Arranged Bratva Love

Lottie

I sat on the sofa, knees curled up to my chest. I had already taken a shower. The dress was in the laundry basket. I didn’t know who did our laundry. Every day when I woke up, the basket was gone. I never saw anyone carrying laundry. It just appeared.

“Charlotte, are you okay?” Hubert asked.

This wasn’t the first time he asked this.

The doctor had already been by and checked me over. I didn’t have anything wrong with me. Not a scratch or a graze. I was perfectly fine. But I felt sick to my stomach, and the only person I wanted to see was Ive.

“It happened,” I said.

Hubert crouched down in front of me.

“Yes, it did. Things like that seem to gofast. While it’s happening, it’s in some kind of slow motion.”

Our apartment door suddenly began to rattle. Hubert pulled out his gun and this made mecover my ears. I wanted Ive.

“Charlotte!” I heard Cassie yell through the door.

“It’s my sister,” I said.

He still held the gun as he went to answer the door. I had gotten to my feet and watched as Cassie shoved open the door and then came running toward me. Rage followed behind her. My sister pulled me in for a hug.

“We just heard. Are you okay? What the hell happened?”

I held onto my sister tightly.

“I, er, I don’t really know. Ive had taken me out to dinner. He’d picked this newrestaurant. Everything was going so well. He had to order for me because I can’t speak French. The waiter delivered the food and I was about to eat something, and Ive told me to stop, and then it was all a blur. People started to shoot at him.” Tears filled my eyes, and I had been able to keep them at bay but with my sister’s arms wrapped around me, I just couldn’t.

I honestly felt fear. Real fear. I wanted Ive. He still wasn’t home and I didn’t like that. Why wasn’t he home?

Rage stepped toward me and held me close. “Ive’sfine,” he said.”What if they attack him? What if they hurt him? Kill him?” I didn’t want anything to happen to Ive.

Cassie took my hand and led me back to the couch. We sat down, and I sank, resting my head on her lap.

I knew our marriage was an arrangement and meant nothing to Ive. I was probably just baggage that Ivan insisted he have. It made no sense for me to react this way. Ive and I were not a love match. I didn’t even know much about my husband. I knew next to nothing, but I didn’t want him dead.

Rage and Hubert were talking but I ignored what they were saying. None of it made any senseto me in the first place.

This wasn’t the first time I’d been shot at. It was the first time with Ive and in such a social setting. The club had been attacked afew times while I’d been in it. I remember my dad had hoped I was dead. I lived to see the disappointment in his eyes every single time.

Time passed. I don’t know how long it was, but the moment I saw Ive step into his penthouse suite, I didn’t think. Ijust reacted. Leaving my sister’s lap, I ran across the apartment and threw myself into his arms. It was stupid and childish, and completely inappropriate, as he had Hubert, Rage, and my sister there. I also noticed another man with him, one I didn’t recognize, but I think he was at the restaurant tonight. Ivan Volkov was with him as well.

I shouldn’t hug him. I knew he had to let me go.

Get yourself together, Lottie. He’s going to hate you even more for making him look weak.

It took every ounce of strength to stop me from holding him.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“I brought food,” Ive said.

“I’ve got to talk with Rage in my office,” Ive said.

I kept my gaze averted. Tonight, I couldn’t see his disappointment or his look of disgust. There was no way I’d be able to handle that.

I started to walk away from Ive, but he grabbed my hand, and I turned to see his hand in mine. He lifted my fingers to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “I got the report from the doctor. He said you might be in a bit of shock.”

“I’m fine.”

My heart had started to beat faster as he kissed my knuckles. I chanced a quick look at his face. I didn’t know what I expected to see. Ive was difficult to read, but I knew he wasn’t angry with me. He wasn’t disappointed or upset. This was good. Anything else, I could handle.

“Go and eat,” he said.

I nodded.

The food was placed in the kitchen and Cassiecame with me.

It was good old traditional drive-thru food. Burgers, fries, even corn dogs, and I was suddenly hungry. I didn’t get a chance to eat earlier. Food hadn’t seemed important while waiting for him to return home, but now I was starving. My mouth watered for a taste.

“Are you okay?” Cassie asked.

In all honesty, I had no idea how I felt. Happy, sad, terrified. They were all working their magic on my body, and I couldn’t think, nor focus. “I’m fine.”

“Come on, Charlotte. I know you. I knowyou’re not fine.”

I looked up at my sister and took a deep breath. “I don’t know how I’m feeling. I, erm, I … have you ever had that feeling that something bad was going to happen, and you had no way of stopping it?”

“No.”

Shaking my head, I force a smileto my lips. “Forget it. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Maybe, and this is just me watching you and Ive, but have you thought that you’re worried for your husband’s safety?””Ive’s fine.”

“I know he’s fine and can handle himself and all that, but maybe you have feelings for your husband.”

We grabbed some food and moved toward the dining room table.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

I snort. “That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Ive andI … this is not some kind of love match. He was forced to marry me and I had to marry him, to, you know, live.”

Cassiewaved her hand in the air as if that wasn’t important. “Don’t think of it in those terms, because they’re not great things to think about.”

This made me frown.

“You asked me about sex. Are you wanting to have sex with Ive?”

I felt my cheeks heating. “Can we just eat good?”

“Charlotte, I’m being serious. You and I both know that being shot at is scary, it’s real fucking scary, but we’ve lived through it.”

“Yeah, we’ve been shot at but wehaven’t been the main targets. I was a main target tonight.” I was trying to distract my sister.

“I know you were one of the main targets, but-and this is the big but-you weren’t the only target. Tonight, you weren’t afraid for yourself. You kept staring at the door. The moment Ive walked in, you threw yourself over to him. That means you have feelings for him.”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t.”

Cassie sighed. “You don’t have to be afraid. It’s good to have feelings, but I think you’re trying to pretend they don’t exist because you’re worried someone is going to take it from you. Dad always did that to you. It’s why you stopped trying to care about anything. Dad is gone.”

“I know.”

“He’s not going to take anything from you. Never again.”

I looked down at the table. “I know he’s gone.”

“What is it?” Cassie asked.

“He has a lot of enemies, Cassie. He’s Volkov. It was a name that even made Dad scared.”

“I remember.”

“What if someone takes him away?” I asked.

Cassie reached across the table. “I wish I could say that’s never going to happen, and believe me, I hope it doesn’t. People die, Charlotte. They get sick. They have accidents, and then of course, people kill them.”

Just the thought of it filled me with fear.

“But there is always that risk. You cannot live in fear, and if you have feelings for Ive, you can’t hide from them. You can’t ignore them, otherwise one day you’re going to wake up and life will have passed you by.”I didn’t getthe chance to respond. Cassie pulled her hand away as Ivan, Rage, Hubert, my husband, and the mystery stranger approached the dining room table. Hubert left to grab the rest of the food. Ive sat at the head of the table, while Ivan took the other seat. I tried not to look at my husband, but felt very much aware of Cassie looking at me.

Lifting my head, I caught Ivan’s eyes, and he stared at me quite intently so I forced a smile to my lips. It was then that I noticed the new black eye Rage was sporting.

I had no idea what was going on, but it must not have been too bad since they all sat around eating food. Turning my attention to my husband, I saw he had an equal shiner on his face. What happened?

After the food, I found out that the mystery stranger was called Vlad, and he worked for my husband. There was no time to get to know him because Ive ordered everyone out, including Hubert.

I stood with Ive as we saw everyone out. Ivan was the first to leave. Rage and Cassie left together, followed by Vlad and Hubert. Once alone, Ive turned toward me.

“It has been a long night.” He stepped toward me and cupped my face. “I think you need to get some rest.”

I nod. I can’t argue with him. He doesn’t let go of my face.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” I asked.

Ive frowned.

“Not sex, I mean, erm, just sleep next to you, if you don’t mind?” How stupid and childish did I sound?

I didn’t want to sleep close to him for comfort. I wanted to sleep next to him so I could keep an eye on him. Ive couldn’t be taken from me. And that felt even more messed up to think so.

“Yes, you can.”