Page 13 of Cruel Russian Pakhan (Safin Bratva #1)

Lev stopped breathing beneath my hand.

My gaze snapped up to his face, confusion tightening in my chest. His eyes were locked on the entrance. I followed his line of sight, and gasped.

A woman had just walked into the room, and she looked exactly like me.

She was the same height, had the same curves, and the same light blonde hair, though hers was pulled into a high ponytail and she was wearing a short red dress.

She was laughing with another woman by her side, who shared her facial features and figure, but had light brown waves cascading over her shoulders.

They weren’t alone.

A broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and tattoos crawling up his neck led the way. Behind him were the women, and two more men followed, one with the same dark hair, the other unmistakably blonde.

A strange chill rippled through me, and my hands fell to my sides.

“What the hell?” Avit muttered, stunned.

“Everyone stay put. Not a word. Let Lev handle this,” Jaroslav ordered softly.

Lev’s hand tightened around my waist as the man at the front scanned the crowd. When his eyes fell in our direction, he stalked towards us, the others following close behind.

Marten and Pyotr moved protectively in front of Ninel and Mariya.

I wanted to take a step back, as unease clawed up my spine, but Lev's grip tightened, forcing me to stay by his side. There was something in the man’s expression that set every instinct I had on edge, and I shuddered.

The last place I wanted to be was standing beside Lev when the confrontation began.

Lev took a sip of his drink then handed his glass to Avit as Jaroslav took a few steps, positioning himself behind Lev. My breathing quickened as the man stopped a few feet away from Lev.

I noticed the stunned look on the faces of the others who stood behind him. But the man who seemed to be the oldest? His face was blank.

“Safin,” the man snarled.

“Rykov,” Lev returned icily.

“So, you have the guts to show your face in public after you botched our deal?”

“Botched our deal? Let's not forget who brought the deal to the table, Artyom, which means at any time, I can also remove the deal.” Lev paused for a moment, then continued, “My intel informed me that Vera had disappeared, that she went seven days off the grid, a week before the wedding.

Curious timing, don't you think? That doesn't exactly scream commitment in my book.”

Lev's eyes narrowed. “So tell me, Artyom…why was my fiancé missing, if you intended to hold up your end?”

Artyom’s fists clenched. “You had my sister followed?”

“The deal made it clear that Vera would be mine. Any man worth his name in the Bratva keeps eye on what’s his. You know how this works, Artyom. We’re territorial. We don’t wait around to be blindsided. We eliminate uncertainty.”

Artyom nodded in my direction as his lips curled in disdain. I felt myself shrink back.

“So you eliminated the uncertainty? Is that it, Safin? You cut Vera loose and picked up a fucking whore who looks just like her? A knockoff you could leash and control?”

Lev dropped his arm from around me and advanced on Artyom. Jaroslav mirrored him instantly. Marten, Avit, and Pyotr’s hands moved to the small of their backs, and the men now standing directly behind Artyom did the same.

I stepped back, hand clutching my chest as my heart pounded. Flashes of gunfire from the shootout tore through my mind.

“If you’re looking for a whore,” Lev's voice dripped with venom. “I suggest you check the last one you fucked. She is my wife. And you will respect her as such.”

Frantically, my eyes darted around the room, watching as the rest of the room carried on, chatting and laughing, oblivious to the conversation unfolding inches from disaster.

Since it was confirmed that Lev had kidnapped and married the wrong woman, if things escalated, would he protect me like last time or would he let me die?

The room began to spin as I struggled to stop myself from hyperventilating.

Not knowing if I'd be safe, I took another step back and another, my breathing quickening with every step. I needed to leave. I needed to get out of there.

Suddenly, a hand circled my waist startling me, halting my retreat.

I looked into Mariya's confident eyes.

“We’ll be okay,” she whispered.

I nodded, barely. Her grip tightened as I turned my eyes to Lev.

“Respect? Your family no longer has the little respect I did have for you not after the fucking stunt you pulled. I already had plans for using that route that was in the deal, and you fucked that up, Safin. You cost me millions. And for that you will pay.”

“Are you threatening me?” Lev asked, his tone controlled, but every muscle in his back tensed.

Artyom took a step forward to Lev, his gray eyes darkening. “I am. What are you going to do about it?”

Lev chuckled darkly. His voice held a hint of amusement as he spoke.

“You must really take me for a fool. Do you really think I'd put bullets in your skull here?” Lev paused for a moment and looked around. “Not that it's not tempting.” The amusement from his voice faded and was replaced with malice when he spoke again. “But make no mistake, Artyom, by calling me your enemy, you’ve already started a war you can’t win.”

Lev stepped back, took my hand in his, and we made our way out of the party to Lev's SUV where Rocco was waiting. As I got in, I saw Lev's siblings getting into the other cars. As soon as Lev hopped into the car, he instructed Rocco to take us home.

The tension on the way home made me nervous. I shot glances at Lev, but he kept his gaze straight ahead, his face like stone.

As soon as the car pulled into the compound and parked, I rushed to my room, my mind spinning from the night’s events. I’d never believed in doppelg?ngers, until tonight. Seeing that woman, the one who looked exactly like me, changed everything.

Piece by piece, it all started to make sense.

Lev had been meant to marry Artyom’s sister, Vera, as part of some deal.

But when she disappeared, he must’ve mistaken me for her, and forced me into marrying him instead.

Not once did he admit he’d made a mistake or married the wrong woman.

He even introduced me as his wife, carefully avoiding my name.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands.

What the hell was going to happen to me?

At that moment, Lev stormed into the room like a force of nature, locking the door behind him. When he turned to face me, his fists were clenched, his face twisted with rage.

I jumped to my feet as he pointed a finger at me and glared.

“Artyom hired you, didn’t he?” His voice was cold. “You’re nothing but a fucking actress. He made me believe Vera vanished, then planted you to screw with me. Make me fall for a fake, then pulled the rug from under me.”

“What?” I stared at him in disbelief. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“Don’t play dumb,” he snapped, voice rising.

“I’m not the one playing dumb here. You are! I told you from the beginning,” I choked out angrily, “I wasn't Vera!”

He stepped forward. “Because you weren't Vera. That was probably the only truthful thing you told me! What are the odds that you look exactly like her, huh? Artyom found you. He paid you. You played me like a goddamn fiddle.”

“You think I wanted this?” I shouted, stepping toward him.

“You think there is any amount of money on this earth that would make me want to marry a man like you? Cold, controlling, and possessive? You think I’d choose to be married to a fucking mafia boss?

To be kidnapped, locked up like a damn prisoner, shot at, accused of things I didn’t do?

Do you have any idea what I’ve lost because of you? !”

“Lost? Artyom probably paid you millions!” Lev snarled. “Everyone has a price,” he snapped. “For the right amount of money, you’d say yes to anything.”

“Everybody in your world probably has a price, but in my world , we have morals and integrity!”

Lev didn't say anything. I realized there was no way I'd get through to him this way.

“God, you are so stubborn,” I hissed, shaking my head. “Fine. Let’s go with your logic. Let’s say Artyom did hire me. Let’s say this was all a setup. Explain something to me.”

I marched up to him, jabbing a finger into his chest.

“Why didn't I cause a scene at the party and escape?

Why didn't Artyom make you look like a complete fool in front of everyone?

He had the perfect opportunity to do that.

To take you down a few pegs. And why the hell would I step foot in this place again, knowing you'd probably kill me for betraying you?”

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t answer.

“What kind of idiot would do that unless she was telling the truth? Trust and believe that I want nothing more than to get away from a man like you.”

I took a few steps back. The silence between us crackled like a live wire.

Lev let out a cold laugh, clapping slowly as he stalked toward me and I stepped back.

“You really are a phenomenal actress,” he sneered. “But since you’re so full of questions, I’ve got a few of my own.”

He didn’t stop coming towards me until my back hit the wall and I had nowhere else to go.

“Was it all an act?” he asked, but he didn't wait for me to respond because he continued.

“Did you fake it when you kissed me?” His voice was dangerously low as his hand reached for my neck, though his fingers didn't tighten. “When you moaned my name? When you came apart beneath my fingers?”

Each word was rougher than the last, rasping from his throat like a growl. His lips hovered just a breath away from mine, causing goosebumps to erupt along my skin.

Before I could gather my thoughts to answer, Lev gripped my waist with his other hand and pressed his lips against mine.

God help me, I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

His tongue teased mine as it explored my mouth. My fingers tangled in his hair, nails scraping his scalp as he deepened the kiss. He was already hard against me, and my traitorous body responded instantly. A low, desperate moan slipped from me.

I hated him for it.

I hated how much I wanted him in that moment.

Lev hooked one leg of my legs around his hip, then the other, lifting me effortlessly. Instinct took over and I wrapped my legs around him, gasping as I felt his hard cock between the thin fabric of my dress and my already damp panties.

I rolled my hips against him, wanting him closer, aching to have him inside me, when a low, hungry growl rumbled from his chest.

“Lev…”

Katya! Stop! What the hell are you doing? He’s throwing accusations like knives and you’re kissing him? This man doesn't care about you! Get it together!

My eyes flew open at the realization and I shoved him with everything I had.

He staggered back, startled, dropping my legs.

I nearly tripped in my heels but managed to slip away, heart pounding, retreating to the other side of the room.

With my arms wrapped tightly around myself, I blinked through the sudden sting of tears.

He didn’t move. He just stood there…staring.

Something in my heart told me that if Lev didn’t believe me, that was it.

I’d never see the light of day again. He could keep me here and the world wouldn’t blink.

The most terrifying part was that the man I was shamefully drawn to, the man who didn’t give a damn about me, held my entire future in his hands.

He could twist it, break it, shape it to his will…

and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him.