Page 34 of The Bratva’s Innocent Sold Bride (Fokin Bratva #9)

Now that Anatoli was in the wind and had been branching out to Lev’s San Francisco territory, I had enlisted my cousin to help in the search for my elusive enemy.

Wherever I sent a team to investigate a sighting, he had already been and gone.

The last time any mention had been made of his alter ego, Terrence, was his appearance at the gala.

He could have been anywhere, but the way he was decimating everything that was mine, it seemed like he was everywhere.

He was a worthy foe, and if I didn’t want to see him dead so badly, I could have used someone like him in my organization. But he was determined to be against me, and that always spelled the end for someone. He was just taking longer to exterminate than most, but he’d be squashed eventually.

In the meantime, I needed to keep CJ safe and glued to my side without it seeming like she was a prisoner, trapped in the house.

The answer was obvious—a trip to LA to visit my cousins and brothers, who I hadn’t seen since the wedding.

Daniil had just moved out of our cousin’s house and into one of his own, and knowing him, the place was more of a party palace than a home I’d bring my wife for a visit.

My youngest brother, Rurik, was still staying with Max and his wife, Brooke.

All my family members had raucous home lives, and I wanted a bit of peace and quiet with my bride, so I booked us into a hotel suite with an ocean view.

We only went home to throw some things together, and the warm feelings she was showing toward me again almost crumbled when I said the dog had to stay behind.

“He can’t, he’s just a baby,” she said, as if I was telling her we’d be leaving a human newborn all alone in the wilderness instead of a half-grown dog with a house full of doting staff.

“The hotel won’t allow it,” I said. She saw through that lie and waited for me to give another reason. “He’s a bit of a pain in the ass,” I admitted. I loved the little guy, but I wanted CJ to myself.

“Then book him an adjoining room.”

I cracked up, but she was deadly serious. “This is the first time I’ve seen you act like an heiress to a huge fortune.” I tried to give her a glare. “You know those days are over, right?”

She glowered right back at me. “Good thing I somehow ended up married to someone even richer than my father, isn’t it?”

“The dog is not going.”

“Yes, he is.”

An hour later, CJ had to carry Artem up the stairs of my jet because he was too much of a coward to put a single paw on the metal step.

I wanted to accuse him of faking because he tore up and down the stairs at home like they weren’t there.

I could have sworn he gave me a smug look over her shoulder as I followed.

All I could do was laugh and scruff him behind the ears.

How could I blame him when I was just as smitten with her?

At the hotel, I did end up getting the damn dog his own room, and it was lucky for me that an adjoining one was available.

I’d already seen all the hair on my side of the bed at home.

We settled in, and since I’d let my family know we’d be arriving, we had an invitation to dinner at Nik’s restaurant.

“All of them?” CJ asked, looking nervous.

“Well, not Lev and his wife, or Masha.”

She bit her lip, hurrying to choose something to wear, even though it was hours away.

I told her not to worry. Everyone still believed the cover story about our whirlwind love affair, and there was no reason they wouldn’t treat her as one of us.

When she heard that the restaurant was the famed Khoroshiy in Beverly Hills, she was intrigued.

“I’ve heard about it but can’t remember the last time I was in LA,” she said, perking up. “It’s supposed to be amazing.”

I assured her it was, with Nik’s wife as the head chef, though she might put her duties aside to dine with us.

I was right, but Emerson assured us we’d still have a five-star meal.

Like everyone else, she hugged CJ like they’d known each other for years, slid in beside her at the long table that had been hastily set up for our impromptu party, and started chatting away.

As soon as I was sure she was comfortable, I filled my brothers in on the situation up north.

Dan wanted to return with us and help out, and Rurik said he’d be on call for emergencies and come as soon as he was finished helping Ivan and Aleks out with some problems they were having in LA.

It seemed as soon as we squashed one enemy, another arose in his place.

“Do you ever think about retiring?” asked Aleks, the American Fokins’ eldest sibling.

“All the damn time,” I lied.

He laughed, seeing through me and saying he didn’t either. As exhausting as the constant battles could be, the rewards were worth it, and it was in our blood.

“What else would we do?” Daria asked, including herself, since she helped her husband, Ivan, with their holdings. She had been born into a Bratva family and had only grown tougher since marrying Ivan.

“You could always come work in the gallery,” Nat, Aleks’s eldest daughter, said, patting her small baby bump as she beamed at her husband, Kolya, who until recently had been one of the enemies we were determined to destroy.

It was funny how some things worked out, because now I trusted him like my own brother.

I peeked down the table to see CJ laughing with Mila and Jenna.

They’d probably just found out our dog shared a name with Jenna’s son.

All of the children were at their respective homes since the upscale restaurant wasn’t usually overrun with babies and toddlers, but if their parents hadn’t wanted a night to themselves, Emerson would have canceled every reservation to make room for them.

My wife turned and caught my eye. When I gave her a questioning look, she discreetly gave me a thumbs up behind her wine glass. I breathed a sigh of relief that she was having a good time, and Rurik caught it.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “Did you think she wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms?”

“Masha seems to think I’m throwing my future away on an American wife,” I said.

“That’s funny, because when I talked to her a couple of days ago, she was swooning over how happy you were and wondering if she’d ever find such a great love.”

“That doesn’t sound like our cousin Masha,” I said, looking across at Masha’s shy, somewhat dreamy sister Lilia, who was more likely to say something like that.

But either Masha was just playing along with our cover story or being a smartass… or she’d caught on to my true feelings. She had gotten me pretty worked up that day while we were waiting for Anatoli’s second in command to finish his manicure.

Rurik pointed out how our cousins had all married Americans, and I pointed out that they, too, were American now. Perhaps they better understood that urgent need for freedom and independence better than I ever would. Or maybe CJ would just have to keep trying to teach me.

The chatter grew rowdy as we continued to toast one another, and Nik had to close the doors on our private room so we wouldn’t disturb the movie stars, politicians, and other high-profile diners who had waited months to get a table.

As the dessert was being served, I made Emerson switch seats with me.

Only a couple of hours and a few feet away, and I missed CJ.

I wanted to hold her hand and make sure she wasn’t overwhelmed.

“What do you think?” I asked, gratified to see she was relieved I had come to sit with her.

“They’re all great,” she said, looking around the table a little wistfully.

She could accuse me of being old-fashioned all she wanted, but I still thought her only child's existence must have been desperately lonely. We’d eventually fill our house with children; that was a fight I wouldn’t lose.

“But you could use a break?”

“It’s a lot,” she admitted under her breath. “I’m scared to death I’ll get someone’s name wrong.”

“Well, don’t do that. We break kneecaps for that.”

It took her a blink to realize I was joking, but her brows still furrowed with anxiety. “Why didn’t you tell me you named the dog after your cousin’s son?” she whispered. “It’s a good thing Jenna wasn’t offended.”

“She wouldn’t be,” I assured her. “And I like the name. Since we couldn’t use it for our own child, this seemed the next best thing.”

A deep blush stole over her face. I leaned in to tell her how pretty she was and steal a quick kiss when someone tapped on their wine glass.

“Time for the newlyweds to kiss,” Max called, with Dima egging him on.

CJ’s face flamed bright red, but I swooped in and claimed her mouth.

My family’s laughter faded into the background, and it was just us.

Her hand slid to my thigh under the table, moving up a little too far.

I covered it with my own, feeling her smile against my lips.

We were both ready to call it a night and get back to the hotel.

When we finally broke apart, the atmosphere had quieted down.

In fact, Aleks was speaking to someone on the phone with a dark expression on his face, while Dima shared a message he had just received with Max.

A second later, Daniil must have received the same message.

As soon as he read it, he stood, patting his side where his gun lay in its holster and signaling to Rurik to follow him.

Aleks and the rest of the LA brothers were on their feet as well, heading out in a rush.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“We’ve got this,” Aleks said, preoccupied with the problem at hand, which seemed like a big one. “Enjoy your vacation.”

I grabbed his arm in a vice grip. He was lucky I didn’t punch him. “Are you fucking kidding me? If there’s trouble, I’m going to help.”

“Good,” he said, visibly relieved. “Because we’re going to need it.”

I hurriedly told CJ to stay with the women. Mila promised she’d be safe, and in Nik’s restaurant, I had no doubt. She kept an upbeat tone to her voice as she jokingly told CJ this kind of thing was typical for a family gathering, and that it was no big deal, but her eyes told a different story.

“What’s going on?” CJ asked, trying to get up to come with me.

Mila put her hand on her arm and offered reassurance. I didn’t hear the bustle to get out the door and on our way. I threw one last apologetic look at CJ and took off, ready to defend what was ours.