“You also threatened to cut it off again if Seamus has it reattached,” Colin reminds me.
“I did,” I say, letting a small laugh escape.
“How do you plan on doing that if he never goes into your side of the city again?”
“I imagine I could lure him over here. I’m guessing Seamus has someone he cares about.” I leave the threat at that. There’s no need to say more.
“This is not how we do things here, Vasily.”
“It’s how I do things, Colin. Maybe you should remind your men of that. I would never have touched him if he hadn’t called my wife a whore. She was forced to be there and raped repeatedly. Any other fucker who wants to say something bad about her is going to find themselves missing some part of their body. I think maybe I’ll change things up and go for the dick next time. That usually gets the point across with a quickness.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Colin practically growls over the phone.
“I certainly hope not.” Switching topics, I ask, “You hear anything else about Ruby’s? You said you’d look into it.”
“I went there and talked to her. I even talked to some of the women. They all say they want to be there, that they’re there by choice. I don’t know. Maybe she was the only one they kept there against her will. From what I hear, Richard Carrington has debt with just about everyone. Hell, he even owes me some money. He has a massive gambling problem, and I think he and Ruby made this arrangement on their own. Ruby won’t admit to it, but that seems to be the most likely explanation.”
I don’t bother saying that I think he’s full of shit. If Nina said the others are being held against their will, then I believe her. Colin is no longer of use to me where any of this is concerned. I get off the phone with him by giving a blunt goodbye and hanging up.
“Colin happy?” Andrei asks with a laugh.
“Thrilled. We need to watch our backs. Tell the men to be careful. The Irish are going to want revenge. No one goes into neutral territory alone, and absolutely no crossing into the Irish side.”
“I’ll make sure they all know,” Andrei says.
I nod and put my focus back on checking the shipment, anxious to get back to my wife.
Chapter 11
Nina
When I was at Ruby’s, I never thought I’d be able to feel happy again, but now I walk around with a constant smile on my face. Vasily never ceases to amaze me. I woke up to a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and calla lilies this morning, and yesterday he’d found me reading a book in the library and without a word, he’d knelt down, pulled my pants off and made me come so many times I’d lost count by the time he’d pulled his head away.
Aside from giving me a constant stream of orgasms, he’s also been working on the list, and every time we cross a name off, I feel myself relax a little more. There have been several nights where he’s come home with dried blood on his hands or body, and every time I see it, my heart stops. I can’t breathe until I’m convinced he’s not hurt. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him. Our marriage may have started out without love, but it’s there now, and already I can’t imagine my life without him.
Wandering through the house, I try to find where Vasily is. He told me earlier he needed to speak to his men and to come find him when supper was close to being done, but he’s not in his office or in any of the other rooms downstairs. I don’t bother checking upstairs. I know he keeps those rooms off limits so it’s our own private space. When I step outside, I see him sitting in one of the chairs on the veranda with several other men sitting around him. They’re all in suits and looking deadly serious, so I immediately turn to go back inside, hoping like hell I haven’t interrupted them.
“Zolotse.” Vasily’s deep, accented voice has me freezing in place.
I turn back around and am just about to stutter an apology, but before I can get a word out, a devilishly sexy grin spreads across his face as he curls his finger, beckoning me over. I scan the crowd of men, recognizing Ilya and Andrei but none of the others. I know I must’ve seen them the day I had to walk through their ranks, but I’d been so nervous that their faces had immediately left my memory as soon as I’d passed over them. They’re all staring at me now, though, and I doubt I’ll forget their faces after this. As soon as I’m close enough, Vasily wraps one of his large hands around my hip and pulls me onto his lap. He grins at the shocked look I give him and kisses me, not giving the slightest fuck that he’s in the middle of some kind of meeting.
His teeth graze my bottom lip, sending a rush of pleasure straight between my legs, and when he feels me squirm against his quickly hardening cock, he gives a soft laugh and pulls back.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I whisper. “I can go back inside and let you finish.”
“No,” he says, tightening his grip on me, making it clear I’m right where he wants me. “You’re never an interruption,zolotse. You’re my wife.”
I smile as he turns back to his men and switches to Russian, continuing the meeting as if it had never been put on pause. I’m curious about what they’re saying, but also fully aware that I’ll never know. Vasily is very careful to not involve me in the Bratva side of things. I know about the list because that was unavoidable, but that’s as far as it goes. Everything else is a mystery, and it will remain a mystery. I stare at my husband’s gorgeous profile and realize I don’t care. I don’t want to know the ins and outs of what he does. I know enough, and I’m content with that.
Feeling me staring at him, he turns his blue eyes to mine and gives me a quick wink before turning back to his men. His hand rests on my hip, and when he slides his thumb under my shirt so he can stroke my bare skin, I let out a soft sigh and rest my head on his shoulder, enjoying the show. I love hearing him speak Russian, and seeing him in full Bratva boss mode is an aphrodisiac unlike anything I’ve ever known. His other hand moves over me, stroking my hair or lightly running up my arm, keeping me in a constant state of arousal. The meeting continues until the sun starts to set and my panties are ridiculously wet. By the time the other men stand up and start leaving, I’m practically panting with need.
“I’m sorry that took so long, baby,” he says when we’re the only two left on the veranda. “You must be starving.”
I’d completely forgotten about supper, but he’s right. I am starving, just not for food. Sitting up, I run my fingers over his stubbled cheek, knowing with absolute certainty that I’m ready for the next step.
“Vasya,” I whisper, leaning in closer. “Take me upstairs.”
He studies my eyes, seeing the truth of what I’m asking. “Are you sure,zolotse?”
