Page 30 of The Russian's Revenge Bride

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The guards were easy to spot. Big men in expensive suits, strategically positioned around the mansion and grounds. They tried to be subtle about it, but I’d grown up around security. I knew how to recognize the signs.

I also knew how to use them.

The first one was stationed near the kitchen. Dark hair, kind eyes, the type who probably had a wife and kids at home.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” I said, offering my best smile as I poured myself a cup of coffee. “I’m Eleanor.”

“Viktor, ma’am.”

“Please, just Eleanor. We’re practically family now, right?”

I let my fingers brush his arm as I reached for the sugar, just a whisper of contact that could have been accidental. His eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t pull away.

“Is there anything you need, ma…Eleanor?”

“Just getting to know my new home. It’s so big, so easy to get lost.” I smiled again, the kind that suggested I might needsomeone to show me around. “Maybe you could give me a tour sometime?”

Viktor cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening slightly. “I’m sure Mr. Voronov would be happy to….”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother him. He’s so busy with his important work.”

I walked away before he could respond, but I felt his eyes following me down the hallway.

The second guard was in the library. Younger, cockier, the type who thought he was God’s gift to women. This would be even easier.

“Wow,” I breathed, looking around at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. “I’ve never seen so many books in one place.”

“Mr. Voronov is very well-read,” the guard said. His nameplate read ‘Dmitri.’

“I bet he is. Smart men are so attractive, don’t you think?” I pulled a book from the shelf, letting my dress ride up slightly as I stretched. “Do you read much, Dmitri?”

“Some.”

“I love a man who reads. Shows intelligence, depth.” I moved closer, close enough that he could smell my perfume. “What’s your favorite book?”

By the time I left the library, Dmitri was practically stuttering.

I made my way through the mansion, leaving a trail of flustered guards in my wake. A touch here, a smile there, just enough to plant seeds of doubt and desire.

I was heading back to my room when I ran into Anya in the hallway.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she asked without preamble.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“The guards. I saw you with Viktor and Dmitri. Are you trying to get them killed?”

That stopped me cold. “What?”

“My brother doesn’t share. Ever. If he thinks one of his men is getting too friendly with his wife….” She made a slashing motion across her throat. “He’s put bullets in men for less.”

The casual way she said it, like discussing the weather, made my blood run cold. “He wouldn’t.”

“He would. He has. These men have families, Eleanor. Wives, children. Is your little rebellion worth their lives?”

I stared at her, processing what she’d just told me. I’d been thinking of this as a game, a way to get under Maxim’s skin and assert some control. I hadn’t considered that other people might pay the price for my defiance.