Page 50 of Bratva Menace

It also sounded boring as hell.

“Cool.”

“You might want to act a little more excited.” Humor danced across Autumn’s face. “It’s your wedding day, after all.”

I flashed my teeth in a wide, open smile.

Autumn chuckled. “Better. Totally believable.”

“How was dinner last night?” Father asked, doing a lap of the room. His eyes ran over everything, searching every nook and cranny.

“Fine. It was pretty much what you’d expect. Food. Awkward small talk. A little light threatening with a side of assholery. You know, the usual.” I moved to the dresser and picked up a bottle of cologne. “There’s something off about Mr. Average.”

Autumn’s brows lowered. “Who?”

“Vernon,” I clarified, spraying the cologne at the column of my throat. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something going on between him and Grandfather. Something they’re trying to hide.”

Father came to a stop in the center of the room, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. “I wouldn’t concern yourself with it. Your only focus right now should be the wedding, and making sure everything goes off without any problems. There’s too much at stake to think about anything else.”

He was saying that for Sergei’s benefit. So the old fart would think we were toeing the line. Falling into place. That we weren’t secretly doing the very thing he feared…planning a rebellion.

“You’re right,” I blew out. “I just can’t shut my brain off.” That wasn’t exactly right. I just couldn’t shut my brain off about one specific thing, and I was desperately grasping onto anything else in an attempt to keep my mind distracted. To keep myself from thinking about her.

Moya malen’kaya ten’. My little shadow.

Why haven’t I heard from her? She’d proven time and time again that she possessed the capability of finding out information—information she wasn’t really privy to. She would have known I was getting married, and yet, she’d done nothing about it.

No messages. No creepy love notes. In the past, she’d shown up and straight up murdered any woman who so much as looked in my direction, declaring her undying love for me and how we were soulmates. Destined to be together. But she’d done absolutely nothing about the fact that I was literally hours away from tying myself to another person?

Nothing?!

It didn’t make sense.

Clearing my throat, I checked my watch. 8:47 a.m. Still plenty of time. “What are my future in-laws like? Have you met them?”

Father’s lips twisted in displeasure. “Yes.” He started spouting off details about them as if he were reading them off an informational fact sheet. Small family, but with a lot of influential power and connections. They weren’t an active family within the Bratva, which was why Sergei had no control over them. But Anya’s father, Akim, was the brother of some high-ranking government official, and therefore, had the strings to pull some pretty big favors.

“Akim is the definition of a man who feels as if he is owed the world. I’ve met him several times at high society functions. Although he uses his brother’s success and connections for his own gain, he’s jealous of the attention and wealth his brother possesses, and wants it desperately for himself.”

“Sounds familiar,” I commented. My fucktard of an uncle was a lot like that. Didn’t end too well for him.

“This deal is an opportunity of a lifetime for Akim,” Father continued. “It’s his chance to get his foot in the door. To get out from underneath his brother’s name and create his own. By marrying his daughter off into the Bratva, he opens up avenues. Connections he might not have been able to establish without his brother. He will no doubt use that as a stepping stone to gain more power. More influence.”

“So he’s power-hungry and willing to sacrifice his only daughter to get what he wants?”

“Yes.”

“Dickhead.” I moved over to the gold-plated circular mirror on the wall and did a final fit check. I hated people like that—those who were willing to sacrifice their family, the ones they were meant to love and protect, for their own selfish gain. “So steer clear of the father,” I stated. “A man with such desperation to become something is dangerous.” Too dangerous to try to take on with everything going on.

“That would be wise,” he blew out, running a hand through his hair.

“Fine. But if he gets in my face, I can’t guarantee I won’t put him in his place.” I accepted disrespect from my family because they were my family. I kinda didn’t have a choice in it. But never from anyone else.

“I would expect nothing less.”

Good.

I checked my phone one more time, knowing there was no message from my little shadow, but still feeling the disappointment nonetheless. “I should go. Grandfather told me to be waiting outside the gates at 9:00 a.m. for the car. Will you be coming with me?”