Page 23 of Bratva Beast

Cynric smiles at my friend. “You must be Annette.”

She beams. “Yes. Hi.”

I glance up at Cynric. “Annette, this is Cynric.”

He extends his hand. “Her fiancé.”

Don’t react. The words repeat on a loop in my head. Never react in surprise. It shows weakness.

Annette beams. “Oh. Color me surprised. Congrats.” She leans in and hugs me. “Lucky bitch.”

I pat her back and shift when our hug is over.

Cynric pulls me into his side. “I thought your shift was over.”

“Not quite yet.”

“I’ll hang out until you’re ready.”

“Okay.”

I notice the looks between Annette and the resident. I hope Cynric misses the sly looks they’re sharing about his scars.

Cynric stiffens as I redirect my associates. “Is there anything else you need, Dr. Allen?”

“Um.” He adjusts his perusal back to me. “No. Make sure you finish your charting before you leave for the day.”

“Thanks.” I turn into Cynric and follow his eyes to a drooling Annette. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

Her eyes shake loose from Cynric, and she smiles at me. “Yeah. Bye.”

Cynric guides me to the lounge. I elbow him. “You’ve tapped into these cameras, too.”

“You know me.”

“Pfft. After Russell, I don’t mind if you’re keeping track of me.”

He snorts as he holds open the door. “I thought we’d grab dinner.”

I look down at my clothes. “Can we go back to the penthouse so I can change?”

“Of course. Our reservation isn’t for an hour.”

I push up on my tiptoes. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He swats my ass. “Get moving.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Chapter 7

THREE WEEKS LATER

ISABELLA

We step into Cynric’s favorite restaurant and the Matre’d beams at Cynric. “Mr. Bravikov. Welcome.” I can tell he sees Cynric’s scars, but he’s quick to avert his eyes. “You’re back from your lengthy travels. Wonderful. It’s great to have you return to DeMarco’s.”

Cynric smiles. “I’ve missed your chef, Antonio.”

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