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

Chapter 16 - Lev

“You must know why I am here.”

Darnell Bruno, the CEO of Darnell’s Event Planning, flinched in his seat. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. “I-I don’t.”

Lev crossed his legs, biting back a smile. The man was already afraid of him, so scaring him any further wasn’t in his best interest. “You’re not as good at lying as you think, Darnell. You worked for my brother for years. I know better than anyone that you wouldn’t be shaking so much if you did nothing wrong.

Darnell’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re mistaken. I have nothing to hide.” He smiled nervously. “I’m only surprised you came to my office in person. We haven’t met your brother put you in charge.”

“Hmm.” Lev brushed off something invincible from his fingernail. “We met the night my club was attacked, Darnell. I’m surprised you don’t remember.”

Darnell’s smile dropped. “Oh. I’ve been so busy that I forgot. I’m sorry about that night, it was unfortunate.”

Scratching the back of his head, Lev chuckled. “Unfortunate?” He swiped a hand over his hair. “The only unfortunate thing will be you if you don’t tell me that attack happened. My club has tight security, so the only reason anyone could bypass that security is if they went through you.”

Darnell’s eyes watered, but he stood his ground, lying through his ugly brown teeth. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”

Lev sighed. His exasperation was bubbling inside him like a tornado. The circle meeting was in two days; he needed proof that Cillian was behind the attack. Hard evidence was the only way the other mafia families wouldn’t step in when it was time to take care of the Irish mafia.

He nodded to Konstantin and Ilya, who were standing at either of his sides. The two men nodded back. They marched forward, grabbed Darnell, and pinned his face to his desk.

Pulling out his gun from the holster strapped to his chest, Lev stood up and prowled to the table. He pointed the tip of his gun close to Darnell’s face. “I am not a very patient man, Darnell, and neither are my men. Tell me who it was, and we’ll be on our merry way.”

Darnell groaned in pain. “They’ll hurt my family. They threatened my wife and children.”

“Who?” Lev barked.

“Please don’t kill me,” Darnell cried. “I didn’t want to do it. I had no choice.”

“Interesting. You fear whoever it was, but you don’t fear me or my brother.” He cocked his gun. “You have until the count of three. One… two—”

“It was Cillian Moore,” Darnell yelled, panting. “He came to see me the night before the event. He offered me money, and when I refused… he showed me a picture of his men hovering around my house and threatened to hurt my family.”

Lev nodded at his men to leave Darnell. “Go on.”

Darnell straightened up and smothered his suit. “He said something about avenging someone who was like a father to him. I swear I only did it because I wanted to protect my family.”

“Do you have any proof?” Lev asked, shifting his weight to one leg. All he needed to start the war was evidence that Cillian Moore attacked him first.”

“He took cards in the CCTV, but there was something left. Our conversation was being recorded.” His eyes moved to his desk. “I have a listening device under my table. You’re the only one who knows.”

“Can you get the record of your conversation with him?”

“Yes. A moment.” Darnell grabbed his phone and made a brief call to someone. When he hung up, he raised his head. “She’s bringing it.”

Less than a minute later, a blonde woman in a black suit entered the office. She handed a flash drive to Darnell and left the office.

Darnell held the card out to Lev. “Here it is.”

Ilya took the card from Darnell. “I’ll have this checked.”

Lev nodded and Ilya left the office.

Moments later, Ilya returned to the office with a flash drive reader and played the recording.

A smile curled Lev’s lip. He’d gotten Cillian right where he wanted him. “I should kill you for betraying me, Darnell, but I’ll let you go because I am in such a good mood.”

“Thank you, sir,” Darnell said, his breath heavy with relief. “Thank you.”

Lev and his men left the office, and just as they stopped in front of the elevator, his phone buzzed with a message from Zia.

Zia: What would you like for dinner?

It’d been two days since he captured and tortured Owen for what he did to her. Zia hadn’t spoken to him since then and he hadn’t bothered to start up a conversation with her either.

The thought that she’d taken the side of her ex who tried to rape her over him drove him insane. She’d looked at him as if he was a monster for torturing that asshole, but Owen deserved every bit of it and even more. He deserved to die for not showing any remorse for his actions.

Yet Zia had taken his side. She’d freed him, tended to his wounds, and she’d given him a room in their house.

A new wave of rage surged through him, but the flashing of Zia’s face in his mind was enough to soothe the rage.

He didn’t care about his anger anymore, but he couldn’t spend a day longer without speaking to Zia. The silent treatment was eating deep inside him.

He’d intended to apologize and talk it out with her when he went back home tonight, but she’d texted him first.

He texted back.

Lev: Get dressed. We’re going out for dinner.

Zia: Tonight? ??

Lev: In thirty minutes.

Zia: Aye, Captain. ??

Lev didn’t realize he’d been smiling until the elevator bleeped open and he looked up to see Konstantin and Ilya looking at him with the same knowing expression.

He frowned. “What?”

“Nothing, Chief,” Ilya quickly said, the smile on his face not matching his words.

They got in the elevator and Lev shoved his phone in his pocket.

“You’re in love with that girl,” Konstantin suddenly said. Before Lev could muster a reply, he added, “You wouldn’t be grinning at her message like a teenage boy who has a crush if you weren’t.”

Lev thought for a moment. He’d barely had time to date in high school and college. All he did with women was have sex with them and send them on their way the second he came. Crush. Love. Those words had never been associated with him until now, and he didn’t care, not completely, at least because he cared for Zia more than he’d ever cared for any woman.

“I care about her,” he finally said in response. “Isn’t that normal? She’s my wife.”

“You don’t just care about her, you’re in love with her.” Konstantin looked at him. “You were jealous of her ex, and you’re smiling at her text. If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what it is.”

“Men like us don’t fall in love,” Lev replied. “I’m only playing my part as her husband.

He ignored Konstantin’s, “Sure you are.”

The elevator opened when they reached the first floor. As they walked to the parking lot, Lev ordered, “Ilya, book a VIP reservation for two at Le Diamant Noir. ”

Le Diamant Noir was a French restaurant, one of the biggest and most luxurious restaurants in Chicago, popular for making the best delicacies in the city. Lev’s mother loved to eat there when she was alive, and she usually took him and his brothers along. He’d never gone back there since she died. He couldn’t bear eating there with all the sweet memories that place held.

But he was going to try today, and he was going to take his kids with him.

“Yes, Chief,” Ilya answered. He hummed for a second. “Are you taking Mrs. Nikolai out for dinner?”

Lev rolled his eyes at the question. “Who else would I be taking? You?”

Konstantin and Lev chuckled.

“Sorry, Chief,” Ilya apologized. “Do you want me to grab some flowers on our way back?”

“Flowers? What for?” Lev asked, confused. What did dinner have to do with flowers? His father used to get his mother flowers, but he’d never seen the need for it.

It was Ilya’s turn to roll his eyes. “You’re helpless, Chief.”

The car headlights flickered as they approached. Lev got in the backseat while Konstantin got in the driver’s seat. Ilya took the passenger seat.

“You should get her flowers. Women love them,” Ilya explained. “It’s a romantic gesture and an easy way to win her forgiveness. It’s a bonus if you get it with some chocolates.”

Lev chuckled. None of his men were hopeless romantics, and certainly not Ilya. “When the hell did you learn how to win a woman’s heart?”

“I’m not as rich as you are, Chief. I don’t have women fighting for my attention. Pretending to be in love with them is the only way I have them giving me access to their pussies for free.”

Lev shook his head. “Too many details. I don’t want to know about your sex life, Ilya.”

“Sorry, Chief.”

Blowing out a breath, Lev leaned back in his seat. “Drive us to the florist and somewhere we can get some chocolate.”

The engine roared to life, and Konstantin drove the car out from the parking lot. Two stops, a bouquet of roses and a chocolate box later, he brought the car to a stop at the entrance of the manor.

The front door opened, and Zia stepped out to the front porch in a sexy and classy black dress that showed off all her curves.

Lev’s heart stopped beating for a moment as he took in the beautiful woman in front of him. She’d straightened her curly hair and it dropped all the way down to her waist. She had minimal makeup on, but God, she was the most beautiful woman to have ever existed.

Her small oval face, paired with those big, cloudless blue eyes, thick lashes, and full pink lips, was perfection incarnate. Her beauty was unreal, unmatched, and the very sight of her made Lev’s chest flutter.

He still couldn’t believe this beautiful woman was his wife. She was all his, not Owen’s or anyone else’s. His. And he was going to wake up to her angelic face every day for the rest of his life.

The wind danced with the strands of her dark mane, and when she smiled, the world spiraled to a stop. Lev’s mind went mush with admiration for his wife.

“Are you okay?” Zia asked, walking up to him with a smile.

The scent of lavender and vanilla invaded his nose. It was soft, sensual, and captivating. He held out the flower to her without taking his eyes away from her face. “No, I’m not. I’m distracted by how beautiful you are.”

Her cheeks turned red as she took the flower from him. “Thank you.” She inhaled the flower and moaned. “It smells good.”

“Not as good as you.” He wanted to lean closer and breathe her in. He wanted to let her intoxicate him. Because, in truth, she’d seized all his thoughts since he met her. She’d infiltrated his mind, captured his soul. And from the way his heartbeat grew rapid whenever he was around her, he knew what he’d been trying to deny for so long.

She’d captured his heart as well.