Page 56 of Plus-Size Bride Forced By the Bratva
He’s not opening up to you because he doesn’t see you as important,a voice whispered in my head, harsh and brutally honest.To Lev Tarasov, you’ll always be just another one of his possessions. Nothing more.
That’s not true,a different voice replied, calmer and smoother.The only reason he hasn’t told you anything is because he’s not the kind of man to share his feelings. He likes to keep things quiet and take care of his problems himself.
The second voice made more sense to me—maybe because it was the version of the story that I chose to go with.
Or maybe it’s because his cock is so good and you don’t wanna ruin your chances at getting laid again,said the first voice.
If someone said that to me in real life, I would smack them in the face so hard that I’d leave my fingerprints on their skin.
But that pesky little voice wasn’t entirely wrong anyway. Lev’s cockwasso good, and I wanted more of it. But my craving for him had nothing to do with the sympathy growing inside me.
In due time, he might open up to me, but in the meantime, maybe I’d stop stressing about it. He told me it was nothing he couldn’t handle, and I trusted him, the same way I trusted that he was capable of keeping me safe.
Trust was a strong word, but he’d earned it the day he took a bullet for me.
***
I sat beside him in yet another Bratva meeting at a private casino downtown. The council chamber smelled of stale smoke and iron with a blend of whiskey and vodka.
A long oak table stretched almost the length of the room, surrounded by mean-faced men in impeccably tailored suits. This wasn’t my first time around them, so I was already used to their stares and intimidating gazes.
Lev liked to bring me along with him to these meetings, even though his associates made it pretty obvious that they weren’t comfortable with my presence. He didn’t give a shit about their displeasure and always did as he pleased.
Personally, I wasn’t sure why he always brought me along. Was it because he enjoyed showing me off? Or because he didn’t trust anyone else to keep safe in his absence? I hadn’t dared to ask yet.
Tonight, these men weren’t talking about territorial disputes or an enemy that they needed to teach a lesson. They weren’t plotting anyone’s demise or orchestrating a series of unfortunate events, like Lev did with my father.
No. Tonight, they were discussing Lev Tarasov’s incompetence.
I’d been silent the whole time, listening to their gibberish. They complained about how he was losing his touch and how the recent attack on his life was his fault.
A man was shot at by the enemy, and instead of these dickheads finding out who did it, they were seriously blaming him for being “vulnerable” to attack.
Are you kidding me?
“A breach in your security is unacceptable,” one of the older men said to Lev, his Rolex watch catching the low light. “Shots fired outsideyourcasino. Come on, that’s a low blow, even for you.”
My brows rose reflexively, my jaw tightening like his words were directed to me.
Lev sat there beside me, radiating the silent authority of a man who didn’t need to explain himself to anyone.
“Lev Tarasov is not the problem here,” said another man, his gaze shifting toward me, slow and disdainful. “It’s the weakness that follows him around.”
My expression darkened, brows furrowing at his remark.
“She’s a distraction,” another Elder chipped in, his tone deeper and harsher. “A liability too.” He met Lev’s gaze and added, “You know what happens when leaders let softness into their home—or have you forgotten what happened to Valarian Tarasov? You two were pretty close, weren’t you?”
Who’s Valarian Tarasov?I wondered.
Whoever he was, he must have been important to my husband, and this Elder’s words seemed to have struck a nerve. Lev was pissed; his face was contorted in fury, and his eyes were blazing red. But before he could speak, my voice cut through the fleeting silence.
“You speak of weakness,” I began, my voice calm and unshaken. “Because that’s all your myopic mind could see.”
Quiet gasps rose from their midst, their faces etched with disdain. But I didn’t give a shit. They started it when they disrespected my husband and me. I was simply tearing a page from their own book.
“Unlike you,Iwas there when the attack happened,” I continued, my eyes shifting across their faces. “First things first—there were no shots fired at the Tarasov estate. Get your facts straight. And second, where you see weakness, I see strength and discipline.”
They exchanged hidden glances while they seethed in silence.
