Page 12 of Bratva Prince
It tooka while to get ready, but we wanted to dress up to the nines before going out. We were looking for a good time and, dammit, we would dress the part.
Viktor helped me with my hair—a pretty side ponytail with a French braid—and I wore a red halter dress. The straps tied behind my neck and the dress reached down to my knees. It was classy, but still casual enough to blend in for a walk on the beach.
I grabbed a shawl, but Viktor snatched it from my hand, telling me, “You’re not a grandmother, so don’t dress like one.”
He wore a casual cream-colored summer suit with a white shirt underneath. Together, we were the perfect blend of classy, yet fun, wearing clothes which had breathable fabric so we wouldn’t sweat through it too much in the heat.
In conclusion, we looked fucking fantastic. I’d be jealous of us. Not that I wanted someone to be jealous of me, but it felt nice knowing that I could pull off the look.
Fortunately, the front desk was nice enough to call us a taxi, and we waited downstairs by the entrance for the taxi to give us a ride to the buffet.
Would we have loved to go to an expensive Greek restaurant? With this attire, hell yes! But we were on a budget, and a buffet gave us the most bang for our buck. Or should I say, euro.
We loaded up our plates with seafood and sat down.
“You should’ve taken Ivan’s offer at dinner,” Viktor said, eyeing his plate. “Imagine the restaurant you’d be dining in.”
I shrugged, taking a bite of my fish. “He probably would’ve taken me to his yacht and tried to bang me.”
He laughed, swirling his fork around his plate. “Then enlighten me, Ms. Willow—if you’re not looking to bang a hot guy from the beach, then whatdoyou want?”
Sighing, I answered, “I want to finish my degree and become a lawyer. Though, my father plans to have me married off, playing housewife with some jerk who doesn’t even care about my opinion on the matter.”
I stabbed into my fish with my fork, biting aggressively. Viktor raised an eyebrow and eyed the plate, but I only shrugged an apology.
“What makes you want to be a lawyer?” he asked, quickly adding, “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I’m just curious what makes my girl tick.”
I smiled, appreciative of his support. “I want to bring the bad guys to justice, and I know that sounds super cheesy and a bit trite, but I do. Maybe I’d even knock my father down a peg or two.”
Viktor let out a small laugh. “Well, I expect you to get me out of jail if I ever get arrested,” he teased.
“Will do,” I agreed, already loosened up from the tension that had been building at the thought of my father. “What about you? What makesyoutick?”
He smiled, though it wasn’t visible in the eyes like his smiles usually were. It was forced. Something about the question hit him harder than I’d intended.
“I don’t know what I want, really… I thought I’d find it at uni, but none of my classes really gave me that spark, you know? I guess I’m still trying to figure out what I want from life. But a sexy man on a yacht wouldn’t be too bad in the meantime,” he teased.
Our conversation was light, and it felt nice to go out and have a normal dinner with my friend. For once, I’d felt like every other 22-year-old, just enjoying a buffet with my new bestie.
When he finished dinner, I was ready to head back to the hotel and crash. My stomach was beyond full, and I felt like I’d be birthing a food baby soon.
But would Viktor let me go back?No. “We’re on vacation,” he said.
Putting my future lawyer skills to use, I countered his offer: go back to the hotel to relieve ourselves before going out for fun. “You don’t want to look bloated when you meet the man of your dreams,” I added for extra measure.
He agreed, adding, “Only long enough to use the bathroom, and that’s it! No sleeping or changing clothes,” reminding me how long he’d spent on my hair.
“Deal. Hotel, then bar.”
6
Ivan
Dusk approached as I got back to the hotel. I’d waited around for a while for Mihailo to return with the jet so he and Andrey could dispose of Dominik’s body. Of course, I kept my distance from the crime scene, watching from afar, on the off-chance that someone would show—though, I doubted they would.
After Mihailo said he was nearing Greece, I gave him the location and left. No need to wait around when he’d be there soon enough. He’d call me when he arrives and we’d meet up in the morning to dispose of the body.
I parked the rental and headed to the lobby. Of course, the two women from earlier were in the lobby, wearing scanty dresses that put their curves on display.A lovely sight, if I do say so, myself. But I had things to do and couldn’t be distracted.
