Page 49 of Savage Truce

I’m torn in two. My impending marriage to the pakhan is too scary to think of, but since Rodian rescued me eight days ago, he’s gone out of his way to care for me.

Where I once used to trust my instincts, I now doubt everything, and I hate it.

Halfway down the stairs, the foyer comes into view, and I see Rodian standing in the middle of the room.

Dressed in a tailored dark blue suit, with tan-colored shoes, and his hair up, he looks too attractive for me to handle. My pulse instantly speeds up at the sight of him, and my stomach begins to do cartwheels, as if it’s an Olympic sport and it’s going for gold.

The moment his eyes land on me, I feel their intensity. Rodian takes a step back, and placing his hand over his heart, he stares at me as if I’m a work of wonder.

“Iisus Khristos. You take my breath away.”

His genuine admiration repairs one of the many cracks in my self-esteem. Little by little, he’s mending parts of me I thought would be broken forever.

I picked a cream long-sleeve blouse and red skirt that reaches my ankles to wear, pairing the outfit with low-heeled pumps, and as I take the last step, I smooth my palms over my stomach.

“Hi.” My voice comes out sounding like a mere peep, and I clear my throat.

Rodian closes the distance between us with confident strides, and stopping right in front of me, he takes hold of my trembling hand and squeezes it.

“Are you okay?”

“Just nervous,” I answer honestly.

“Oh! Such beautiful couple!” Irena suddenly calls out. “You go to dinner now?”

Rodian nods, and letting go of my hand, he places his on my lower back. “Don’t wait up for us, Mam.”

“You have fun.” The way Rodian’s mother is beaming makes me smile, and when she notices, hers grow even wider. “Wait!” She rushes forward. “Take my coat. Might get cold.”

We stop near the front door and watch as she grabs one from the coat closet. The caramel-colored, cashmere coat is gorgeous, and when she gives it to me, I say, “Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.”

“You can have, my daughter. You need to stay warm until stronger so you don’t get sick.”

Touched by how kind she is, my voice is filled with emotion as I whisper, “Thank you.”

She reaches up and adjusts my hair over my shoulder, then says, “Go have fun. Eat lots and get to know each other better.”

“Thanks, Mam.” Rodian presses a kiss to her forehead before moving his arm around me and guiding me out of the house.

Seeing the guards, I grip the coat tighter in front of me and curl my shoulders forward.

Rodian’s arm tightens around me as he pulls me into his side. “No one will hurt you.”

What he doesn’t understand is that there are many ways to hurt a person without lifting a finger. Disgusted looks. Snide comments.

As I dare to glance at the guards nearest to me, I notice they’re too busy scanning the front yard and on alert for danger to mind me.

“Everything is ready,” a man says as he walks toward us. When his eyes rest on me, I’m surprised when I find no malice, but instead, he gives me a tight smile. “Nice to meet you, Anastasia. I’m Andrei Dragun, Rodian’s best friend and underboss. I’ll be accompanying you tonight to make sure you both remain safe.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

He gestures for a man to come closer, then says, “This is Sergei, Rodian’s personal guard.”

I incline my head at Sergei and repeat, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“With that out of the way, you all hang back. Do not crowd us,” Rodian orders as he nudges me toward a black Rolls-Royce. I didn’t even know the brand made SUVs.

The back door is already open, and he gestures for me to get in. Sitting down on the luxurious leather, I adjust the coat on my lap, but then Rodian pulls it from my hands and says, “I’ll put this in the trunk so it’s out of the way until you need it.”