Page 23

Egor sat back in his leather chair, drumming his fingers against the armrest. His gaze bore into mine sharply.

A day had passed since the showdown with the police at the lake house. Luckily, we’d managed to escape after the fire, and Dobryn had his ear on the ground for any news—anything that could implicate Giselle—but there wasn’t any so far.

But that wasn’t the end of everything.

I’d gotten a text from Egor an hour ago about meeting him in one of the casinos owned by the Bratva in the city. He’d recently picked an interest in this place, and as old as it was, I had to admit it was one of the best we had.

Our frequent visitors were politicians, heads of other criminal organizations, and corrupt cops.

The music blaring from the speakers outside somehow seeped into the office, while the smell of cigarettes wafted in through the gap between the door and the frame.

I sat on the velvet couch across from the mahogany desk where Egor was sitting, gaze pinned on him as I tried to see through the blank expression on his face. More men had died for less, but I had doubts it would get to that, considering we were family and I’d done what needed to be done to protect Giselle.

Without her, we would’ve never found that shipment to begin with, and Egor wasn’t the kind of guy who would ignore that.

He’d somehow heard about the burnt shipment on the news last night and given the blank expression on his face. I couldn’t quite pinpoint how angry he was. There was no way he was happy about this; the shipment had cost millions of dollars.

But I had no regrets. I would happily bear the wrath of his rage if it meant keeping Giselle safe.

His brows rose, a wicked smirk tugging on his lips. “Tyfun-1. Gone.”

I swallowed, taking a deep breath before I replied. “Burnt.”

He scoffed. “You’re gutsy, Andrei.”

“Runs in the family.”

He nodded. “A bad trait with us Yezhovs. I want the full report on why my shipment, worth millions, is now nothing but a pile of ashes.”

I cleared my throat, circling the rim of the glass in my hand. He wasn’t going to like the answer he would get, especially since he already didn’t approve of Giselle. Still, I couldn’t lie to him. He had to know the truth.

“The police tracked us down to the lake house. That fucker Gavril must’ve stroked a deal with them or something because they found us.”

He exhaled loudly, waiting for me to finish.

“There was no way that shipment was leaving there with us. It was either we got caught trying to smuggle it out, or we left it there.”

His brows drew with a frown. “If you’d left it there, at least we could’ve found a way to get it back. It’s not that hard to find a cop to bribe.”

“It is not, but the house was under Giselle’s name. If they found it there, they would have reasons to cuff her and shackle her to trial like a fucking dog. I wasn’t going to let anyone touch her.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed his jaw, nodding slowly with understanding. “So, all of this—the reason I lost millions worth of shipment—is because you were trying to protect a woman?”

“Not just a woman,” I corrected. “My wife. I would burn a million more shipments to see that she is safe.”

A moment of silence stretched between us. I expected his rage, and I was ready for it. I didn’t give a shit if he chose to put a bullet in my head right now; I would die a happy man knowing my woman was home and safe.

But rather than the bloodshot eyes I expected, he grinned.

He pushed up from his chair, strode across the room, and placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing tightly. “You did the right thing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, confused that he was applauding me.

“You chose honor over greed. You protected what’s yours.” Egor’s grin widened, approval gleaming in his eyes. “That is the core of the Bratva.”

Relief washed through me. I hadn’t expected him to let it go so easily or even applaud me for it; I’d readied myself for the worse, but hearing those words settled something in my chest.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

He shook his head as he returned to his chair. “There is no need to thank me, Andrei. We’re family—brothers. The most we can do is look out for each other. The girl is a Yezhov now; she is part of the family, and keeping her safe also comes first.”

My lips curled with a smile. “You seem like you’ve finally accepted her.”

He chuckled and took a swig of his drink. “It wasn’t the girl I had problems with. It was you.”

“Me?”

“I needed to know for certain you knew the responsibilities that came with marriage,” he explained. “A woman is not an item for our possession, but you choosing to put her first means you already knew all of that.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But Giselle was the reason I learned all of that. With most women I’d met before her, it was always just sex, entertainment, and nothing more. With her, it was different.

She was the flicker of light in my dark tunnel.

The only good part of my dark existence.

I sighed, thinking back to Rafayel’s words. This was what love was, and she was the first person I’d ever held such a strong desire for.

A knock came on the door, and Miron sauntered in with his hair tousled and a wild look in his eyes.

He reeked of tequila and pussy.

I wrinkled my face in disgust. “There’s something called taking a shower after fucking. You must not have heard of that, you fucking idiot.”

He smiled and slumped next to me on the couch. “Look who’s talking.” A playful grin tugged at the corners of his lips, and his eyes glinted with mischief. “Marriage becomes you, dear cousin.”

“And being a drunk, pussy-whipped idiot becomes you,” I replied, patting his back. “You need to get your shit together soon.”

“I’ve seen how you men live. I’ll be damned before I let myself become that kind of a mess.”

I nodded. I’d thought the same thing months ago, and here I was, risking it all for a woman I never thought I’d meet.

She’d been freaking worried this morning, afraid of how this would turn out. I needed to go back home to her. I needed to see her face and watch her give that delightful smile when I broke the news to her.

Rising to my feet, I smoothed out my suit and nodded to the Pakhan . “I’ll be leaving now. I’ll give you an update if there’s any soon.”

He nodded back. “ Khorosho.”

Dobryn was leaning on the white S.U.V. when I reached the parking lot. His face wrinkled with concern when he saw me. “How did it go, sir?”

“Luckily, he wasn’t angry.” I climbed into the back seat, pulling out my phone to text Giselle that I was on my way home.

The car roared beneath me, and soon, Dobryn reeled it out of the parking lot. “Where are we going now?” he asked, peering at me through the rearview mirror.

“Home….” I trailed off as I thought of Giselle. I hadn’t gotten her anything yet ever since we got married.

We’d been able to find the shipment with her help, although I’d had to destroy it to protect her. It was still a million times better than one of the rivals getting their hands on it.

“Stop by a florist shop,” I ordered as I pocketed my phone.

Dobryn’s gaze met mine in the mirror. “Flowers?” he asked. “That’s a first for you, Andrei,” he teased.

I shook my head. He needed to pick a side; one day, he’d choose to call me sir, and the next day, I was Andrei.

Dobryn was the only one of my men with whom I had that sort of relationship. He’d been by my side since we were teenagers, and I trusted him more than anyone else. We were more friends than anything else.

Ignoring his teasing, I asked, “What type of flowers do women like?”

He made a noise with his throat as he thought. “Roses, lilies. There are a ton of them. Depends on which one matches her personality.”

“I’ll have to decide when we get to the store.”

He pulled over in front of a floral store minutes later.

The moment I stepped into the store, one of the florists was holding a bouquet that caught my attention.

I smiled.

The soft pink petals were layered and perfectly symmetrical, like porcelain roses. I knew instantly that this style best suited Giselle’s personality.

That was exactly what I needed.

“What is that called?”

The florist smiled at me; her brown eyes lit up. “Camellias.”

“I need a bouquet of those for my wife.” Today was the first time I’d used that word, and it tasted delicious on the tip of my tongue.

My wife.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this has been booked already,” she said, her smile fading into an apologetic look. “This was grown in a greenhouse and cost a fortune to fly in. It’s very pricey, but I can get you something similar.”

“I don’t want something similar,” I deadpanned. “I want this. When can you get another one into the city?”

She chewed on her lip. “By tonight, but—”

“No buts.” I pulled out my black card and slid it over to her. “I want it flown in by tonight. I don’t care how much it costs.”

And there was no way in hell I was going home tonight without the damn camellias.

***

When I got home, Giselle was standing in the living room, arms crossed, waiting. Her hair was loose, falling in dark waves over her shoulders. Her lips parted slightly as her gaze dropped to the box in my hands.

She held her chest and exhaled. She ran to me, pressing up on her toes to hug me.

I snaked one arm around her waist, hugging her back. She smelled jasmine and vanilla tonight—delicious and sweet.

“I was so worried, Andrei,” she whispered, hugging me tightly, as if I would vanish into thin air if she pulled away. “You told me you were coming home hours ago.”

I pulled back first and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “I was coming home until I saw something that looked just as beautiful as you.”

She peered at the box again but completely ignored it. “Did you get into trouble? Was the Pakhan mad at you?”

I looked at her long and hard—the way her brows creased with worry and her emerald eyes darkened with fear. It was the first time I’d seen her worry for me, and it was cute.

My chest warmed at the thought that this woman, who had hated me passionately just a few months ago, cared about me so much. “He wasn’t,” I finally replied, cupping her cheek. “It’s nothing. We lost a shipment; they’ll make a new one in a few months. It’s no issue.”

“Are you sure? You’re not lying to me just so I won’t worry, are you?”

I smiled at her. “I’m not. It really wasn’t an issue.”

She let out a breath. “Thank goodness. I was losing my mind from how worried I was.” She finally shifted her attention to the black matte box tied with a pink ribbon I was holding. Her brow lifted curiously.

“Take it, it’s yours,” I said as I held out the box to her.

She eyes the box suspiciously, slowly taking it from me. “What’s inside?”

“Open it and see for yourself.”

She sighed. “Aren’t you full of surprises, Mr. Yezhov?”

Opening the box, her eyes dilated.

Camellias, white and pink. They were pure and delicate, untouched by the filth of this world. Just like her.

She covered her mouth as she gasped. “Camellias?” She glanced at me, completely shocked. “These are so expensive and hard to find in New York.”

I grinned proudly as I watched her admire the flowers.

Her fingers hovered over the petals, hesitating. “They’re beautiful.”

“They are, but not nearly as beautiful as my wife,” I said. They’d cost ten thousand dollars, but that was nothing. I would spend a hundred times more than that to see that look of pleasant surprise on her face—and that gorgeous smile that made my heart flutter.

She looked up at me, a flicker of warmth shimmering in her emerald pools. “Why, Andrei?” She gently set the flowers on the coffee table and moved closer to me. “Why are you doing all of this? You even went as far as burning an expensive shipment to save me. That could have gotten you in big trouble.”

I reached for her face, brushing my knuckles against her cheeks and relishing in the way she leaned into my touch. “Because I didn’t want you rotting away in jail, solnishko . And I got you flowers because you’re my wife. You deserve that much from me.”

She placed her hands on mine, her eyes boring into me as if she needed more answers. She already knew I didn’t want her rotting in jail, but she didn’t yet understand why.

“Were you afraid your reputation would get damaged if your wife was in jail?” she asked softly, her gaze never leaving mine.

“My reputation is nothing.” I traced a circle over her lips, feeling the warmth of her breath on the tip of my finger. “It’s because you’re important to me, more important than anything else in my life.”

Her breath was shallow, and a flush crept across her cheeks and spread all the way to her neck. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, her eyes wild with need.

I tilted her chin up, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

My insides raked with more than just desire. What I felt was devotion, need, and something even deeper—all wrapped together.

Her body grew taut, her fingers restless from where they were locked together behind my neck.

I placed a finger beneath her chin, and then I captured her lips in a slow kiss.

I intended to pass on one message: She was mine, not in the way a master owned a slave or a person owned property.

She was mine in the way a man cherished a woman.

All mine.