Page 66 of Bratva Prince
“Look man, you’ve been different since you got back from the island. Is it the girl you’re worried about?”
I nodded, biting my lip. “I haven’t heard from her, and I don’t know if she’s in trouble or if this is her way of dumping me. Not that we were a couple or anything. But it’s not like we weren’t a couple. I don’t know what to think about any of it,” I finally admitted.
“Ivan, listen to me. Us Koslov men, we’re stubborn. Just ask Dimitry. We’ve experienced this firsthand, and sometimes fighting your feelings only leads to something worse.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?“Less cryptic, please?”
“It means get off your ass and go get her. She lives in Moscow, right? Well, you’reinMoscow, so just go to her apartment and tell her you want to be with her. Maybe then you’ll quit moping around the house like a little bitch.”
There was that brotherly love I was expecting.
“But what if she doesn’t want me?” I asked.
“Then at least you’ll know.”
Before I could respond, my phone rang in Misha’s hands, and he glanced down, frowning. “Unknown,” he said, tossing me the phone.
I answered, and my chest tightened when I heard Willow’s voice on the other end, emotions of all sorts flooding me at once.
“Ivan, this is Willow. We need to talk.” Her tone was somber, and it left me uneasy as I stared at Misha with my eyebrows creased so hard, it nearly gave me a headache.
“Willow? What’s wrong?”
Misha cocked his head to the side, staring intently at the phone in my hands.
“Can we meet up, please? I really need to see you.”
“Of course,” I answered, grabbing a scrap of paper from the desk behind Misha to jot down an address. “Where are you?”
She was silent and I could hear her breath in the receiver. It was heavy, slightly erratic, like she’d been crying and was trying to keep it steady. “Meet me at the park? Lavra trail?”
“I know where that’s at. Give me some time to get ready and I’ll be there within the hour.”
“Thank you.” She was so quiet; I could barely hear her whisper. “Oh, and Ivan? Please, come alone.”
I hung up the phone shortly after, turning to Misha. “She wants to see me.”
“Are you going?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“I have to.”
“You don’t think it’s a trap? The situation sounds like a set-up to me.”
“Willow wouldn’t do that!” I shouted, filled with rage at the mere suggestion. Ask me a month ago, I’d have agreed. But not now. Not after everything we’d been through.
“But Arman would,” Misha pointed out, making a valid and rational statement. “Whether Willow is actively involved or not, she still might be the bait to get you there.”
I nodded, considering his words. It had crossed my mind it was a set-up. How could it not be? Why wouldn’t she ask to meet me at her apartment? If she was worried about her father seeing us together, which is why I figured she wanted to meet at the park, then wouldn’t it make sense to meet in the privacy of her apartment? Or hell, she could come here.
But her voice… It was so broken. I couldn’tnotgo. I needed to ensure she was okay.
Misha and I gathered a few men before we drove to the trail, parking and walking the rest of the way. I knew where it was, and had been there before, so the guys stayed a ways behind me so as to not alert Willow—or potentially Arman—of their presence.
There she was, her blonde hair in loose waves, standing out amongst the green foliage. The sound of the leaves crunching under my boots startled her, making her turn around to face me.
I snatched her into a hug, holding her body close for the first time in a week. Inhaling her scent, I nuzzled my face into her shoulder.
Her smile was forced, and behind it was a sorrow that made my heart break at the sight. Faint remnants of a bruise were present on her cheek, and I swore, if Arman did that, I would skin him alive and feed his flesh to the boars on the island.
