Chapter 18 - Igor

I have fantasized about scenarios with waitresses and secretaries, but I didn't think roleplaying would be so arousing. Arina is the sexiest thing alive, and I can't stop thinking about her. I want to possess her every second of the day and never give her up.

We haven't really spoken about the revenge against her brothers because she's been too absorbed by work, but I know that our play for power isn't going to go unnoticed, especially when Kervyn recognizes who I am.

For now, I've been working through shell corporations to keep my name off documents. I want it to be a surprise when he has the rug ripped right out from under him.

Arina has really taken to the Bratva life. Although she may not have been raised by the Milovs, she is naturally Bratva—it's in her blood.

I get up from my desk. I'm in the mood to taste her.

I walk to her office and peek in, but she's not there. I frown.

She's always in her office.

I turn around and walk toward Yvonne's office instead. I find my adopted sister there, plugging away at her computer.

"Yvonne, where is Arina?" I ask.

"Overseeing the delivery of the catering stuff for tomorrow's event," she says, glancing up.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Why is my wife overseeing the delivery of stuff?"

"Because she wants everything to be perfect," Yvonne quips. "You'll find her in the delivery yard if you wish to complain to her."

"I do wish to complain," I growl, striding out of her office and to the elevator. "This woman is going to be the death of me," I mutter.

Musing over how I'm going to punish her, I step off the elevator once it reaches the ground floor, and I head through the staff exit behind the reception desk.

Everyone greets me politely as I pass, and I nod to them. I'm not stopping to chit-chat. I have a singular thought in my brain, and that is spanking my wife.

I walk out the back and look down at several delivery vans a couple of yards away. Arnia is there yelling at someone to be careful, or she'll have his arms broken.

That's my girl.

I walk toward her, intent on distracting her from the task at hand and taking her up to the suite to have my way with her.

I glance around as I walk, and in my glance, I notice a man standing near some stairs in a suit. He seems out of place, so I look back at him and recognize him instantly.

Luka Milov.

He's staring directly at Arina. How he came to know about her, I don't know, but I'll be damned if he thinks he's getting within an inch of her. A low, animalistic snarl issues from my throat, and I grind my jaw.

I turn and walk toward him, picking up my stride.

Halfway to him, he notices me, recognition flashing across his face, and quickly turns to take the stairs, two at a time, before exiting through a chainlink gate. I hurry up the stairs after him, but by the time I reach the gate, he's nowhere to be seen.

Huffing, I take out my cell phone and dial Matvey.

"I'm sorry, Matvey can't come to the phone right now," a voice sneers as it answers.

I recognize the voice. It's Liam's.

I hang up and track my brother's phone. It's not far, but still within the resort's confines. I exit through the gate and follow the GPS coordinates until I hear scuffling. It's also in a staff-only area, so no tourists will notice.

I take my suit jacket off and toss it aside before walking around the corner to four men ganging up against Matvey. Two are holding his arms, and two are kicking him. Wherever Liam is, he took off. I'll get to him later.

"Get off him," I growl.

"Igor Sidorov," the larger one says. "Thanks for joining us. We were just chatting to your brother…"

Before he can complete his sentence, I tackle him to the ground and start punching him in the face.

I don't have time for waffle.

I feel someone jump on my back, but I grab his arm and throw him forward over me. I get up and start kicking him in the head.

The two men holding Matvey seem unsure of what to do, and Matvey takes the opportunity to pull them together, so they hit their heads. As they let go of him, he gets up and knocks the one off his feet before he tackles the other one and starts beating him to a pulp.

My distraction with my brother costs me, and one of the men aims a well-timed kick to my face. I know I'm bleeding. The warm feel of blood dripping down my face is unmistakable.

I get to my feet and block another kick, punching the guy in the stomach.

Something hits me in the back of the head, and I take a tumble to the ground.

"Guards are coming. Get out of here," I hear one of them shout.

"You'll regret this," I shout after them, holding my head. "Matvey, are you all right?"

"Yeah, no worse than usual," I hear him spit as I get to my feet. My shirt is ripped and covered in blood, and I know I'm going to be covered in bruises. Matvey's right eye is swelling shut and darkening already.

"It's the Milovs," I breathe. "I saw Luka moments before I found you."

"No, those were not the Milovs. Those were the ones sent by Liam. He works for a rival family. I'll find out who. Luka was here… for Arina."

"But how does he know about her?" I ask him. "He watched her as though he knew she was his sister."

Matvey looks away, and I frown. "What did you do?" I grab him by his shirt and back him up against a wall.

"They didn't know," he says, holding his hands up. "The Milovs didn't know about her. That's why she didn't grow up with them. They didn't know she existed."

"So, you told them about her?" I roar.

"Everyone deserves to know their family," he mumbles.

"I've never known you to be so sentimental. I know you've disliked Arina since the day you brought her in, but this is a betrayal I won't overlook."

I turn and walk away, ignoring his calls for me.

Tourists stare at me as I walk past. I'm sure I'm a sight.

As I reach the hotel, I find Alfie, who rushes to me. "Boss, you okay? Shall I call the doctor?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just arrange a car to take me home," I say, wiping at the blood dripping from my head.

"Igor?"

Dread fills me as I hear the worry in Arina's voice.

"What happened?" she breathes as she comes to me, her voice as pained as my bruises.

"We can discuss it at home, not here." I stroke her face. "I'm fine. Just a little roughed up."

Alfie comes back. "The car will be two minutes, boss."

"Thank you, Alfie." I turn to Arina, "I'm going home to shower and change."

"I'll come with and bandage you up," she says in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

We get into the car after it pulls up, and she inspects the cut on my head. "It doesn't look like it'll need stitches, but we need something to press against it to stem the bleeding."

"Well, the shirt is ruined anyway," I say. I take it off, and she bundles it up and presses it against my head.

"Will you tell me what happened?" she asks, looking into my eyes. "I can handle it."

I should tell her about Luka. I should tell her that her brothers didn't know she existed, and that's why she wasn't claimed.

But then I think about what could happen. She could want to leave, see them, and reunite, and she may want to stay with them.

I can't let that happen. She's my entire world.

"A rival family jumped Matvey on Liam's orders. You remember Liam?" I ask.

"One of the siblings that were stealing from you," her eyes widen. "Shit, this is my fault. I told you to take it easy on them. Is Matvey okay?"

"Matvey can hold his own. There's no need to worry about him," I grumble. "There were four of them and two of us, but we held our own. They're walking away with just as many bruises and cuts."

She checks the wound and presses the fabric back against it.

She looks worried, so I take her free hand. "You did what you thought was best at the time. That's what family does. We make decisions, and sometimes they aren't the right decisions." I think about Matvey tipping off Luka Milov.

I might forgive him later.

We reach the house and go upstairs. I shower and come out in just a pair of shorts. I sit down on the bed, and she pulls a chair up in front of me, a medical box on her lap.

"Let's fix you up, and we can go have lunch?"

"Are you for lunch?" I ask with a smile.

She smiles gently and takes out some strips of plaster and skin glue. She dabs it on the cut on my face and then puts the strips on to hold it in place while it dries.

She traces the bruises on my face and chest before she stops at a scar on my chest. "What happened here?"

"I got shot by a rival family in Russia," I say, putting my hand over hers. "We were ambushed one evening on our way back from a movie. My father was still alive. They wanted to take out our entire family. It was a coordinated attack. We all survived."

"What happened to the rival family?" she asks quietly.

"We had them assassinated. We sent a message our family wasn't one to be messed with. In Russia, our family is very powerful. That's why Henri and Yulia stayed behind, for now, to take care of things there."

"And this scar on your neck?" she asks.

"Ah, I was in a knife fight at school over a girl." I chuckle as she looks at me curiously. "I haven't liked many women in my life, but like any other teenage boy, I thought with my dick first. The other boy got one cut in, and I got two. She still didn't choose me. I think they got married in the end." I look away thoughtfully.

"So many scars," she whispers softly, tracing them on my chest.

"Lots of battles hard won," I comment. "I better get dressed so we can have some lunch."

"Yes, I'm starving, and I believe we're having a sausage dish today for lunch. I was hoping you'd come home with me after I checked the deliveries were correct."

I start to get dressed. "Why did you go check the deliveries?"

"Because everything must be perfect for my charity ball. It's where I will mingle with all the right people to get the best deals. The senator is coming, who is definitely someone we want to have in our corner." She packs away the first aid kit, returning it to the closet in the hallway.

I come out and catch her, pulling her toward me for a kiss. "Are you sure I can't eat you for lunch?"

"I thought I was dessert?" she teases me, kissing me softly.

"Hmm," I hum, breaking the kiss to sigh. "You are perfect in every way, Arina Sidorov."

She smiles. "I like belonging to a family. I think it suits me." She turns to walk downstairs, and I feel a guilt stab in my heart.

The Milovs may have treated her well. Had they known about her, things would have been completely different for her. What if they want to try to make amends?

I can't let Matvey tell Arina what he's discovered. I don't care how he found out or why he tipped Luka. This does not reach Arina.