06

NATALIA

What is he doing here?

The closer I draw to the huge ass table, the clearer the man’s face becomes. He’s sitting at the head of the table, which means he’s got to have some authority. He does give off the vibe anyway. But why is he here?

My confused gaze jumps to Dmitri, who’s standing off to the right of him. He’s frowning as he watches us approach, his hands folded across his broad chest.

And then I notice something I didn’t last night.

The tight scowl etched onto Dmitri’s face matches the one I’d seen on the man when I’d refused to thank him for saving my life.

A bizarre thought hits me, but I refuse to acknowledge it because there’s no way that’s possible, right?

My frantic eyes bounce between the strong set of their jaws, the straight proud nose and the harsh lines of their brows. Their jet black hair.

My heart leaps into my throat, then begins racing like it’s set out to win first place in a heart attack competition. Please let it not be what I’m thinking.

Dmitri has an elder brother we’re not aware of? And it just so happens to be the man I walked up to last night?

I have the shittiest luck in history.

I mean, I’ve always known this but I’d like not to be reminded at every given opportunity.

Leonardo drops into the seat on the opposite end of the table without being invited to sit. He flings his hand over the back of the chair next to his, aiming a loopsided smirk at Dmitri. “I swear you look uglier every time I have the displeasure of seeing your face, Volkov.”

It’s obvious my eldest brother’s inner asshole is out in full swing today and honestly, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has to deal with it.

Dropping into the seat beside him, I cross my legs, unable to stop myself from staring at the man in front of me. He’s staring at me just as curiously, although he’s doing a better job of hiding his shock than I do. I can barely manage to sit still.

Dmitri’s scowl deepens. “A call or a heads up would have been fucking appreciated, Moretti.”

What is it with men in power and their obsession with last names?

My soon-to-be husband nods at me before glancing back at my brother with those shark-like grey eyes. That’s it. That’s all the acknowledgement I’m worth. A nod.

I can’t even find it in me to be angry because this isn’t the first time he’s greeting me in this manner, and maybe I would be hurt if I cared. But I don’t.

Leo stretches out his legs under the table. “Why, I’ve always liked the element of surprise.”

Fighting the hysterical snicker that claws its way up my throat, I drop my eyes to the table. I’d prefer not to be here for this conversation but Leonardo did not give me much of a say in the matter.

I also try not to think about what I’ve agreed to in order for this to be possible. I just hope I’m not making a huge mistake.

Dmitri’s jaw bulges with suppressed anger. He’s probably an even bigger asshole than Leonardo, but he’s forced to show respect because while he is an underboss, Leo outranks him as a Don. He gestures a hand to the man who’s still sitting quietly, watching us with a perfectly neutral expression that he wears so easily. “Meet my father, Aleksandr Volkov. The Pakhan.”

The world seems to stop moving momentarily.

Then the room spins as it lurches back into motion.

His father?

The man I’d so brazenly asked for his number--the man that had been mere seconds away from touching me--is the head of the Bratva?

My soon to be father-in-law?

Slowly, my eyes find him once more. He’s Dmitri’s dad?

God, they even have the same facial features. How could I have missed it? I wasn’t that tipsy.

But Dmitri is the same age as me. That means he must have been pretty young when he had him. Or is he just older than he looks?

“Dad, Leonardo and Natalia Moretti,” Dmitri says, finishing the introductions.

It doesn’t escape my notice that he deliberately does not mention Leo’s title, a silent fuck you to him. My brother doesn’t seem to care, too preoccupied with staring at the man in front of him.

I catch the faint glint of respect in his eyes as he stands and extends his hand for a handshake. “It’s an honor to meet you, Volkov. Your reputation preceds you.”

For a moment, I think he’s not going to return his handshake, but then the man--Aleksander--rises to his towering height of 6’5 and takes Leo’s hand, studying him with those pale blue eyes. “It’s an honour to meet you as well,” Aleksandr’s voice, deep, husky and rough, with that thick Russian accent, drifts to my ears, inciting a shiver of awareness.

It’s my turn to stand on shaky legs and shake his hand, praying I don’t melt into a puddle of nervousness right there for everyone to see.

My head stays lowered while I reach for his hand but when he takes my hand, liquid heat fills my stomach and my cheeks blaze. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir,” I mutter.

I risk meeting his eyes--and find him staring at me with the most intense look I’ve ever seen a man directed at me.

“Have you two met already?”

The question has me wrenching my hand away from Aleksandr only to find Dmitri frowning at us like there are identical horns growing out of me and his father’s heads.

My breath grows shallow and the possibility of them finding out what happened last night has fear slithering through my veins. It’s the fear that kicks me into motion and has my mouth forming the word, “No.”

As I retake my seat, I find Leo peering at me through slitted, scrutinizing eyes. Shit. My face must be a deep shade of red right now.

So much for acting normal.

“What brings you here, Moretti?” Aleksandr demands, settling back in his chair. He’s no longer looking at me and I can finally breathe again.

“We would like to postpone the wedding,” Leo says.

No preamble. No warmup.

“What?” Dmitri thunders. “Why?”

Sparing a glance at him, I see that he’s drawn closer to the table. Does he care about the wedding that much?

“I mean,” Leo drawls, leaning back in his chair. “Aside from the obvious fact that absolutely zero preparations have been made, which is rather alarming considering the wedding’s slated for next month, my sister also has to be in perfect condition for this. Physically and mentally, of course.”

My heart is firmly lodged in my throat as I listen to the conversation. Dmitri has to agree because Leo does have a point.

No preparations have been made so far and he truly believes we’ll be having our wedding next month? It’s delusional.

I peek at the big man who’s also silently watching this exchange. As though he feels my eyes on him, he turns to me then. My pulse jumps.

He seems to say a lot with that one look while not saying anything at all, but during this entire time, his eyes remain blank. Dead.

Aleksandr.

What a fitting name.

Where has he been this entire time and why has he come back now?

I can’t believe the signs had been right there in front of me last night yet I’d refused to see them. He’d been sitting with fellow Russian men, for one. For another, he’d killed a man as easily as killing a chicken.

How could I have been so blind?

“For fucks sake,” Dmitri snaps, drawing me back to the conversation at hand. “It’s a goddamn wedding, Moretti. It’s not like she’s going to war.”

My blood boils at the way he keeps talking about me like I’m not in the room. I hate him. I hate my brother. I hate all of them.

“Have you contacted an event planner? Do you even have a venue picked out already? A fucking suit?” When Dmitri falls silent, Leo nods. “Thought so.”

Still, Dmitri is unwilling to give up. “We could sort out all those things right now. People have worked with shorter--”

“The wedding is postponed.”

All eyes turn to the man at the head of the table.

Did he just--did he just agree to it? My insides fill with joy and I swear I could kiss him right now.

You wanna kiss him regardless, Nat. This is just a convenient excuse.

Shut up, I retort to the annoying voice in my head.

Leo grins. “I think I like your father better, Dmitri.”

Dmitri’s jaw clenches and he looks so murderous, I almost recoil. Then I remember my brother’s right there, so he can’t do anything to hurt me.

Not that he’s ever tried. However, I wouldn’t put it past him, deranged as he is.

“Step outside with me, Moretti.” Dmitri doesn’t wait for a response before he stalks out of the room.

With an amused lift of his brows, Leo follows.

Leaving me with the man I didn’t think I’d be seeing again.