Page 13 of Cruel Russian Monster (Safin Bratva #2)

As soon as Vera stormed out, so did Lev.

Mariya and Ninel stood immediately.

“Katya, go after Lev. We’ve got Vera.”

The women rushed out, leaving me with Marten, Avit, and Pyotr.

“How do we fix this?” Marten asked, leaning forward.

Before I could answer, Avit scoffed.

“Fix?” he said with a dry laugh. “Did any of you seriously think Lev would approve of this marriage to Vera?”

He stood. “Congratulations, Jaroslav. You’ve officially destroyed whatever was left of our faction. Dad would be so damn disappointed.”

In the blink of an eye, I had him pinned to the wall.

My fingers gripped his shirt tight at the collar, my face inches from his.

Marten and Pyotr rushed to my side but didn’t move to stop me. They knew better.

I allowed Avit his say at my house, now he needed a reminder of who the fuck I was.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I growled. “You think because you're my brother, you can talk to me like that? Have you suddenly lost all respect for me and my title in this family?”

I shoved him harder against the wall. He kept his mouth shut.

“While you're locked away behind those goddamn club doors, I’m the one spilling blood to keep this family breathing. I’m the one out there, day after fucking day, holding the line.”

I stepped back half an inch, still holding him.

“I am the one catching bullets, taking the heat. All to ensure that Lev comes home every damn day to his wife and child. To make sure every damn day our faction leader and brother is safe.”

I finally let go and jabbed a finger into his chest.

“With our men dying every fucking week, our human resources are dwindling. We have no allies, Avit. No fucking backup. We needed a different strategy. By tying Vera to me, to this faction, Artyom has no choice but to stand down, or he risks killing his own sister.”

I clenched my fists trying to reel in my anger, and Avit still glared at me, as though every damn thing I was saying was entering one ear and going out the other.

“And even if that sadistic fuck doesn’t care,” I continued, “Zahkar and Yegor will.

They'll ensure that those fucking Rykov soldiers stay on their turf. Once we have Artyom and his fucking shit under control, we can work on rebuilding alliances and recruiting help to find out who the fuck has been terrorizing our faction and who kidnapped Katya.”

This time, his glare faltered. I pressed my finger against his chest.

“So until you are on the battlefield every fucking day, don't you fucking dare come at me for trying to keep myself, my men, and my fucking family safe.”

I didn’t look back as I walked out.

As I headed to the car, Ninel and Mariya were already on their way toward me. Ninel stopped in front of me, forcing me to halt. Without a word, she pulled me into a hug. Mariya followed.

“We love you, Jaroslav,” Ninel whispered. “We may not say it enough, but thank you. For everything you do for us.”

Mariya kissed my cheek. “We love Vera, too. She’s a keeper. We’ll find a way through this.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, jaw still clenched.

They turned back toward the house while I kept walking toward the car.

Vera was leaning against the passenger side door, arms folded, eyes shooting daggers.

I didn't say anything. I just unlocked the car and opened the door for her. Once she was settled, I hopped into the driver's seat.

The drive back to the house was tense as fuck. Vera was looking out the window while I tried to focus on the road.

Tonight hadn't gone as expected…and it wasn't because Lev didn't take the news well. Even though I told my brothers he would, I knew after all the shit that went down between Artyom and Lev, he would push back against the decision.

The unexpectedness came solely from Vera.

Like what the fuck?

Why would she come to my defense after everything I had done? Shouldn't she have been agreeing with Lev, begging him to talk me into annulling our marriage since we hadn't had sex yet, and getting her back home?

Not only did she go defend me, but fuck, she went hard on Lev.

And seeing her stand her ground was like a fucking aphrodisiac.

Did she lie about anything she said?

Not one damn word.

I’d been laying all the blame on her. But the truth was, Lev had his part to own, too.

But at this point, that was neither here nor there. I glanced at the woman next to me.

What was Vera's motive? What did she stand to gain? It wasn’t like the others didn't like her, and after tonight, they will respect her even more for standing toe to toe with Lev and calling him out.

I wouldn't have done it as brashly as she did, but Lev and I had butted heads before.

But he'd always be respected, not only as the head of our faction, but as the oldest of the Safin siblings, and there were certain tones I wouldn't take with him, at least not in front of the others.

And if I did, it wasn't often or as harsh as Vera had been.

I turned scenario after scenario over in my head, but none of them made sense. The only way to find out why she did what she did was to find out from the source.

“Vera, why did you stand up for me back there?” I glanced at her before turning back to the road.

She looked at me. “I didn’t stand up for you. I told Lev the truth. The truth he clearly needed to hear, since none of you had the balls to call him out on it.”

My jaw tightened. “You do realize Lev is the leader of our faction, right? And the way you spoke to him was downright disrespectful.”

She scoffed. “And the way he talked to you wasn’t? Respect is earned. He didn’t even let you explain. What kind of leader shuts someone down like that? And even if he didn't want to listen to you as a faction leader, he could've heard you out as an older brother.”

If Vera thought I was going to out Lev in front of her, she had another think coming. Oh, make no mistake, I agreed with what she said, but I wouldn't be pulled into a conversation speaking ill of Lev.

I barked a humorless laugh. “And Artyom lets others explain?” My voice rose. “Hell, the way you went off on Lev, have you ever gone off on Artyom like that?”

She crossed her arms and turned away from me, lips pressed tight.

My tone hardened. “Since, according to you, Artyom lets you explain shit to him, maybe you should tell him to pull his damn head out of his ass.

Explain to him that the betrayal started in the Rykov faction with you at the damn forefront!

That this whole shitstorm started with you, maybe just maybe he'd leave our fucking faction alone! And innocent people would stop dying every damn day! Our factions have never been alliances, and you running off made it look like you were backing out of the alliance! What the hell did you expect to happen?”

I pulled up in front of the house, slammed the gear into park. Vera glared at me.

“Next time you see Lev, you will apologize.” The coldness in my voice matched the temperature in the car from the AC. “I’m not about to have my wife at war with the man who leads this family. That tension will blow back on everyone. Katya. Kira. Your brothers.”

Her eyes blazed as she turned to me.

“First of all,” she snapped, “we’re not talking about Artyom, we’re talking about Lev. Second, you didn’t deny anything I said that was true. And third?”

She leaned in, voice icy, matching those damn gorgeous blue eyes of hers.

“I am not your wife . I’m your hostage. And I will never apologize for speaking the truth. And I'm not worried about Kira or my brothers. Didn't you marry me to end the war? Which means my siblings are winning.”

She threw open the door, slammed it behind her, and stormed toward the house.

I was right behind her.

“Vera!” I called as I entered the house behind her. “I’m talking to you.”

“Well, talk. I’m not stopping you. What? Your legs and mouth can’t work at the same time?” she snapped over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs. “Or do you have to watch your step, so you don't mash your damn ego?”

“Why the hell are you so stubborn, Vera?” I burst into her room right after her. “If you don’t apologize to Lev, you might never see Alexi again.”

“I’m stubborn? Or is Lev stubborn? I can’t understand how this falls on me when your brother has some character flaws he clearly needs to work on! If Lev doesn’t let me see my nephew or my sister because I told him the truth, I’m not the one with the problem, am I?”

She paced the room. “But don’t worry, Jaroslav. Next time I see someone disrespecting you, I’ll stay the hell out of it. After all, a Bratva woman should be seen and not heard, right? While all you egotistical Bratva men get to run around being loud, wrong, and strong.”

My fists clenched at my side.

“Last time I checked, I never asked you to come to my defense, Vera! And that’s the thing with you. You act first and think later. Just like when you ran away a week before marrying Lev. Just like now!”

“Hell, I wish I could go back in time and marry Lev,” she snapped.

“Instead of standing here arguing with you over something you couldn’t say in front of your siblings because you respect Lev too damn much.

Because you love your siblings too damn much.

And you don't want to see your damn faction crumble!”

My breath stalled in my lungs. Why was Vera so riled up? And did she really mean that about wishing she had married Lev? Just the fact that she was thinking about it pissed me off.

“As the underboss, there are things you can’t do,” she said slowly.

“In case you have forgotten, I grew up in this world, too; I know the rules just like you. Your faction is already bleeding. If you and Lev begin to fight each other, everything crashes. I knew I was crossing lines with Lev, but someone had to.”

She paused, her gaze softening.

“And I’m already the enemy, right? So let him be pissed at me instead of you. I had nothing to lose by doing it…but you? You'd lose everything.”

Vera sighed and sank onto the sofa. “Look, I’m tired. Can you just leave?”

I took a step toward Vera. “As you said, you’re the enemy. So why would you care what happens to our faction?”

Vera rolled her eyes. “In case you’ve forgotten, my sister and nephew live here. So does her husband, and his siblings. Despite everything that’s happened or is happening between both factions, I’m not heartless.” Her voice grew softer. “I care about the people Katya loves.”

Does that mean she….

“Why do you care?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

I saw the anger brewing in her eyes again. Vera hopped to her feet, a look of disbelief on her face.

“You mean, why would I care if my sister would be devastated if her loved ones were hurt?” Her voice cracked with fury. “I love Katya. What the fuck, Jaroslav?”

I took a slow step toward her, locking eyes.

“So what you’re saying is,” I drawled, “when Lev was disrespecting me, you stepped in and cared only because I’m someone Katya loves?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” Vera folded her arms.

Now we were standing mere inches apart.

“And when I got shot…you didn't leave me to die, and you only cared because I'm someone Katya loves…?”

“That is correct.”

Vera's words and tone said one thing, but her body language said something else. Her pupils dilated and her breathing sped up.

“And when you came home, you called Tomas and a doctor, plus got me medication. You cared only because Katya loves me?”

“Yes.” Her voice faltered as I placed my hands on her upper arms. I noticed the goosebumps that erupted along her skin.

She didn't push me away, her fingers curling in my shirt, pulling me closer.

I leaned forward, our lips almost touching.

“And you stayed up with me two days straight to take care of me…only because you didn't want Katya to be devastated if something happened to me?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Fuck it.

My lips crashed against hers. Vera moaned and melted into me, her hands sliding around my neck, fingers threading into my hair as she tugged me closer. I gripped her waist, pulling her flush against me, not ashamed of letting her feel how hard I was.

We kissed like we were starving and desperate, like fire and oxygen.

I needed this…I needed her.

She tasted better than I remembered, and my hands moved to her ass and cupped it. She arched into me and moaned.

After a few breathless minutes, she pulled back just enough to speak.

“This thing that’s going to happen between us…it’s casual.”

I kissed her again, murmuring against her lips. “Agreed. This can’t go further than sex.”

As my mouth trailed down her neck, she said, “After all…we’re married. Married couples have sex all the time. It doesn’t mean they have to like each other.”

“Mmhmm,” I grunted against her skin, backing her toward the bed.

I was too intoxicated by her taste to clearly hear the words she was speaking. I wanted to bury myself deep in her. But I need to get her clothes off.

My hands slid beneath her top, finding her warm skin.

“Jaro…”

Fuck.

I’d forgotten how much I missed hearing my name escape her lips in that soft, needy tone.

I tugged her top over her head and took a step back, admiring the red lace barely covering her full breasts. Her nipples were taut beneath the thin fabric, begging to be released.

“Take off the bra,” I commanded in a strained voice.

Vera smirked as her hands moved behind her back. She unhooked the clasp, pulled the lace off slowly, teasing me, then let it fall.

My cock hardened as I cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples hard. Vera clung to me as she closed her eyes and moaned.

I growled. “Fucking beautiful, malishka.”

Then I crushed my mouth to hers again and gently eased her down on the bed.