Page 38 of Bratva Beast

Her words lighten my soul. She already is what my mother was to my father and our family.

ISABELLA

Cynric is glowering at a document on his computer. He’s impatient to get Thane back into the fold. I can’t say I’m surprised at how he acted with me. He’d been with the cartel, and we’ve experienced how they treat women.

Cynric turns and his face loses some of the brooding. “How long have you been standing there?”

I put my hand on my hip. “Maybe you should have a drone that follows me around so you know where I am in the condo, too.”

He laughs. “Fucking hilarious. Maybe I should go back to keeping the doors closed and watching the screens like the paranoid recluse I’ve been.”

I smirk at his sarcasm. “I’m heading to my shift.”

Sadness, followed quickly by irritation, crosses his hard features. “Saxon will be with you.”

“Okay. What are you going to do about Thane?”

“He’s made his bed. He’ll lie in it for a while. We have a dinner tonight.”

“I’ll be back by five.”

The corner of his smile lifts. “You better or I’ll come get you and throw you over my shoulder and carry you home.”

“Yes, my neanderthal.”

He mumbles something about marriage, and I can’t get out of the penthouse fast enough. I know I have to marry him, but it’s still too real. I thought I had escaped a future bratva husband when my father died. One more thing to thank my horrible mother for. If she hadn’t done what she did with those men, I wouldn’t have needed to be rescued by Papa. I can’t change the past, but I have to work out my future.

Saxon leads me out of the elevator to our set of parking spaces in the garage. “You need to marry my brother.”

“That’s none of your business.” I do need to do it sooner or later before Papa gets involved.

“It is my business. He’s a fucking bear. If you were married, it would be one less thing for him to dwell on. Just throw the beast a bone.”

I climb into the SUV and sit back against the leather seat and ponder my life. I don’t want to be without him. We wouldn’t have to do a big production. A Judge, the family, my two friends and shazam. A wedding.

Saxon blows out his breath. “I’ll get one of the ladies to plan it all. A dress shouldn’t be hard to find.”

“Uh. No. My wedding, so I’ll plan it. Where could we have it that’s safe and pretty?”

He purses his lips as he runs through various ideas in his head. Of all the brothers, he’s the biggest thinker. “Outside or a rooftop?”

“Outside.”

“A garden or a vineyard?”

I imagine Cynric and I standing in a sea of color. Me in a white dress and him in a dark suit. In my image, Thane is missing. “Fuck.”

Saxon blurts. “What?”

“Nothing. When could we have the wedding?”

“Really?” He eases the SUV out of the garage and onto the street. “Anytime. I can make that happen. There’s a cool vineyard about five hours from here. We can get you a dress this week and everything else. You have friends, right?”

I scoff while rolling my eyes at his stupid question. “Of course I have friends. You’ve met them.”

“So, we’ve figured out a place, dress, friends, you just need rings and someone to drive you all there.”

He parks the SUV and walks around to open her door. I beam. “Well, you’re the chauffeur, so that’s covered.”

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