“Kaz.” A man steps up onto the platform and bends to Kaz’s ear.
The one on the other side of me so I can’t hear him. Not that I would understand them, since they’ve switched to Russian.
I should have recognized the language last night. Or his tattoos. If I’d taken the time to look at the ink sprawling across his chest, arms and neck I would have picked up clues that he belongs to the Bratva.
I’d been so stubbornly reckless, thinking I could have one night just for myself. No strings. No consequences.
What an idiot I was.
“We’ll be leaving now.” Kaz scoots his chair back from the table and waits for me to follow his lead.
“Now?” I glance toward my uncle’s table.
He and other family members who are vying for his approval are too involved in their conversation to notice anything outside of themselves.
“Yes. Let’s go.” He grabs the back of my chair—pretending to be a gentleman, perhaps?
“No. Wait. Where are we going? You have a room here, why wouldn’t we just stay until the party is over?” I get to my feet but don’t leave the table.
“We’re not leaving the party, Sienna. We’re going home.”
“Uncle Vicente said I had until Wednesday. I’m not ready to leave yet. I still have things to do.”
He arches his brow. “Like what?”
“Like say goodbye to my friends, and pack, and…well, other things.” I’m already packed, but he doesn’t know that.
Or does he?
He leans into me, the roughness of his short beard caresses my cheek as he reaches my ear.
“Your things have already been taken to the airport, little liar.”
My face heats when he continues. “Such bad behavior on our first night as man and wife. I should teach you what happens to little liars.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” I blurt out.
He moves back enough to see me more clearly.
“That I believe. But it doesn’t matter. We’re leaving now. I have business back home that won’t wait.”
“I suppose it was kind of you to show up for this at all.”
“It was, yes. I could have just had you delivered to me. I was being generous coming all this way to collect you. Now, no more trouble. We’re leaving.”
When he grabs for my wrist, I stumble backward. My heel gets caught in the hem of my dress, and I grab for the chair. He snags my arm before I make a complete fool of myself by falling on my ass in front of the entire room.
Yanking me forward, he pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arm around me and holding me.
His grip crushes the breath from me.
“You really can’t stay on your feet around me, can you?” He laughs in my ear. It’s sinister and dark.
But still, a shiver spirals through me at the low gruffness of his voice against the shell of my ear.
“Let me go.” I press my hands against his chest.
“You’re going to walk like a good girl out of here, or when I get you alone on the plane, I’ll throw you over my knee and punish you.”
