“You’re going to co-operate?” I ask.
She steps closer, and I take her delicate wrists in my hands, working at the knots to free her.
“Not because I want to. Only because Ihaveto. Because, like I said before, you’re a monster and I won’t let you near my friend.”
Stefania’s eyes glitter with tears, which spill over and roll down her cheeks. Even though I don’t know her very well, I can tell they aren’t tears of fear or sadness. This is pure anger. A surge of emotion. A burst of livid, raw rage.
As soon as her wrists are free from the ropes, she pulls away from me.
“Let’s get this over with,” she snaps.
“The lawyer is waiting in the dining room,” Bardil says, gesturing with a tilt of his head.
Stefania marches ahead of me in the direction he showed, drawing another fascinated smile from me. This girl is a piece of work. I wonder why she isn’t scared. It’s either arrogance or stupidity. Neither would surprise me, considering her family name.
I walk into the dining room behind Stefania, who is standing at the table, glaring at the lawyer and his assistant. Killian looks toward me. “This is Brandon. I brought him in case we needed a witness. He’s studying law.” My eyes trace over Brandon. Despite obviously being older, he looks fifteen, with red cheeks, pale skin, and a nervous twitch. He will never survive as a lawyer, not in my world. His entire aura is weak. Shifty. Scared.
“My brother is here.” I cock my head toward Bardil. “He can witness.”
“Actually, I have some things to do if you don’t need me anymore?” he says.
I narrow my eyes, curious why he’s in a rush to get away.
“Give us a moment, please,” I say to the lawyer, who nods.
Stepping out of the dining room, I call Bardil to walk with me to the front door. “What are you up to?” I ask.
“I figured now is as good a time as any to start setting some traps and misdirection. The Shevchenko and Abashin families are going to start looking for her as soon as they realize she’s been taken. Maybe even tonight, who knows. But I want to get out there and start generating leads for them to follow up on. Anything that points away from us and keeps them too busy to consider who really took her.”
I snort in approval. “Good thinking, let me know how it goes,” I say, pushing the door open for him. He smiles before he steps outs. “Good luck withthat,” he laughs, waving his hand in the air to say goodbye.
With Bardil gone, I secure the front door. This house is a fortress, and with our special guest hanging around, I want to make sure security is tightened.
Returning to the dining room, I find Stefania sitting on one of the chairs, reading over the marriage contract.
Sarcastically, I huff, “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine?”
She rolls her eyes, her lips pulled in distaste. “Asshole,” she mutters quietly under her breath. Stefania has pulled her hair loose from the messy bun and retied it, maybe brushing it with her fingers. She looks stunning, and for a brief moment, I get distracted from the reason we’re here.
Killian clears his throat. “Are we ready?” he asks, stepping forward to hand me a set of papers. Killian looks like a lawyer who was built for the Bratva world. Even though he’s a short man, he’s rugged and has a dark, piercing gaze. He’s quiet, but when he speaks, he’s confident and direct. “There are two copies of the marriage documents. I need you both to sign both of them, then we’ll witness.”
I take the documents and the pen he hands me. He stands next to me and points at each space I need to sign. Next to me, quietly fuming, Stefania is following the same process. With the documents signed, we swap and do the whole thing again.
“That’s it,” Killian confirms, taking the paperwork and tapping it on the table to straighten it into neat piles.
“What? You aren’t going to say anything?” Stefania huffs miserably.
“I now pronounce you man and wife?” Killian smirks.
She rolls her eyes, clearly realizing she didn’t want to hear it after all.
“I’ll have these filed tonight. The second copy is yours.”
“Thanks, Killian, I appreciate you coming out here so late.”
After walking the lawyer and his mousy assistant out and locking the door again, I head back to the dining room. Stefania hasn’t moved, but she looks more bitter than before.
“Alright, what now? Where are you taking me now? A dungeon? A closet? A basement?” she mutters angrily.
