Page 80 of Bratva Menace

My gaze flicked to the security guards Sergei had assigned to follow our every move. They never let us out of their sight. Even when we retired to our room for the night, they stayed in the hallway, monitoring and documenting everything we did to report back to my father. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Autumn glanced at the guards, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. She nodded. I stood first, offering her my hand. She uncrossed her legs, slipping her hand into mine, and I helped her to her feet.

My arms wound around her, and I held her for a moment, just enjoying her closeness, the way her mere presence calmed the raging storm inside me. She looked up at me and smiled. My heart stopped. It was radiant. Bright and warm, like the sun. I didn’t think I would ever stop marveling at her beauty, and the fact that, despite all odds, she’d fallen in love with an asshole like me.

“What?” she asked, still smiling.

“Nothing.” I kissed her softly, every fiber in my body bursting with happiness. She laughed against my lips, her smile so wide it reached her eyes. Warmth filled my chest.

“Come on.” She slipped her hand in mine and led me down the verandah toward the back of the house. As predicted, our guard detail of four followed.

Once we’d reached the back deck, I took the lead, heading down the porch steps. There was an olympic-sized pool to the left, an outdoor area with a cabana, chairs, and tables to the right, and a square tile footpath that ran all the way down to the tennis and basketball courts at the very back of the yard. Other guards patrolled the grounds, the security having been amped up since Lukyan’s stalker had infiltrated the house.

“I still can’t get over this place,” Autumn commented as we followed the path. “With all these amenities and shit, it’s like a private resort. Must have been a dream living here.”

“Not really.” I had a lot of memories from my childhood, none of them happy. “He never let us use any of it. There were more important things to worry about than leisure activities.”

“Really?” Her voice dripped with disbelief. “You know, sometimes, I forget what a royal asshole your father is. And then you say one thing about him, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s right, he’s a cunt’. I mean, why have all this shit if you’re never going to use it?”

I chuckled softly, continuing down the path. “It’s all for show. Everything Sergei has is for show. Including his children and grandchildren.”

She grumbled something under her breath that sounded like a bunch of harsh curse words. A gust of cold, icy wind hit us. She shivered, her teeth clattering.

I cursed and pulled the lapels of Autumn’s coat tighter before rubbing my hands up and down her arms in an attempt to keep her warm. “We should have had this conversation inside. You’re freezing.”

“No, I’m f-fine. It’s better we talk about this out here, where there’s a better chance of your dickhead father not overhearing us.” She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and offered it to me.

I hesitated.

“Come on. The longer you leave it, the worse it’ll be.” Autumn pushed it into my chest. “Take it. Call him. It might not be as bad as you think.”

I gave her a deadpan look.

“Fair point. It’ll probably be worse than you think. You still gotta do it.”

“Fine.” I snatched the phone out of her hands. “But I want it noted that it’s under duress.”

Her lips, slightly tinted blue, thanks to the cold, kicked up into an amused smirk. “Noted. Now, hurry up so we can get the fuck out of the cold.”

I dialed Aleksandr’s number. It rang three times before he answered.

“Autumn. Is everything okay?”

“It’s me.”

“Father,” he acknowledged. “I’ve been trying to call you.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Oh, good. So you’ve been intentionally dodging my calls, then. Care to tell me why?”

Not particularly, I thought to myself, but I knew I had to. Autumn was right. The longer I left it, the worse it would be. Plus, I couldn’t risk them all finding out some other way. They needed to hear it from me.

“Lukyan’s been kidnapped. By his stalker.”

Silence. Goddamn fucking crickets.

I waited, letting him process the information. Autumn gave me two thumbs up in support.