Page 60 of The Watcher's Bride

“You praise me highly, Pakhan. I would be honored if you could save me a dance later,” she says demurely.

Dimitri agrees before dismissing us with a flick of his wrist, his attention returning to Nadya. Nikolai leads Nora away from Quinn and my uncle, while I follow behind with Tatiana.

“Keep your hands to yourself, brother,” I warn as we move through the crowd.

“I just saved your ass, brother,” Nikolai replies with a grin. He turns his attention to Nora, saying, “Come on, you look like you need a drink.”

I ask Tatiana if she wants a drink, but she points toward the dancefloor, and I follow, reluctantly.

“You seem tense, Leonid,” she says, arching a perfectly shaped brow as we fall into rhythm. “Or maybe it’s just married life already taking its toll?”

“I didn’t marry to suffer,” I reply evenly, scanning the crowd behind her for signs of Nikolai and Nora. “Though the company tonight might test that theory. Thank you for rescuing us from my uncle and Quinn.”

She leans in slightly, her breath warm against my ear. “Powerful men think they’re untouchable. But they’re just little boys with big guns, trying to prove something. Especially to each other.”

I smirk despite myself. “And what about you, Tatiana? You’ve been in their orbit long enough. Still think they’re just boys with guns?”

Her eyes glitter. “I think most men are. Give them a pretty face and a pair of tits, and suddenly strategy flies out the window.” She tilts her head, watching me closely. “You, at least, used to have a good head on your shoulders. But now… I wonder.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just an observation,” she says with a careless shrug, though the edge in her voice is unmistakable. “Marriage has changed you.”

“You know it’s just an arrangement, I had to marry Nora,” I say firmly, not missing the way her jaw ticks at the mention of her name.

“She’s very—” Tatiana’s eyes sweep the room until they land on Nora, who’s standing by the bar with Nikolai, herposture tight but composed. “—fresh. Like a puppy trying to keep up in a dog fight.”

I step back slightly, just enough to put space between us. “Careful, Tatiana. That ‘puppy’ is my wife.”

She laughs again, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Relax. I’m just teasing. If I didn’t know better I’d think you had feelings for her. She’s quite pretty, really. But I always pictured your bride being… fiercer. Someone who already knows the rules of the game.”

Someone like her.Though I never wanted Tatiana, there was always something a little calculating about her. But she’s good for Nikolai.

I don’t bother answering and just give a shrug.

She smiles, slow and sultry. “But you must admit, it’s strange—Dimitri parading around a broken whore like Nadya as if she’s some prize, Quinn spinning stories like a madman, and you… playing the doting husband.”

“What do you want from me, Tatiana?”

“For now?” She spins once under my arm, her dress catching the light. “Just a dance. Though I’d watch your back, Leonid. The people closest to you are always the ones holding the knife.”

My eyes go to the table where my uncle and Quinn are laughing. Nadya is between them looking like a broken woman. Being in this business means always watching your back and not knowing who to trust. The fact that Quinn sent Nadya to spy on his daughter for years, proves that point.

I resolve to be more careful.

Chapter 38

Nora

Ilook back to see Tatiana and Leo talking as they dance. Leo has his hands placed appropriately, but even so I want to tear her away from him. I nod and follow Nikolai, resolving that this situation is preferable to sitting for a second longer with my father, Dimitri, and my former best friend. The betrayal sticks in my throat.

Nikolai orders and hands me an ice-cold shot of vodka. I’m not one for hard spirits, but given the circumstances, I take it gratefully and down it in one.

Nikolai raises an eyebrow before ordering another. “In Russia, you sip it.”

“Yeah, well, we’re in America now, and I need it,” I reply before taking the second shot, wincing as the alcohol burns its way down my throat.

“Rough day?”

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