Forced to Marry the Russian (Nikolai Bratva Brides #2)

Chapter 3 - Lev

Lev’s instincts kicked in.

He ignored Konstantin’s call and rushed after her, pushing the screaming crowd aside. She struggled under the weight of the beam, and he crouched to his knees. The question in her eyes was unmistakable, but there was no time to explain. Even Lev couldn’t understand why he’d rushed after her.

He successfully jacked the beam off her and pulled her to safety, Konstantin slowly creating the path in front of them.

Together, as they stumbled out of the burning club, he wrapped his arm tightly around her, shielding her from the falling debris and panicked crowd. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her, to keep her safe from harm. They stumbled into the cool night air as more of his men rushed into the scene.

Konstantin barked out rapid orders in Russian but stayed behind to keep watch.

They leaned against a wall, and she staggered, lowering herself to the ground. He followed her, cradled her head in his hand, and put the other on her chest to keep her steady.

Zia trembled in his arms and then looked up at him. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice shaking. Patches of dirt covered her face and hands. A sleeve of her blouse slid downwards below her shoulder, and her skirt was ripped at the hem.

She looked so vulnerable, so weak.

The fire in her eyes—the one that challenged me for inviting her to my house—had died down.

Now, her lips quivered, and tears rolled down her cheeks. He held her close, succumbing to the primal desire to keep her away from harm.

More rapid gunfire resonated from inside the club, and more screams filled the air. Bodies dropped like dead flies around them, while some managed to escape unscathed.

But none of them concerned him.

His eyes scanned the rubbles around them, and fury spread through every inch of him. He needed to get them to safety. “We need to get out of here, now.”

She said something indistinct, and he lowered his ear to her lips.

“What was that?”

“I feel… I feel dizzy.”

Konstantin fired over their heads, and, in shock, she shrieked and threw her arms around him. He should have turned away, not allowed her to hold him so close. But her scent, a mixture of flowers, blood, and sweat, reeled him in deeper.

Blood?

Swiftly, he pulled back and assessed her, from her head to her clothes. As he checked her head, down her neck, the explosions and gunfire exchanges soon ceased.

That’s when he saw it. The trail of blood behind one of her arms. She’d grazed the skin deeply, and red gushed out. It must have been when she got knocked down inside.

Alarmed, he rose to his feet, scooping her up in his arms, bridal style.

“Boss…”

He ignored the caution and marched toward the sleek black Mercedes parked by the curb.

Konstantin fell in step beside him, walking ahead to get his attention. His blue eyes were cold, calculative, and questioning as always. But now was not the time.

Lev growled. “Kostya, open the fucking door.”

Hesitantly but without a word, he opened the passenger door, and Lev gently lowered her onto the seat. He shut the door and faced Konstantin. Even if he knew what was coming, he wasn’t fazed.

Lev curled his fist and raised it, aiming fast toward his jaw. But, at the last minute, he stopped himself from breaking something.

“Boss, listen… I know I don’t question you—”

“You fucking question me all the time, Kostya. It’s one of the reasons I’ve come this close,” he brought his index finger and thumb close to each other. “this fucking close to breaking your jaw multiple times. What the fuck is it now?”

He pointed at the glass, and Lev turned. She was shaking. Her eyelids dropped and opened slowly. She clutched her side and dropped her head against the window.

“The girl.”

“What about her?” He rubbed his temple, agitated. Seeing her in pain rubbed him the wrong way. “She’s hurt, and it’s not like it’s any of your fucking business, but I have to take her out of here.”

“Do you need to? I mean, I can get Ivan to take her to the hospital. We don’t have to make her our responsibility.”

“Didn’t say she was my responsibility.”

“I’m just saying we have to be cautious, that’s all. With all that’s happening, she could be a part of the plan to ruin you.”

Lev turned away from him, going over to the driver’s side. “I highly doubt that she is a part of anyone’s ploy to ruin me. Look at her—she can barely defend herself. I offered her an opportunity to spend the night with me, and she got offended by it. What does that tell you?”

“That the enemy can never run out of ideas or strategies?” He shrugged and looked around cautiously.

Again, Lev knew he was right. If Cillian really was after the Bratva, he was going to take lengths and do everything he could to bring them down. But one look at her, writhing in pain on the seat, told him all he needed to know. She was just a victim of circumstance.

“Look, focus on getting the bastard that’s responsible for this mess here at the club. I need to know everything there is who did this and why? I’ll take care of the girl. And if I find out that she’s a weapon, like you think she is, we’ll handle it.”

By the look on his face, Lev knew he’d gotten the communication.

“Yes. Got it.” He nodded and backed away from the car after Lev got in.

The engine started, and he backed the car away from the curb. She groaned and mumbled, “It hurts,” under her breath.

He stole a glimpse at her from over his shoulder and returned his attention to the road ahead. She was peering outside the window, a distant look in her eyes.

“It looks pretty bad. We’ll need to get that cleaned up. I can take you home—to your house, that is.”

She was silent for a moment, and he thought they were going to continue from where they’d left off in the private room after he offered her to spend a night with him. She croaked, muffled a groan, and sighed before he heard her speak.

“I don’t have a medical kit at my house—if I can even call it that. I stay at an Airbnb. You wanna know the funny story? I moved in today.” She laughed at herself—at least, she tried to laugh. It sounded more like a choked sob. “So, basically, I have nothing much there. Just a few things to sleep on.”

Her voice sounded strained, like every effort to speak drew more and more strength out of her.

“It’s fine. I’ll take you to my house then.”

Her head left the window in an instant, and her eyes snapped toward him the second the words were out of his mouth.

They shared a look.

He rolled his eyes, jaw clenched. He wasn’t sure why it upset him that she immediately thought the worst of him.

“Take your mind out of the gutter, Malyshka. Contrary to what you’re possibly thinking, I don’t want you to bleed out and die. I have a medic kit at my house. We can get you cleaned up there.”

She scoffed. “I grazed an arm. I’m not going to die.”

Lev felt his lips quirk. She might have been on her deathbed, but her stubbornness and confidence shone through unapologetically.

“It’ll surprise you to know that you can die by bleeding out.”

She rolled her eyes, but he caught the hint of a smile on her lips. “Don’t mock my intelligence.”

They arrived at the house a moment later, and he wasn’t surprised to see her passed out, with her head drooping on the window. Shutting off the engine, he strutted over to her side and scooped her into his arms.

A few of his men stood guard outside, and he noticed their heads move quietly in Zia’s direction when he walked past the door.

The walk up the steps was fairly quiet, with the sturdy claps of his shoes leaving echoes in the hallway.

He kicked the bedroom door shut with his feet and laid her gently on the mattress. She groaned but didn’t wake up. Even with the cuts, bruises, and bloodied clothes, she was still a sight for sore eyes.

Unable to hold himself, he traced a thumb feather lightly down her jawline and eyed the patches of dirt covering the smooth skin on her chest.

She stirred, her long lashes fluttering as she curved deeper into the sheets like she’d never had a better sleep.

Lev didn’t know how long he’d sat watching her. He didn’t want to wake her, but when she brushed her arm against the sheets and winced, he remembered why he’d brought her home in the first place.

As quickly as he could, he took brisk steps to the cabinet in the bathroom and returned to the room with a fully stocked medical kit.

Lev sat back by her side and got to work. And that was when she woke up. Her eyes opened, but she didn’t utter a word. Just watched his hands move with precision as he cleaned the deep graze.

Zia winced again, her eyes squeezing shut, but his gentle touch and soothing voice seemed to calm her. “Almost done, Malyksha . Just a little while longer.”

She nodded.

He applied a topical antibiotic cream and carefully bandaged the area, his fingers brushing against her skin with a surprising warmth. As he worked, his focus didn’t shift; his eyes locked on her face, monitoring the slightest grunts and movements of pain.

Even his tenderness amazed him.

He’d never done this for any woman before Zia, and he didn’t feel threatened or repulsed by the idea of nursing her back to health.

When he finished, he gave her arm a soft pat.

“Give it a couple of days, and you’ll be able to give it a good swing again,” he said, his voice low and gentle. “Just keep it clean and dry.”

Zia blinked, a soft smile on her lips. “I don’t know why you’re doing this for me, but thank you. I appreciate warm gestures.”

He didn’t know why, either.

Why was he doing any of this? Keeping her safe? Taking care of her?

His gaze dipped to her lips as she spoke, and they traveled further down.

No explanation.

No time for answers.

“Sure,” he eyed her clothes and sensed the sudden shift between them when her eyes followed his.

“What?” she asked, barely audibly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your clothes are dirty,” he pointed out, even if he looked beyond the clothes.

There was an insane pull to this confident, beautiful young woman. One he couldn’t explain. A pull strong enough to make him forget all reason and lean closer. Close enough to hear her breathing speed pick up.

“Yeah,” she stuttered and let out a cough. “Yeah, I know they are. I’m, uh… I’m going to have to change into…”

“But you don’t have clothes here.” His eyes lingered on the small dip of her breasts exposed from a loose button on her top.

Their conversation slowed, the words hanging in the air. The silence between them grew heavier, disturbed only by the soft hum from the air conditioner.

Lev’s hand, once idle on his thigh, now crept closer, his fingers brushing against her arm. She didn’t pull away, her skin tingling at the touch. The crackle of electricity was so real, he could almost feel it, like the first sparks of a fire.

The room seemed to shrink, the space between them shrinking to nothing. Their breathing synchronized, the only sound in the stillness. The air vibrated with a thrill, and he cursed under his breath, knowing he was falling hard in the moment.

He tipped her chin up, looking her in the eyes when he said, “I have this urge to do something crazy right now, Zia.”

Her eyes grew big, but she didn’t pull back. He could swear he heard her heartbeat plummeting from her chest.

“What—What’s that?”

If she already suspected what was about to do, she was really good at playing innocent.

He smirked.

“This,” he whispered, and dove right in.

The air between them charged up with tension. He reached out, his hand cradling her face, and pulled her in. Their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss, but the spark between them ignited a flame that he didn’t want to be contained.

The kiss deepened, their mouths moving in perfect sync. Lev’s hands tangled in Zia’s hair, pulling her closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The world around them melted away, leaving only them lost in the passion of the moment.

Soft moans filled his ears and the sound of heavy breathing. The intensity built, their bodies pressing closer, the kiss becoming more urgent, more demanding. His fingers slipped in under her shirt, and one hand gripped her thigh. She was softer. A lot softer than the redhead from the club. Her small fingers fisted his shirt, her tongue sought deeper entrance into his mouth, and at that moment, Lev knew he was going to finish what he had started.