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She holds my hand a little tighter, digging her nails into the back of my hand. “Thank you so much.”
“This is my uncle, Lev.” I gesture to Nik and Roman. "These two are Nik, my brother, and Roman, my right hand.”
She offers them a pleasant smile, but she clamps down on my hand even tighter. I’m sure that I’m going to lose feeling in my fingers eventually if she keeps holding on this tight.
“You make a beautiful bride,” Uncle Lev says, an undertone of something I don’t like in his voice. He looks at Sophia like she is one of his whores.
“Yes,my wife,does make a gorgeous bride.” I move to stand between the two of them slightly, blocking her from his view. As I turn to look down at her, Sophia’s eyes grow wider. “Why don’t you go greet some of the other people and thank them for coming?”
She nods, lets go of my hand, and hurries away as if the hounds of hell were at her heels. She doesn’t look back as she runs around the edge of the party and joins her friend Hazel under the fairy lights.
“Interesting that she would befriend a cop’s daughter,” Roman says, dipping his head toward the woman. “I did a little more digging into Hazel once you said that you would be marrying Sophia. Thought it might be good to know about her best friend. Hazel’s mother is a cop.”
A woman who looks like Hazel approaches them, smiling wide as she pulls Sophia into a hug. Sophia seems to melt into the woman, smiling and laughing like she doesn’t have a care in the world.
“Well,” I say, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Who would have thought that a cop would come to a mobster wedding?”
The men laugh as I watch my bride make her way around the room with her best friend. Having such close connections toa cop could be a potential problem for me. I’m going to have to make sure that she understands that her loyalty is to me above all else.
“Her friend is something else,” Nik says, his gaze openly raking over Hazel from head to toe. “Think she’s going to rat me out to her cop mom if I ask her for a dance?” he grins.
Roman snorts. “I think you’re playing with fire and looking to get burned if you go bother her.”
Nik grins and starts making a way across the floor. “It’s a good thing that I’ve always liked playing with fire then.”
“Leave her alone,” Lev says before Nik can get too far. “Ivan doesn’t need you getting involved with Sophia’s friend and then leaving her high and dry. Go pick any other woman here.”
Nik smirks and nods, heading over to the bar where another group of women are watching him. He eases his way into their group, charming them easily.
One of these days, he’s going to get tired of that game and actually settle down like he says he will.
“Thank you,” I say, turning to Lev and clapping him on the shoulder. “I don’t know what I would do without you looking out for us.”
Lev chuckles and drops one shoulder in a casual shrug. “You boys are family. Looking after each other is what we do.”
He nods at me before heading off to find Aunt Libby at one of the tables. I stay behind with Roman and watch Sophia and Hazel laugh together as they dance. Seeing her like this makes my blood rush south.
Even though she hates me right now, I know that one day she'll laugh and smile at me like she truly means it. I am not going to give up hope.
Chapter 9 - Sophia
I pour another pile of shampoo into my hand, stalling for as long as possible. The glass walls of the shower fog up as I wash my hair for the second time, trying to get as much of the hairspray out.
I’m also trying to avoid my new husband for a while longer.
He’s in the other room, no doubt sitting there with his tie undone and a glass of whiskey in his hand. Seeing him in his tux for the first time lit a fire deep in my core that no amount of dancing and avoiding him could quench.
Meeting his family and friends — and the other Bratva men — during the reception brought me a harsh realization that I still can’t shake off hours later.
I’m the wife of the Pakhan. My identity is no longer my own. Everything I do and say reflects on him. There is no more speaking my mind without thinking it through. This wedding has tied me to him forever in body, and name. The person I was before marrying Ivan is gone.
I’m his now.
After taking a deep breath, I step under the hot spray of water and rinse the shampoo from my hair. I take my time pouring conditioner into my hands and working it through my hair.
A few more minutes pass, and the water starts to run cold. There is no more avoiding my new husband and the promise he made.
You’re going to get so much more on our wedding night.
