The Bratva’s Auctioned Bride (Levov Bratva #10)

Chapter 6 - Alexander

It seemed her fire hadn’t been snuffed out at all as she threw an array of unique curses at me through the door while I stood there for a moment with a satisfied grin. She certainly had a wide range and colorful vocabulary that made me chuckle to myself.

After a time, I put my hands back in my pockets and continued back the way I came, moving down the stairs with a sense of accomplishment.

Even though I had been confident in my plan from the beginning and never let myself question it for a second, I was still half surprised it had gone without a hitch, that I managed to get through every stage with very little resistance, and everything seemed to be falling into place more naturally than I could’ve hoped.

The auction went better than I imagined despite the interest in her, and I had Lara in my possession, in my place. Even if it meant paying those bastard Gromovs, I knew it was worth it. Lara was invaluable, and that meant the cards were in my hands—all in my favor.

With Lara in place and secured, I was ready to take the next step. As far as I was concerned, everything was golden, and I only needed to begin the next part of my plan.

I glided from the bar cart to the living room with a drink in my hand and dropped myself onto a couch, sighing contentedly. That sense of contentment lingered within my chest as I silently mulled over the night’s triumphs.

My mind drifted to being with Lara in the spare bedroom, easily recalling how close we had been. How I couldn’t get enough of her beautiful features and the slightly startled expression on her face. The way she looked up at me had my mind reeling, and in that moment, more than ever before, I was willing to risk it all for her.

I was more than prepared to give in to those desires in that very instant, but luckily, I had enough self-control to refrain, to keep that desire down and bide my time.

There was no doubting how much I wanted her, but while her eyes held a certain gleam that looked akin to her own interest, I knew it wasn’t the right time. I had to wait, as much as I didn’t want to.

She still hated me, and rightfully so. But I wanted her to trust me more before anything like that could happen. I wanted her to feel more secure, and to bring those walls of hers down.

As tempting and gorgeous as she was, I had to hold off for both of our sakes.

Even as I sat there and marveled at my plan’s flawless execution so far, I couldn’t ignore the faint seed of doubt in my chest—more so, the vague concern that everything was going too well.

Despite only knowing her for a short time, there was no mistaking the fight Lara had in her. She came from a family of strong individuals, and despite being the only sister, she surely picked up some of those habits and strength from them.

She may not have much, if any, affiliation with the crime world, but she still had a strong mind and will, and while I didn’t exactly want to break it, I did hope to have her trust and loyalty.

I knew that was the only way I’d be able to survive the Levovs when I eventually made it known that I was the one who had her. So long as she vouched for me, they wouldn’t kill me. At least, that was the idea, anyway.

As much as I wanted to believe I was on top of things, and that nothing would go wrong, I couldn’t help but feel like I had my work cut out for me.

There was no way of knowing if or when she’d warm up to me, but for my sake, and for that of my family, I hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.

It was clear what family she belonged to, and regardless of how I tried to restrict her and get her to accept the new way of things, she still had that fire in her. She had the instinct to resist, and there was a high chance that could blow up in my face.

Even if it was likely a troublesome trait of hers, I couldn’t help but find that aspect of her incredibly attractive. I wasn’t used to women being all that abrasive. Most I came across were docile and fawning immediately, which never kept my interest for long.

When it came to business matters, I could be more reserved and quiet. I was contemplative, but put my foot down when I needed to. The thought of having someone at my side who could bring the fire when necessary thrilled me more than I cared to admit.

However, that fire would reverse all of my progress if it wasn’t used to my benefit, if she didn’t have any care or respect for me. That being said, gaining her favor was integral for the next part of my plan to go well, and I knew I couldn’t neglect that aspect of things.

Lara was my key to gaining respect and recognition, but if I didn’t have her favor, then I could consider my rising position in the city as good as dead.

After some time of lounging and sipping my drink, I couldn’t ignore the nagging thought that I needed to do something drastic to both make my mark on New York and solidify my connection to the Levovs.

I knew that simply having her trust wouldn’t be enough. I needed more than that. I needed a bigger, more concrete reason for her brothers to not finish me off the moment they caught sight of me.

After coming this far already, I needed to take the extra step. I had to go the extra mile and ensure that I hadn’t done all that work for nothing.

Letting go of a decided breath, I pulled my phone out and pressed the first name in my recent call list.

After a moment, the call connected, and that familiar voice came through. Given how gruff he sounded, I could tell I woke him up. “What is it?”

I snickered to myself and asked with a knowing lilt, “Asleep already, Damien? It’s only midnight.”

My brother scoffed, clearly unamused. “Can you blame me for passing out in the living room so soon? It’s not like I don’t spend all day making sure everything’s running smoothly while you’re off doing god knows what.”

“Ah, that you do. But I’m afraid I have another job for you.”

After a moment, Damien sighed. I could picture him scrubbing a hand down his face on the other end. “What now?”

Despite the tinge of irritation in his voice, it was clear he knew there wasn’t room to argue, and he wouldn’t anyway. He was too used to his role in the order of things, and regardless of how annoyed he seemed, he would just do what I said anyway.

That was why Damien was my right hand…that, and because he was the second oldest out of us.

“Remember that auction I planned to attend?”

There was a hum of consideration from his end. “Yeah, I do. The Levov girl was supposed to be there, right?”

I couldn’t keep the pleased tone from my voice. “Right. And the universe was certainly on my side tonight.”

I caught the slight surprise in his tone. “You managed to get her?”

“Fair and square. Took a bit of back and forth, but yes, she’s here now. That means my plan is still alive and well.”

There was another beat of silence before Damien chuckled. “I’ll be damned…planning on hitting the blackjack table with all that luck?”

I snickered. “I figured I wouldn’t tempt fate. That being said, I need you to get a start on making some arrangements for me.”

“Alright, what do you need?” He asked, sounding less resistant then, and more curious about what I had in mind.

There was no fighting the smug smirk on my face then as I leaned back in my seat and sighed.

“I need you to make sure Lara and I are married by the end of the weekend. Pull whatever strings you need to…and it doesn’t need to be anything flashy. Just make it happen.”

I couldn’t help but feel like everything was going better than anticipated, and soon enough, I’d have exactly what I wanted.

Even if I never really pictured myself getting hitched, it seemed that my life was about to change, and I was in for an interesting weekend.