Kira glanced between Sarah and me before her face lit up. “Oh my God, you must be Sarah.”
Kira’s enthusiasm took Sarah by surprise. “Uh, yeah, I am.”
Instead of shaking her hand, Kira threw herself at Sarah. After giving her the traditional Russian triple kiss on the cheek, she hugged her tight. “It is so good to meet you!”
“And you are?” Sarah asked with a hint of coolness.
“Kira, Maksim’s baby sister.”
Relief flashed on Sarah’s face before being replaced with a warm smile. “Oh, I’ve heard so much about you.”
Kira wrinkled her nose. “Don’t believe anything Maks says about me.”
Sarah laughed. “I promise I won’t.”
“Where are the others?” I asked her.
“Dima’s at the family table while Lev and Aleks are trying to scam pussy for later–”
While Sarah gasped, I groaned. “Seriously, Kira?”
“What? I’m just calling it as I see it.”
Turning to Sarah, I said, “Please excuse her. She has no filter.”
Sarah laughed. “It’s okay. I like people who don’t sugarcoat things.”
Kira grinned. “Then you and I will be besties for sure.”
I rolled my eyes before tucking Sarah to my side. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Dima.”
Sarah and Kira waved goodbye to each other. As we made our way through the teeming crowd, many people stopped me to say hello. I made sure to introduce Sarah each time. To my dismay, my Bratva members weren’t very inviting, and I knew why.
It was the same bullshit Matvey and Kirill had brought up at our meeting. Sarah wasn’t Russian. But their disdain didn’t just come from the fact she wasn’t from powerful Russian family. She also wasn’t from a family with a potential alliance. They wanted their co-pahkan to have an arranged marriage with a bride that brought something to the business, not just family.
If Sarah noticed, she didn’t let on. She probably just thought they were acting like stereotypical Russians. At least the Kavanaughs were all warm and welcoming.
But then Kostya had stepped into our path. After giving me the traditional Russian triple kiss on the cheek.he clapped meon the shoulder. “Father says you’re willing to hear some of my business proposals.”
That fucker. Kirill had totally twisted our words. Forcing a smile to my face, I said, “Tonight is for family, not b-business.”
Kostya’s expression darkened. “That’s not how we did things in the past.”
“Well, this is the future.”
Kostya cut his gaze from me to Sarah. After doing a sweep of her body, he shot me a cruel smile. “I see you’re following in your father’s footsteps bringing around your whore.”
At Sarah’s gasp, red blurred my vision. The next thing I knew I’d lunged at Kostya. “Maksim!” Sarah cried.
After launching a punch to his jaw, I grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. “Don’t you ever call her t-that! D-Do you hear me?”
Aleks and Lev appeared at my side while Artom and Gleb rushed to help Kostya. Once they’d pulled me away, I jabbed my finger at Kostya. “I don’t give a shit if you’re b-blood or not. You offend me one more time, and I’ll t-throw you out of Bratva.”
“Maksim,” Aleks warned.
“I mean it. They’re fucking undermining us.”
Dima appeared then. “Enough,” he snarled.
