Page 14 of A Bride for the Bratva Boss
He rises. “My cousin. And thePakhan.” He looks down at me. “Rik’s head of the Kedrov Family.”
The man above all other men in the Bratva. My stomach turns over.
I hear the elevator door open and steps approaches the kitchen.
Rik Kedrov is not what I expected.
He’s big like Danyl, taller maybe, all muscle and tailored edges. But there’s something different about him. Something quieter, heavier, like the air bends around him out of respect or fear or both.
His eyes flick to me instantly.
Not cruel. Not assessing my body. Assessingme.Like he wants to know what kind of creature ended up in his cousin’s bed last night. “This her?” he asks, tilting his head toward Danyl.
My new husband steps slightly in front of me. “Yes.”
I’m not sure if he’s shielding me or claiming me.
Rik nods once, slow and deliberate, and then looks directly into my eyes. “If Danyl says you’re his wife, then you’re family.”
Family.
The word hits like a stone dropped into a lake. Ripples of warmth and fear spread through me.
Danyl’s shoulders loosen, almost imperceptibly. “Thank you,” he says.
Rik shrugs. “You married her. That’s all I need to know." He looks at me again. "You frightened?”
“Yes,” I admit. “Of both of you.”
Danyl goes completely still and frowns, but Rik gives a low hum of approval. “She’s blunt. I like her.” He glances at his cousin. “Your crew handled the cleanup. But the cops might sniff around. I’ll use your office to plan the redirect.”
Cleanup.
My breath stutters. My hands tense.
Danyl leans down, his hand hovers over mine but then he pulls it back without touching. “Finish eating.”
I nod but don’t move until Rik heads off toward Danyl’s office, shutting the door behind him and leaving a silence thick enough to choke on.
Danyl sits again, but now he’s across from me again. “We need to go over some things,” he says.
My stomach sinks. “About the Family?”
“Yes.” He leans forward, arms braced on the island surface, watching me carefully.
“First: you are under my protection. My name shields you. No one touches you, no one threatens you, no one questions you.”
I swallow.
“Second: the organization has rules. You don’t ask about business. You don’t repeat things you hear. You don’t go places alone without checking with me.”
“Is that because of what happened last night?”
“Partly.” He pauses. “Mostly because my world is dangerous. And you don’t know it yet.”
I bite my lip. “What exactly do you do?”
His jaw tightens. “You don’t need the details.”
