Page 69 of The Russian's Bought Bride

“He’s loyal,” Vera continues. “Almost to a stupid degree sometimes. If he’s trying to fix this situation, he will.”

Something in my chest tightens unexpectedly, because that’s the problem. I already know she’s right.

I’ve been trying so hard to protect myself from him emotionally, and to keep reminding myself that attraction doesn’t equal safety. That his world is dangerous in ways I still can’t fully comprehend.

But underneath all of that, I’ve still seen it in every gesture. In the way he watches me like he’s waiting to jump in and amend whatever’s wrong, in the guilt he still carries over what happened to my dad and me, and the determination he gets in his eyes whenever he talks about the issues going on.

Nikolai may lie when he needs to, and he controls too much. He also frustrates me beyond belief, but he cares, and even I can’t discredit that.

Chapter 21 - Nikolai

The second Dani walks back toward the booth with Vera beside her, something inside me settles, and it’s subtle enough that I almost miss it at first.

Just the sight of her smiling faintly at something Vera says, looking more relaxed than she’s been in days, catches my attention and reminds me that somewhere in all this, moments of normalcy are possible.

I’ve spent so much time lately seeing her exhausted, grieving, angry, and completely overwhelmed that seeing her look even remotely relaxed feels like a victory I didn’t realize I wanted.

Artem notices my attention immediately, which isn’t at all surprising.

The bastard smirks over the rim of his drink, and I ignore him on purpose.

Vera slides back into the booth first, with Dani following more cautiously beside her. Her gaze flicks toward me briefly before settling into something more curious than guarded.

That alone feels like a tell, and thinking about what Vera might’ve said to her makes me sweat a little.

“You survived,” Vera announces dramatically to me, as if speaking with her brother was a trial or something. “Congratulations.”

“Barely.”

Artem snorts quietly while reaching for his jacket. “As entertaining as you all are, I, unfortunately, have actual work to get back to.”

Vera sighs like the thought of having her night out cut short offends her personally. “You’re so boring.”

“Seeing as you’re related to me, you have to deal with it.”

“A tragic reality.”

Despite myself, I huff a quiet laugh before Artem claps a hand briefly against my shoulder before leaning closer just enough to murmur, “I’ll start looking into Malenkov tonight.”

Relief loosens something tight beneath my ribs, and with it comes a sliver of hope that this collaboration will get me one step closer to facing Grigori.

“I owe you.”

“Yeah, you do. But I’ll come to collect when I think of something good.” His gaze flicks toward Danielle meaningfully. “Try not to scare her off before then.”

I glare at him, feeling a bolt of irritation move through me. Why does it always have to be family?

He looks deeply unbothered and chuckles before pulling out a cigarette from his silver case.

Vera rises next, smoothing down her dress before offering Danielle a surprisingly genuine smile. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too,” Dani says softly. Judging by the warmth in her expression, she means it.

Vera rarely bothers trying with people she dislikes unless the job calls for it, but in this case, she seems genuinely interested. Fortunately, Dani seems at ease around her.

The two of them disappear toward the exit a moment later, leaving the booth quieter than before, and for a brief period, neither of us speaks.

The lounge music hums softly around us while people laugh somewhere near the bar, and the entire city is alive beyond the windows in flickers of gold and neon. I’ve seen and heard it all enough for the novelty of it to be gone, but my attention isn’t on our surroundings anyway.