Chapter 13

"We can stand here all day," Sergei tells me as I stand next to him in front of the judge. Who doesn't look anything like a judge should look. He's not even wearing one of those black robes. He's in a light gray suit with a pair of sunglasses tucked into the breast pocket.

Sergei moved us to the living room in front of the fireplace. His family sits on the couches behind us, and Mrs. Yugov took a seat in a chair in the corner.

"Do you need me to repeat the line?" Judge DeGrassi suggests as though I forgot the words.

"No." I give a little shake of my head. It's bad enough Sergei didn't warn me his family would be here. If I'd known, I would have asked Krista to come. Not that this ceremony means anything, but it would be nice to have someone on my team.

I'm outnumbered six to one. Not exactly fair numbers. Especially when he's determined to embarrass me.

And then the judge goes and says that. My cheeks flame with irritation. How long can I hold out?

"Coraline." Sergei has a way of saying my name that speaks more than just three syllables. It's an entire lecture rolled up into one word.

I clear my throat and brush away an imaginary piece of hair from my cheek.

"I promise to honor and…" I pause again. This is where I got stuck the first time. "And obey." I get the words out through clenched teeth.

The tension in the room lightens once I get the vows said.

"Good girl," Sergei whispers into my ear and my insides go soft again. I swear this man has some magical remote to my body.

The judge hurries through the rest of the ordeal and announces us married. There's a cheer from behind us as Sergei turns me to face him.

He places a chaste kiss to each of my cheeks and then sinks his hand up into my hair at the base of my head and holds me firmly as his mouth overtakes mine.

I melt into him, moving my hand to his chest, close to his neck so I feel the warmth of him. He shifts his weight, getting even closer to me as he deepens the kiss.

My lips tingle when he ends it and pulls away. I touch them with my fingertips, sure they're puffy.

He slips his hand out of my hair and wipes my lip with the pad of his thumb.

"You don't wear much makeup, do you?" he says as though it's just occurred to him.

I manage well enough with a little mascara and some eyeshadow, but I'm sure he's used to beautiful women who know how to really make themselves gorgeous.

"No. I don't." I tilt my head a little to the side. What an odd thing for him to say after we've just been married. "Would you prefer if I did?"

"Congratulations." Andrei stands from the couch with his wife. "Welcome, Coraline, to the family." He pulls me into a hug. It only lasts a moment before Sergei yanks him from me.

"You don't need to grope her," he grumbles.

Andrei laughs, making room for Izzy to stand beside him.

"You did wonderful, considering he slipped that line in there." Izzy eyes Sergei. "I'm not surprised though."

Sergei makes a little grunting sound.

"I love this dress." Marlena gestures to the summer dress I'm wearing.

"Thanks." I press my hand to my stomach. It's hardly a wedding gown, but it was the nicest thing I had in my things.

"Since the whole family is here, how about a photo?" Mrs. Yugov suggests, already corralling us into a line, boy, girl, boy, girl in front of the fireplace.

"Just one," Sergei allows, pulling me closer to him and settling his hands on my hips. "Stop touching your hair, it's perfect like it is." He pushes my hand away when I try comb it through my hair.

"If I'd known your family was going to be here, I could have prepared a lunch or something for everyone," I mutter to him, trying to shove his hands from my hips.

He jerks me back when I manage an inch of space.

"They weren't supposed to be here. They are about as obedient as you." He pinches my hip when I try to wiggle away again. "Smile for the photograph," he orders and points to the several cameras being aimed at us. Mrs. Yugov and a few of Sergei's men are snapping photos.

"Just Sergei and Cora now." Marlena waves her hands and the other two couples step aside. Sergei spins me to face him.

"One more, that's it." He straightens his spine.

"Are you always going to be this grumpy?" I ask, earning another pinch.

Even after his demand, several more photographs are taken before he finally calls an end to it with a wave of his hand.

"I'm not grumpy." He looks down at me when the cameras have finally been put away. "And the answer from before is no."

"No?" I'd asked him something?

"Your makeup. I wouldn't prefer if you wore more." His eyes are soft when he speaks. It's as close to a compliment as he gets, I think.

"Andrei. Sergei." Viktor looks up from his phone where he's sitting on the couch. "I have information we need to discuss."

"Viktor, they just got married." Marlena nudges him. "Can't business wait?"

"It's fine. Let's go to my office." Sergei gestures. "We'll have lunch after. Mrs. Yugov will have it all prepared." He squeezes my hand when I don't let go right away.

He's leaving me alone with these strangers. I have no idea how to act. Do I pretend we're an actual couple, or do they know this is just a business arrangement?

"It's all right. They're family." He peels his hand from mine and touches my chin, lifting it a bit until he can look directly into my eyes. The room goes silent for that blink of a moment before he lets me go and moves away from me.

One moment he looks ready to dive into my soul. The next he can't get away fast enough.

I'm never going to understand this man.

"Behave while we're gone," Andrei orders his wife. She rolls her eyes, but her expression softens when his lips brush across her cheek.

Sergei glances at me once over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall, but I can't tell if he looks more or less grumpy than he usually does.

Marlena leans on the arm of the couch.

"You know Viktor is going to pursue you even harder now," Izzy says, sitting on the seat beside Marlena.

My eyes widen. "Oh, you're not married to him? I thought you were both married."

"No. Not yet." Marlena brushes her chopped black hair behind her ear as she settles back onto the loveseat. "I will. I just haven't told him yet."

"She likes to torture him." Izzy laughs. "Not that he doesn't deserve it. You don't just order a woman to marry you. That's not how it's supposed to work."

"And yet, it did for you," Marlena points out with a grin. "Besides, I like doing things on my own time, but the next time he asks, I'm going to say yes."

"What if he doesn't ask again?" I question. Viktor looks every bit as big and powerful as Sergei, and I can't imagine Sergei asking anything a second time.

Her smile falters a little.

"He will. He's too stubborn not to," Izzy assures her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. It's just I can't imagine Sergei asking anything a second time, much less more than that. He's so… well… he's just so…"

"Stubborn?" Marlena offers.

"Obsessive?" Izzy chimes in.

"Bossy." I sigh. "Viktor and Andrei have the same fierceness about them as Sergei. Are they like that too? Always bossing you around?"

They share a look and laugh.

"Hell, yes. But you get used to it," Izzy says. "It's almost always because they're being overprotective. It comes from a good place, but it's annoying. I know."

"Okay, I have to ask." Marlena moves over to the seat closest to me. "How in the world did Sergei get you to say yes to this?"

"Marlena!" Izzy pinches her.

"Sorry, but we're both wondering." Marlena rubs her arm. "Seriously, I know he needed to get married because of his grandmother dying, but how did he find you so fast?"

"Was he close to his grandmother?" I've been so caught up in my problem with Mom, I'd forgotten about his grandmother's passing. It's the whole reason he's needed me to marry him, and I haven't even asked him about it. He's been grieving and I've been taking advantage.

"Oh, no." Izzy swishes her hand through the air. "It's not like that at all. There's been no contact between that side of his family and him forever."

"How sad." It's been ten years since my grandmother passed away. I lost all four of them before I was out of high school. It's hard to imagine not having had them in my life though.

"Mrs. Petrov." Mrs. Yugov rushes into the room with my cell phone in her hand.

Mrs. Petrov.

That's me now.

My face heats at hearing it for the first time.

"Your phone." She brings it to me as I get to my feet. "It was on the kitchen counter. It's been ringing."

I'd been so nervous when I heard the doorbell ring announcing the judge's arrival, I'd forgotten it. I swipe the screen to find that I've missed four calls from Mom's facility. Switching over to the voicemail app, I quickly scan the texts of the messages left.

Mom's fallen.

"I have to go." I turn to the left, then the right, not sure where I'm going. I stop, take a breath. "I'm sorry. But I have to go. Can you please tell Sergei that I'll be back as soon as I can, but I really have to see to something."

"Sure." Marlena follows me as I hurry through the living room toward the foyer. "Is everything okay? Do you want us to come with you?"

"Yeah, maybe we should come with. You look a little pale," Izzy offers while they stay close on my heels.

"No. No." I find my purse in the front closet and pull it from the hook. The strap gets caught on the hook beside it and I have to fight the damn thing to get my purse. "I'm fine. I just need to go."

"Maybe we should get one of the guys to drive her," Marlena whispers.

"I don't need a driver. I'm fine. I just need my keys!" They're not in my purse.

"I think they're in the garage," Mrs. Yugov offers. "There's a box with all the keys to the cars just inside the garage."

"Oh. That's right." I run my hand through my hair and take a breath. "I'm sorry to run out like this, it's really rude. I'm not usually rude, but I just… well, I have to go."

Marlena and Izzy nod.

"It's all right. Don't worry about us, you just do what you need to. We'll let Sergei know you'll be back later." Marlena opens the door for me that leads to the side room that will take me to the garage.

"Thank you!" I run through the mudroom, thankful that I wore my flats today with this sundress instead of a pair of heels.

My car keys aren't in the box, and my car isn't even in the garage.

I clench my fists. He hid my car!

There are three SUVs parked in the three-car garage. Each one is bigger than anything I've driven before, but how hard can it be?