She spun in my arms and tilted her head to the side, eyes wide. I don’t know how she got prettier every day, but she did.

Kissing those tempting lips, I smirked. “What do you think?”

“Are you planning on buying this place?” she asked.

“It’s ours, if you want it.”

“What about the penthouse?” She frowned.

“I’ve still got the penthouse, but we need a real place. Not one that has marks on the floor showing where you can move. I’ve watched you. You can handle heights to a certain point. I did look at a bungalow, but I’ve got to have me some views, baby.” I kissed her nose.

“Your work is more important. Don’t you have to be present at all times?”

“I am present at all times. It doesn’t matter where I live. This means we can invite Aurora and Slavik over.”

“Don’t forget their little girl,” Adelaide said.

How could I forget? Ivan had been raving about the little brat. I was happy for Slavik. Delighted for him, in fact. The next generation was starting, and it was good news. The Volkov Bratva was not going to die out. Ivan’s ways would remain and I was hoping it would grow.

But, Slavik having a little girl got me thinking about the child we’d lost-the baby Bethany had taken from me. Adelaide hadn’t been far enough along and I didn’t ask the doctor to find out the sex or any of that shit. I don’t even know if it was at the stage when the sex was determined. Didn’t they all start out as girls? I didn’t know fucking biology that well. Just enough to keep people alive long enough to cause them the most pain. I knew a lot, but not enough about babies and shit. Anyway, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Slavik had a girl. I had nothing. And Bethany was still alive.

I had my spies on her. She was a fucking whore who was blowing through the funds her parents had given her. As for her parents, their company was still struggling to hold itself together. They were draining funds and losing viewers faster than anything.

“Yes, their little girl,” I said.

“Andrei? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing is wrong. I just … it’s good news for them.”This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

“Are you disappointed I’m not pregnant?” Adelaide asked.

She had started her menstrual period that very morning, and I knew there was no chance of another baby right now. I wasn’t disappointed, not really. I saw that she was in pain. Running fingers through my hair, I saw the sadness in her gaze, and I couldn’t live with it. I went to her, cupping her face. “Look at me. I am fine and I don’t care if we’re pregnant or not.”

“What if … what if I can’t?”

“You can.”

“I heard what Ivan said, within two years.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“You might get a new wife.”

“Not going to happen.” I kissed her hard.

I wanted to say more, but as I started, my fucking cell phone rang, pissing me off. Annoyed, I tried to ignore it, but Adelaide pulled away.

“You need to answer that.”

What I needed to do was be there for my wife, not constantly be at the beck and call of everyone else around me. It was Ivan, though, so she wasn’t wrong. I did need to take the call.

“Andrei,” I said.

“I know it’s you. Why say that?”

I rolled my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I need you to arrange the meeting with Rage. Have him come to your penthouse suite.”

“Not fucking happening,” I said, stepping away from Adelaide.

“Pardon me?”

I close my eyes, realizing what I just said. “I’m not having him come anywhere near my wife.”

“She loves the house, doesn’t she?”

I glance back at Adelaide who’d gone to sit on the bed, giving it a little bounce. “I don’t know.”

Ivan tutted. “You clearly didn’t sell it well enough.”

There were moments like now, where I would have gladly throttled Ivan Volkov. The man could be so fucking annoying and I knew he did it on purpose. He was a meddling fucker. He’d not gotten to where he was in life by not meddling. I was so fucked off with it.

“I’m talking with her.”

“Tell her how nice it would be raising a family. How she can have Aurora come to visit. Their kids could be friends and all of that.”

I step out of the bedroom so she doesn’t hear. “Ivan, that’s not the best course of action. I’ll deal with it, but we can’t meet at the penthouse suite.”

“Rage needs to know we mean business. He also has to think we trust him.”

“Which we don’t.”

“I trust him more than I do Demon. Now, if he comes to your penthouse suite, that is a sign of respect and trust.”

“It’s a sign of stupidity.”

“So, get Adelaide loving the house and we’ll see how everything else plays.”

He hung up, of course. That was what Ivan did-gave instructions, and left me to deal with everything else. The guy was exhausting at times.

I dropped my head, taking several deep breaths. Adelaide had been attempting meditation. Since the attack, she occasionally had panic attacks. She didn’t know what they were driven by, but I’d heard the methods and started to use them myself.

Anything that stopped me from killing my boss was a fucking bonus.

I enter the bedroom again but Adelaide is nowhere to be seen.

Seeing as I already paid for the house, I had the keys and there was no need for a realtor. Leo and Terrance were out front. No one else should be in the house, but fear raced down my spine. I called out her name, but she didn’t respond.

Rushing downstairs, calling her name again, expecting the worst, I heard her calling out that she was in the kitchen. Breathing a sigh of relief, I made my way into the kitchen and found her with her hands spread out on the counter.

“This is a nice space,” she said. “It’s big. You could host family dinners. Invite some friends over. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Fucking you on every single counter?”

She giggled. “No, we’re not thinking the same thing. I’m thinking Thanksgiving and Christmas. How about Halloween? We could decorate this place for when or if we have children.” I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around her.

“When, Adelaide. When we have kids.” I’d not been one for special occasions. I’d never celebrated a single Christmas or Halloween, or Thanksgiving. None of them had been important to me. Survival had. Kissing the top of her head, I breathe her in.

“I love the place, Andrei.”

“Good.”

“But you need to go, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do.” I don’t want to let her go.

This is crazy. I’m not the kind of man to act this way, but the thought of leaving my wife fills me with regret.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be here,” she said. “I can’t go back to the penthouse, can I?”

“Not today.”

She nodded. “You already bought this place, didn’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“The closet, you’ve already started to fill it with your suits.” She put her hands on my hips. “When will I get to see casual Andrei? Will he come back?”

“He will. He’s already here.” I kissed her temple, not wanting to leave her alone, but also knowing there was no choice.

Ivan expected a meeting and I had to contact Rage. Assuming he wasn’t pissed off from being ignored. While I’d been on my honeymoon, Ivan had been sure to send pictures to Rage of Lottie’s progress. Ive had eventually allowed her to shower and change, but even those images had been used to help our cause. The young woman was clearly special to Rage, and that was coming in handy right about now.

“Go,” Adelaide said, letting me go. “I’ll be here, waiting.”

I kissed her again. “I’m leaving Leo,” I said.

She had asked me not to be angry at him. It wasn’t Leo’s fault, and I doubted he would accept any beverage from her anytime soon.

I have no choice but to leave. As I do, I order Leo to keep an eye on my wife. Terrance is already seated in the driver’s seat as I climb in the back, cell phone in hand. I contact Rage and wait. Three rings and he picks up.

“What the fuck took you so long? If anything happens to Lottie…”

“You are not in a position to question me,” I said. “Lottie’s survival will depend on you, Rage.” I give him the location of the penthouse. “Be there in an hour. If you don’t, then I can assume you don’t care what happens to her.”

Hanging up my cell phone, I slide it into my jacket and sit back. There is no relaxing for me.

Having Rage in my penthouse is not the ideal situation for me. He is still a member of the Evil Savages MC, and for all I know, he could be playing me. I don’t trust anyone. Never. My penthouse would be tarnished after this.

Terrance drives us to the penthouse and I see Ivan’s car is already in my slot, so Terrance parks in the closest available space.

Ivan is the boss. He knows what he’s doing, but I have to wonder if I should question the man’s sanity.

Arriving at my penthouse suite, I walk in to find the place tidy. There’s nothing out of place, and Ivan is sitting at the dining room table, shuffling cards.

“Did you arrange it?” he asked.

“I made the call. He should be arriving in twenty minutes.”

“Excellent. Can I interest you in a whiskey?”

I shake my head and take a seat opposite him.

“Did she like the house?” Ivan asked.

“Yes. You knew she would.”

Ivan smiled. “There’s a lot I don’t know.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

Ivan didn’t speak. He flicked the cards over, one by one, and then gathered them up. “I don’t see the addiction to cards. The winning part, I get, but all numbers on some card never appealed to me. People waste so much of their money on the flick of one of these bad boys. Do you get it?”

“We’re talking about cards?”

“No, we’re talking about the addiction cards causes.”

I had no words. Ivan always had the most random thoughts. Sometimes I wondered if they dropped him on his head when he was a baby. Would that give him an excuse for his weird ways? I didn’t know.

“Do addictions make sense?” I asked.

“Addictions make sense, if you think about the body’s response to what’s going on around it. The happiness, the endorphins that are released. It’s a powerful drug.” He sighed. “But now I’m bored.” He put the deck of cards down on the table and stood up. “Is this guy known for being early or late?”

“I have no idea. Do you want to talk about Oleg?”

“No.”

Ivan’s the boss.

“How are Aurora and the baby?” I asked.

Ivan and I rarely made small talk. Until Adelaide came into my life, it had always been business. We weren’t close.

“They’re healthy,” Ivan said, running a hand down his face. As he did so, I noticed the way he leaned slightly to one side, as if he had some kind of ailment. Like a bruise.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

He wasn’t talkative today. Maybe I should have let him be his usual charming self and talk about the deck of cards for no good reason.

My thoughts drifted to Adelaide and I had to wonder what she was doing. I’d not yet installed any cameras so there was no way for me to steal glances of her on my cell phone. Not that I would with Ivan watching me. He already knew I kept a close eye on her, and he didn’t need to see my obsession in person.

Finally, the doorbell rang and I went to open it. Rage was on the other side, looking mightily pissed. He raised his fist, but I saw it coming, blocking it. Terrance knew not to get involved even as Rage kept on coming.

“You take his daughter and fucking leave, you pieces of shit. You have no right. She is not part of this. She has never been part of this.”

His rage was admirable. In between the blows, I struck out, slamming my boot against his leg, which made him stumble, and this time I charged him, ramming him against the wall and then wrapping my fingers around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Dragging him down to the floor, I stepped over him, wrapping my entire arm around his neck, using all the force I could to keep him there. I held him tight, not letting him go.

His hands gripped mine, but at no point did he beg. This was a club leader. A president. Not that piece of shit Demon.

I wasn’t going to kill Rage. I held him still. “Lottie is alive. She’s still breathing and right now I believe she’s living a pretty cushy life. No harm has come to her, not a single bit. Do you understand?” I let go long enough for him to nod his head. “I will keep fighting you if that’s what you want, but then she will pay for your sins. Got it?” I asked.

A single nod of the head and I let him go, stepping back.

Ivan simply clapped his hands as if it had all been part of a play. I didn’t think that was necessary, but I didn’t tell him that. Instead, I step back and allow Ivan to take over.

“This woman … does she belong to you?” Ivan asked.

“Lottie is a sweet girl. An innocent. She would never hurt a soul, and she has no right to pay for her father’s sins.”

I watched as Ivan tsked. “Don’t get me wrong, I know she’s a sweetheart. I’ve heard the rumors. Actually, I’ve seen the evidence. Lottie is not loved by the club. She is loved by you, and it would seem only you.”

Rage slumped. It was a small action but I caught it.

“Lottie … don’t hurt her. She is still club.”

“But Demon told me to kill her.”

I watched as Rage’s hands clenched into fists.

“She is Demon’s child but…” Rage dropped his head. “He has never been able to love her. He sees her as a murderer. When she was born, her mother didn’t make it. She died in the room in Demon’s arms. Lottie never stood a chance.”

“But you take care of her.”

“Because her mother begged me to,” Rage said. “Before she gave birth, she had this weird feeling that something bad was going to happen. I don’t fucking know what it was. I figured she was on something. Demon always liked to keep his women docile. The spirit she had was dying away, and she begged me to take care of her daughter. Lottie was left. Demon wouldn’t even allow the club women to take care of her. He built up the lies surrounding her mother, told her she was nothing but trash, all her life. She was starving, dirty, and I took over her care. I raised her.”

“So the truth is, you’re her father?”

Rage shrugged. “I guess.”

“You’d die for her.”

“In a heartbeat.”

“How interesting.”

I always hated it when Ivan said that. There was nothing interesting about any of this. This was a man who clearly had a fatherly connection to the young woman. None of it was interesting. He took care of her, and during that time he formed a bond. Nothing to think about.

“Let Lottie go.”

“I can’t do that. You see, Demon has already told me to kill her, and I know for a fact he’s got a grievance with me. Do you really think he’s going to accept the daughter he can’t even care for, to live?” Ivan asked.

“I’ll take care of her.”

Ivan snorted. “Look, no offense. I get that you’re an incredible human being and all that, but you must see how futile it would be. Demon would kill you. Demon would kill his daughter regardless of the cost.”

“What are you proposing then?”

Ivan slapped his hands together and smiled wide. “Proposing is a funny word, don’t you think?”

I shake my head. He’s all for the dramatics.

“You want to marry Lottie?” Rage asked.

“Not me personally, but I have a man who will take care of her.”

“She’s eighteen,” Rage said.

“So, Demon has washed his hands of her, and do you think it’s going to be difficult for me to get a marriage license? Hate to brag, but I am kind of the big deal in the Volkov Bratva.”

I had to wonder what the previous Bratva Pakhan would think of this. Ivan didn’t act or rule like any other Pakhan. I imagine it’s why he’ll be around for a long time. No one can truly know what he’s thinking all the time.

“Lottie doesn’t deserve this.”

“My man isn’t so bad. He’s a little rough around the edges but no harm will come to her as his wife. He’s my brigadier. Trust me, her life will be saved.”

Rage didn’t like it. I couldn’t blame him. Thinking of a daughter, I couldn’t help but imagine a little baby girl with Adelaide’s sweet features running around the house. It made me smile, just a little, and then I composed myself. Now was not the time to be getting fucking sentimental, or hoping for a future that might not happen.

“What do you need from me?” Rage asked.

“It’s quite simple, you need to find out where loyalties lie in the club, and when Demon dies, you kill those who follow him.”

Rage cursed.

“You need to become prez of the club,” Ivan said. “If you don’t, then I’m going to kill you all, and I’ll throw Lottie into the mix for good measure.”

The calm negotiating man was gone. In his place was the cold monster rarely seen. It had been a long time since I saw the real Ivan unleashed. There were times I had to wonder if I imagined seeing the cruelty within him. He would do it, even if it wasn’t his plan. If Rage didn’t agree, Evil Savages MC would die.

“If I agree with this,” Rage said, after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not going to be your fucking toy. I’m not going to be at your beck and call.”

“Precisely. We will have an agreement and you could say we’ll be a family, of sorts.”

Rage sighed. “I want to see Lottie first.”

“Not until the day of the wedding,” Ivan said.

“I need to know she’s safe.”

Ivan clicked his tongue and then pulled out his cell phone, typing on the screen.

“Lottie,” he said.

There was a pause and I waited. Rage stepped a little closer, and I reached for my gun but Ivan shook his head at me. Seconds passed, minutes, and then he clicked on his cell phone and held it up.

“H-hello?”

“Lottie, sweetheart?”

“Rage?”

“Yeah, honey, it’s me.”

“Are you coming to get me? Please, Rage, please.”

Ivan tutted. “Now Lottie, tell the kind man, are you hurting?”

“N-no.”

“Good. Are you being fed?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. That will be all.”

Ivan ended the call and Rage charged at Ivan, who with a quick jab of his hand had choked Rage, who fell to the floor.

“Lottie is safe and well. Do we have a deal?”

Rage had his hands against his throat.

Ivan tutted. “Come on, I didn’t hurt you that badly.”

It took Rage a few minutes but he got to his feet and agreed. Ivan held his hand out and Rage looked at the greeting. I waited. Rage shook his hand and stepped back.

“There is one thing,” I said. “I want to know when Bethany came to you.”

Rage frowned. “Who the fuck is Bethany?”