“What are you here for?” he asked Ruslan.
“Her food. I brought her food,” he answered promptly.
Even though Ruslan was just about two or three inches shorter than the bald man’s 6’2” height, the power dynamic between the two men was apparent.
The bald man nodded, and Ruslan moved to the side as he left the room.
“He’s your boss?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered with a smile as he brought the tray to the edge of the bed. “Remember, I told you Sir Konstantin wasn’t my boss but my boss’s boss?”
“Yeah,” I answered, nodding.
“That’s my direct boss. Sir Konstantin’s right-hand man,” he revealed, stepping back to take a seat on the chair.
“Right-hand man? Like a PA?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting, Hierarchy in the Bratva world.”
“You’ve not even heard the half of it,” he chuckled as he gestured to the tray. “Go on, eat. Don’t let it get cold.”
“Thank you. It smells lovely,” I told him as I took the lid off the plate.
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “So, thePakhanis the absolute leader. The number one in the Bratva. Then, the mafia bosses, both corporate facing and the actual Bratva side, are directly under him.”
“Konstantin and his brothers,” I mused, taking another bite.
“Yes,” he answered. “You like it?”
“You really are a good cook. It tastes way better than what I’d get at a restaurant. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he uttered. “So, as I was saying, there is the advocate. More like a lawyer, the legal representative. He’s also under thePakhan,but not exactly under the mafia bosses. We can say they’re side by side. Eachmafia boss has men under him. Men like my boss. Then these men have men under them. They are called soldiers.”
“Like you.”
“Yes.”
“Nice,” I mumbled, taking a sip of water.
“You looked like you were ready to hit someone when I came in. What happened?”
“Here I was trying to digest the fact that I was getting married to a man I hate because it was the only strategy I was stuck with, and then yourbosscame in to inform me that the marriage would happen tomorrow. Tomorrow!”
“Oh?” he uttered, confusion written all over his face. “I didn’t know the marriage decision had been made. We were just speculating.”
“Right. I’m as shocked as you are. And I’m thedamnbride,” I bit out. “The fact that he told me himself, just a few hours ago, that it’ll be in a few hours, is outright annoying. Why didn’t he just say it then? What the hell does he have against clear communication?”
“Sir Konstantin himself came here?” he inquired, a puzzled frown on his face.
“Yes, so?”
“It’s just surprising. Forget it,” he dismissed, his face now sympathetic. “Something might have come up between then and now.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel any better than a captive?”
“Well, you’re upgrading from captive to wife,” he pointed out, grinning.
