Ruby Mayhem: A Russian Mafia Romance (Vyronov Bratva Book 1)

I tap my glass against the table.

The sound echoes through the dimly lit restaurant.

My lips still carry the faint tang of vodka, and the air is thick with cigarette smoke and the scent of dirty money. I glance around, taking in the familiar faces.

Bratva – most of them, at any rate.

Berezovka may be a restaurant, but it’s also a front for our kind of business. A place where no questions are asked. The other diners all seem to be deep in conversation, their voices low and hushed.

I check my watch for the third time in the last five minutes. Dima is late, and I’m growing increasingly impatient. He insisted that we meet here instead of meeting at my house, but he wouldn’t explain why. It’s not like him to be so secretive, and it’s making me uneasy.

I run a hand through my hair, pushing back the strands that have fallen onto my forehead. My mind races with possibilities, each one more ominous than the last. Has something gone wrong? Is there trouble brewing within our ranks? Or is this about Tiana? I know I’ve been distracted by her these past weeks. But it can’t be helped when her father’s business dealings hang over me like a bad smell.

She’s nothing like that fucker, though. She’s sweet. Fiery. All in a way that I find fucking irresistible. And the way that she’s bonded with my mother… Tiana Avants is a good woman. I hate the sadness that clouds her eyes when she thinks I’m not looking. Even more, I hate the fact that I’m at the center of it. But releasing her is not an option. Not only because I still haven’t figured out what her father got me involved in, but also because I have made up my mind.

She will be my wife.

She will come to accept it.

Especially when this friend of hers arrives to keep her company. I just need to make sure her presence doesn’t lead to any complications. I’ll tell Dima to step things up with security.

I shift in my seat. All these thoughts of Tiana are sending jolts of desire through me. I can still remember the way she looked when I took her for the first time; her eyes were wide, with a blend of defiance and pleasure. She was fucking intoxicating. But that was weeks ago now, and aside from that smart mouth of hers, she hasn’t tried anything funny since then. So why would Dima want to discuss her with me here and now? If that’s even what he plans to speak to me about.

My thoughts are interrupted by a familiar figure entering the restaurant. Dima looks as imposing as ever in his leather jacket and jeans. He spots me across the room and makes his way over to my table, his footsteps heavy on the worn carpet.

“Boss,” he says gruffly, taking a seat opposite me without bothering to ask how I am or what I’ve been up to since he last saw me. “Sorry for being late.”

I nod, not wanting to waste any more time on pleasantries than necessary. “What is it you wanted to discuss?” I glance at my watch yet again. “Make it quick.”

Dima leans forward, his eyes fixed on mine as he speaks in a low voice that only I can hear over the noise of the restaurant. “I’ve been worried about you, bratok.”

My brows pull together. “Worried?”

“This woman… Tiana-” He stops when a waitress pulls up beside our table. The young blonde looks at him expectantly. “Sto gramm,” he tells her, then waits for her to leave to get his drink.

“Go on.” I’m still waiting for him to get to the point, although a part of me is already boiling, wanting to tell him that Tiana is none of his fucking business.

Dima runs a hand over his cropped hair, then pulls in a breath. “You’ve been distracted, boss. You haven’t been yourself.”

I stiffen in my seat. “Not myself? What the fuck are you saying, mudak? Who the fuck would I be?”

“You know what I mean. You spend your free time with her. You have been skipping training sessions. And…” He looks up at me as if he’s afraid to say the next thing on his mind. “You haven’t been paying attention during briefings.”

“I have been focusing on this fuck-up her father left behind,” I grunt. “We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of it.”

“Maybe you would have if you had been more persuasive with the girl.”

“Persuasive?” I release my grip on my glass when I realize I’m clutching it too hard.

“Boss, look.” He glances at me again, as if choosing his words carefully. “You are the best in the interrogation room. You will do anything to get to the truth. Fingers broken, nails ripped off, teeth pulled out and-”

“I get the point. What are you getting at?”

“Did you do that to the Avants girl?” He splays his hands.

“I didn’t need to. She told me the truth.”

“And how do you know that for sure?”

“I’m the best at getting the truth. You said it yourself.” I lock eyes with him over the table, giving him a look that tells him he’s taken this a step too far.

“Fine.” He lifts both his hands, just as the waitress arrives with his vodka. He takes a mouthful and then purses his lips. “If you say she’s telling the truth, I won’t argue with you. But-”

“But you choose to question me?” I narrow my eyes.

“It is my job to be wary. You know this.” He makes a good point. There’s no sense in arguing over this. Besides, if Tiana’s going to be my wife, I should know all there is to know about her.

“Then dig around and see if I missed anything,” I tell him.

“Dig around?”

“Da. See if there’s something worth worrying about.” This would suit me. I still think Tiana told me the truth, but it’s not smart to take her at face value. “Then, if you still have worries, we can take it further.”

“Fair enough.” Dima looks like this eases his mind somewhat. But not completely. “It’s just that now that she is here, you have no time for business?”

“The business is my life, dolboyob! It always has been, and it always will be.” I slam my fists down the table. Several other guests shift their eyes in our direction, then snap them away as soon as they realize who they’re looking at.

“Ah. Then you probably don’t need me to update you on recent developments.”

I set my glass down sharply. “Stop fucking around, Dima. What is this about, and why could you not tell me at home?”

“Because there are ears there, bratok. Some are more dangerous than that fucker Petrov and Theo Avants combined.” His expression speaks volumes.

“What are you talking about?” I snap. I no longer have the patience to wait for him to spit out what he’s getting at.

“I’m talking about her, boss.” He pauses and stares at me, giving me time to process his words.

“We’ve been over this mudak,” I snap. “If you keep this up, I’ll cut your fucking-”

“I’m not talking about Tiana, boss.” Dima shakes his head and leans closer. “I’m talking about her.”

I feel my jaws clench as the realization hits.

Her.

Blyad.

If he’s talking about who I’m thinking about, then we’re in for a world of shit. I gape at Dima and he nods as if he’s reading my mind. Years of working together made us understand each other without words.

“She re-emerged? What makes you think so?” I snap.

“The weekly security check-in didn’t go down as planned.” A muscle flickers in his jaw.

“What?”

“Yuri went in with the money, as always, but it was a no-show. He waited long past the scheduled time, but…” he shrugs, “nothing. Not a trace.”

“You’re bullshitting me.”

“I’m not, boss. I would never joke about this.”

“Blyad!” I sag back against my seat and rake a hand through my hair. “You sure the details were correct? You sure this is about her?”

“Boss, how long have we been doing this thing? Same time. Same meet point. Same drop-off. Why would we get it wrong now?”

“This is a fuckup,” I mutter, straightening again.

“See why I had to tell you here?”

I huff out a breath. “Fine.” Fucking Dima has a point. The last person who needs to hear this conversation is Tiana. She can never know about this. “Do you think anyone could have leaked the details? Maybe got there before our man did?”

Dima shakes his head. “Unlikely. Aside from you and me, Yuri is the only one who knows anything.”

“You trust him?”

“I do. He is the son of my mother’s cousin. He’s family.”

I don’t point out that every traitor is someone’s family. Dima’s entire bloodline has loyalty wired into them. If he says the man can be trusted, it’s good enough for me.

“She must have figured it out.” I silently curse myself. This is my own fucking fault. I should have made sure we mixed things up. Changed the routine.

“What do you want me to do?” Dima is looking at me intently. I know my second in command is testing me. He wants to see if I’m still capable of doing what’s necessary.

“Do you really need to ask that?” I snap, then inhale deeply. I’m letting anxiety take hold. “Find out if anyone was following Yuri. Get him to go over the trip, step by step, so we can see where he could have been made.” I rub my jawline. “We had eyes on us. No doubt about it.”

“After what happened with Avants-” Dima begins.

“Before the shit with Avants, Dima! Someone was paying him for selling information about us. We have to assume that he was not their only source. And if it’s her, then we’re in a world of bullshit.”

“You’re right, boss.” He empties his glass and then sets it down. “I’ll get back to the team, and put my best men on it.”

“Good.” I continue to sit while he stands and steps away from the table. “Keep me updated. I don’t need to tell you how important this is, Dima.”

Our eyes meet, and then he nods. “You can count on me.”

I follow him with my eyes as he leaves the restaurant, my mind spinning with questions. This is not the kind of complication I need in my world right now.

But then again, there would never be a right time for this.

Especially not if she is involved.

Tiana can never know about this.