AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pats my back. “That’s what sisters are for.”
Grateful tears well in my eyes, but I blink them away. I look back in the mirror, admiring the silhouette.
“You look great. And better yet, this dress is perfect for hiding a weapon.”
I arch a brow. “A weapon?”
“I was nervous about my first dinner as a Bratva wife, too,” she confesses. “My solution was to strap a knife to my thigh.”
I stare at her reflection, wide-eyed. “You wentarmed?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it helped me. All the men carry weapons, so why not me?” she explains. “I didn’t want to be left out. I never had to use it, but the point is that I knew it was there. That made all the difference.”
“Did you know how to use it?” I ask.
“Aim the pointy end at the other guy and swing. How hard could it really be?”
I spin around. “You can’t be serious.”
She giggles. “No, I’m not. Maksim would never have allowed me to shoot guns or learn to use any kind of weapon. He was okay with me learning self-defense, but that was about it.”
“Okay, so how did you learn?”
“I went to Konstantin.”
“Behind Maksim’s back?” I yelp.
She shrugs. “Konstantin is wicked with a knife. He’d definitely help you out if you asked.”
Misha would probably help me if I asked. But teaching me how to shoot threw him for a loop. I don’t want to upset him again for nothing. So if Konstantin is game…
Suddenly, the list of things I need to do before the dinner feels impossibly long. I drop down onto the bench and shake my head. “Food, music, outfits, weapons training… Party-planning isn’t what it used to be.”
“You know what they say in the Bratva, right?”
I shake my head. “No.”
She smiles. “It isn’t a party until someone starts bleeding.”
I hope to God she’s only joking. But I’m too afraid to ask.
46
PAIGE
Konstantin blinks at me, utterly blank-faced. It’s like I just spoke a foreign language.
“Hello?” I ask, waving a hand in front of his eyes. “Earth to Konstantin. Can you hear me?”
He shakes his head. “Hit me with that again. I think I was hallucinating.”
I roll my eyes and repeat myself slowly. “Can you teach me how to fight?”
“Wow. I take it back: I wasn’t hallucinating.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. I just want to be able to take care of myself. I heard from a little bird that you’re great with a knife, so maybe that would be a good place to start.”
His chest puffs up with pride. “Remind me to thank Cyrille for the compliment.” Then he deflates. “But no, I can’t do that.”
