Page 53

Matthias

Dinner went well. My brothers didn’t make a fool of themselves, so that’s a relief.

Unsurprisingly, Margot hit it off with Bash. He’s the most approachable out of us. If you met him on the street, you’d never guess he’s involved in criminal activities. He lulls people in with his sweet smile and soft demeanor, but he can be just as ruthless as the rest of us.

If he weren’t my brother, I’d be a little jealous of how much of my sweet girl’s attention he got tonight.

Her attention should be on me. Only me. She definitely shouldn’t be laughing at another man’s jokes. Or sharing her smiles with anyone else. Just the sight of it made my blood boil.

Surprisingly, she got along with Roman too.

I guess saving her from an attack forms a bond.

She doesn’t seem scared of him anymore, which is good, since he’ll be around more with the Bratva threat looming.

They got along like siblings, teasing each other, laughing at my expense.

I should be annoyed, but I can’t be. Watching her enjoy my family fills me with hope of a happy future.

My parents accepted her like she’s already theirs. Mom saw her as family the second she laid eyes on her. You can tell what kind of woman Margot is just by being near her. And Dad’s treating her like the daughter he never had.

When Margot and I disagreed about how she’ll no longer be working, because I will be supporting her, my parents were won over. They love that she’s not afraid to argue with me. That she’s not chasing my money.

But she’s out of her goddamn mind if she thinks she’s ever moving out of my place.

Fucking Dom. I would’ve fought him earlier if Roman hadn’t stepped in.

How dare he make her uncomfortable? And he didn’t bother trying to fix it over dinner.

He just alternated between interrogating her and ignoring her.

That won’t fly. No one treats Margot like she’s out of place. I won’t allow it.

***

“There are things we need to discuss. Brothers, in the study. Now,” Dom says, pushing from the table and heading towards Dad’s office.

“Please excuse us. We’ll be back shortly,” Bash says to Margot, with a charming grin on his face that’s starting to piss me off.

If he looks at my woman like that again, I swear to God I’ll–

Then Roman fucking winks at her, and she laughs like they’re in on some inside joke . I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.

I lean in and press a kiss to her head. “We’ll be back soon, sweetheart. Mom and Dad will keep you company.”

She kisses my cheek and flashes me her sweet smile. “Don’t worry about me. We’ll be just fine. Evelyn wanted to show me a few things. ”

I shoot Mom a warning look. I trust Mom with my life, but she loves to meddle. And I don’t want anyone dissecting what Margot and I have. It’s too new. Too fragile.

Also, if Mom finds out I kidnapped her, she’ll kill me. Dad and Bash will help.

Fuck, Bash.

He definitely recognized her earlier. He’s probably pissed. Hopefully Margot won him over, and he’s forgotten what I had him help me do.

We follow Dom into Dad’s study. As soon as the door shuts, both he and Bash turn to me, anger in their eyes.

“Who is she? Why is she here?” Dom snaps, just as Bash explodes. “Why is fucking Margot Peterson in our living room? What the fuck did you have me involved in?”

They’re both pissed. Dom may sound calm, but I can see it in his eyes. Bash, however, is not hiding anything. He’s furious. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this worked up.

Dom turns to Bash. “How do you know her? What did he involve you in?”

Fuck .

This is unraveling faster than I’d hoped.

Roman won’t care. He’s already covering for me.

Bash’s furious, and when he connects the dots, he’ll be worse.

Dom is the wildcard. He’s done questionable shit. But keeping the truth from him about Margot and the attacks? That might be what sets him off.

Bash’s voice cuts through. “You made me run her background. You said it was for the Syndicate. Was that what the phone thing was about too? You had me cut her off from everyone. You swore you wouldn’t hurt her. You lied to me. And I helped you do it.”

“She isn’t hurt. Look at her. She’s fine. ”

Bash isn’t buying it.

Dom narrows his eyes. “When did this happen? And what happened? Why did you use Bash to do all that?”

“Look, we can get into the semantics of my relationship later.” More like never. “Right now, we need to talk about the Bratva. There’s a new development.”

“Why are you involved with the Bratva?” Dom asks skeptically.

“Dom, let him talk. He’ll explain everything.” Roman interjects, looking just as frustrated.

I tell them what happened. About the attack. What Margot told me about the Koschei Group. I start from when Roman and I found her at her place but leave out everything prior.

When I finish, Dom is quiet. Processing.

Bash, however, is not.

“Why was Roman with you? And why were you following her to her house? What did they mean about two men disappearing?”

Fuck. He’s putting it together. He’s too damn smart.

Roman chooses this moment to chip in. “I was at Matthias’s place when she ran away.

He freaked out, needing to catch her before she disappeared.

I was curious about the girl making him lose his fucking mind, so I went with him.

And it’s a damn good thing I did. This fucker didn’t even bring his gun. ”

I shoot Roman a death glare. Traitor.

“SHE RAN AWAY FROM YOU?” Bash yells, right as Dom says, “You didn’t bring a gun?”

I pause, trying to decide which one is safer to answer.

Dom. Definitely Dom.

Guns are more forgiving than kidnapping.

“I left in such a rush, I forgot it. It won’t happen again,” And it won’t. I’ll never be unarmed when it comes to protecting Margot .

Dom opens his mouth, but Bash cuts in.

“WHY WAS SHE TRYING TO ESCAPE YOU?”

He’s yelling now. He’s not letting this go.

I glance at Roman for backup, but he just raises an eyebrow wanting answers too.

“She… may not have been choosing to stay at my place at the time,” I say slowly. “But she’s here now of her own free will, so does it matter?” I shrug. “And keep your voice down. If Mom finds out, I’ll destroy every one of your computers.”

“Yes, it fucking matters! Why were you forcing her to stay with you? That sounds like you kidnapped her.” Bash laughs. It’s not a good laugh. It’s unhinged.

I go quiet.

They all stare at me.

Dom’s voice is low. “Was the girl being kept against her will?”

“She overheard a conversation between me and Roman about interrogating a Bratva guy. Then she witnessed the alley attack. At the time, I thought they were after me. Turns out, they were after her. How ironic. I didn’t know that and couldn’t risk her going to the cops.

So… I took her. I didn’t know what else to do.

I messed up.” I exhale. “But things changed quickly. I didn’t expect to care this much.

And now we’re happy together. So, it’s fine. ”

“You kidnapped a girl! AND I HELPED YOU!”

Bash launches himself at me.

Caught off guard, I lose my balance, and we hit the floor. Before I can react, Roman pulls him off me.

“Get it together,” Roman says. “She’s happy with him now. Did you see how pathetically in love they are? He even lets her call him Matty.” Roman reasons with Bash. He looks at me. “The only way you can get a girl is through kidnapping her? Pathetic. ”

“Fuck off. I’m sorry for involving you, Bash, but I needed your help. And she’s happy now. You can go ask her yourself. Just… don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

Bash shoots daggers at me with his eyes, clearly still upset.

Dom brings it back around. “We need to talk about this Koschei Group. This might be the missing piece. I want to talk to the girl. Bring her in.”

“No. She’s not getting dragged into this.” My voice sharpens. “And her name is Margot. Stop calling her ‘the girl.’”

“She’s already involved.” Dom says coldly. “ She brought us into this. Now I want to know what she knows. This isn’t up for debate.”

I grind my teeth hating that he’s right.

“Fine,” I bite out. “But Dom, get your shit together around Margot. She’s it for me. If you make her uncomfortable again, I’ll shoot you.”

And I mean it.

I won’t kill him.

But I’ll put him on his ass.

No one disrespects my woman.