Glazov (Born Bratva Book 1) (12 page)

Kathleen

I stood and eyed my image in the mirror as the woman who assisted me in getting dressed kept nodding her head with enthusiasm. I wore a white beaded dress, and though it wasn’t a wedding gown, it was nothing shy of stunning. My auburn hair cascaded over my shoulders since Glazov instructed her to leave it down.

Unlike many women, my auburn locks were natural. I hated it as a child, but as an adult my hair was one of the things I loved most about my looks.

I looked up to view Glazov walking in with what appeared to be an Orthodox minister. I’m sure there would be some people who would question the validity of our marriage. In the traditional Orthodox church most Russians attended, it was mandated by family that the couple be wed in the church. However, there was no escaping that the law would view it as a binding, legal union. My soon to be husband was racing against the clock, and I’m certain that FBI agent nosing around had something to do with his need to rush the ceremony.

Just the fact that Glazov had access to a priest willing to conduct the ceremony outside of a church said a lot about just how powerful he was. The man I belonged to was sinking his talons into me even deeper, and there would be no escaping him after I bore his name. I don’t know why, but the man is obsessed with possessing me. For some odd reason, my will to fight for my independence is waning daily. I highly doubt, though, he will ever be able to completely constrain the fight in me. It just isn’t in my nature. Just like Glazov, I’m a born fighter.

The ceremony was just that—a
ceremony
. It was the legal act of Glazov obtaining what he wanted. I was glad that I couldn’t testify against him now. It actually made it less stressful for the power and control to be taken out of my hands and put into his. I didn’t have to be faced with the temptation of going into Witness Protection anymore; the decision had been made for me. I actually felt a sense of relief.

Glazov

I could not get enough of her. This woman I had taken, had now taken a part of me like no woman had ever been able to before. I was secretly glad she’d been approached by the FBI. It gave me the leverage I needed to force her into marriage. Being able to justify the wedding so she could no longer testify against me almost seemed to have relieved her. I was taking the reins of control from her and offering her safety in exchange for her compliance.

“You are mine, Ptichka. There will be no escaping me now. I will be very displeased if I find out you have done anything to thwart my plan for you to bear my son. If you have gone back on birth control, your friend will suffer the consequences of your actions. Is there anything you wish to tell me? If so, it would be in your best interest to reveal it now.” I wanted to know if she was using birth control against my wishes, and I wanted her to know I knew what was going on in that devious little mind of hers.

My eyes cut through her, demanding the truth.

“You do understand I will kill Robin, don’t you?”

“I haven’t done anything. I have been off the pill for a month.”

“Very well, Ptichka. It would be in your best interest to remain that way. Don’t even think about getting a shot either. I’m not naïve in areas of contemporary birth control, and God help you if you ever abort a child of mine.”

“It would be my child too, Glazov, and I would never do that.”

I leaned in to correct her and whispered in her ear. “I think you mean
will,
not would. There is no doubt you’ll be giving birth to my children. The only question is how many I choose to have. A man needs sons to fight against his enemies in his old age.”

“You have it all planned out, don’t you?”

“You’re damn straight I do. Any good businessman has a plan for his family’s future. You should be happy I’m looking out for the well-being of ours.”

“I’m convinced you’re crazy!”

“I’m flattered, love. You would do well to remind yourself just how fucking crazy I can be.”

I clamped my teeth down into her neck, just enough to let her know that I meant what I was saying.

I folded her knees back by her shoulders and relished in her groan as I slowly pushed my thick, hard cock inside her. I would never tire of watching her eyes roll back into her head when I possessed her. Each time we were together, there was a new level of intensity that seared us into one another’s souls. She was everything I’d never had with other women. I knew I would never tire of her like I had my previous conquests. She was so much more than that to me, and now my beloved Ptichka was my wife. Hopefully, she would soon be the mother of my children as well.

I had never been with a woman who made me feel this way, and I knew it was necessary for me to remain in complete control of her. She had spent her life running, and if I let her, she would repeat that behavior. Running was what she did when things got hard. In my world, things get fucked up and crazy quickly. I would have to save her from herself, but I had no problem with that. I liked the challenge she presented me with.

Weakness was not a luxury a man in my lifestyle could afford. She had no idea how ruthless my enemies could be, and she had to remain safe at all costs. Whether she liked it or not, that meant me having complete control over her life.

I loved her body long into the night, basking in the realization that she was now my wife. The intensity of that knowledge magnified our lovemaking. She would need that memory to hold onto because, tomorrow, I would be gone before she even woke up…

Kathleen

I woke the next morning and thought nothing of Glazov not being in bed with me. Many times when I woke up, he had already left to start his day. I guess it takes an early start to maim and kill your next victim. At least, I wouldn’t have to immediately deal with his ever-watchful eyes.

I had clients today, so it worked out well for me. Knowing he was lurking in the background never made it easy to close a deal. Hopefully, he’d be busy wreaking havoc on someone else today.

Robin had kept up with her end of things, and I was grateful for that. I could only handle one thug at a time. I sure as hell didn’t need her going into debt with one of Glazov’s competitors. I would probably be so mad I would tell them to kill her myself. Hell, I might even be the one to pull the trigger. For some reason, the thought soothed me.

I pulled myself out of bed and tended to the task of getting dressed so I could make my way into work. As it stood, my attitude wasn’t the greatest. I guess being forced into marriage does that to a girl. It just seemed like no matter where I went, I was dealing with other people’s shit.

I decided just to do what I always did when things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. I’d dive into work. It has actually worked quite well for me because it had the two-fold effect of removing me from the situation and giving me financial independence. I’d take any kind of fucking independence I could get right now.

As the day wore on, I knew something was wrong. Glazov had not once called to check up on me. That was highly unusual. In fact, it was unheard of. There had never been a time where he didn’t either have someone tailing me, or he wasn’t stalking me via my phone and the Internet. Many times, one of his goons could be found lurking outside my office. I’d even had them follow me into restaurants where I was having lunch with clients. My husband had enough people on payroll to do his bidding at will.

By the time Yafon picked me up, I was in a full-blown panic. All day long, I had to push away worrisome thoughts of him being dead in an alley somewhere. Was this what my life was going to be like because I married a gangster? Would I worry every single day he left for
work
whether or not he would come back home alive? It wasn’t just worrying about him dying. I also worried about, if it did happen, how he would die. As many people as my husband had tortured and enjoyed torturing, I didn’t even want to think about what he would be forced to endure if his enemies got their hands on him. The thing about unwanted thoughts is they can become intrusive.

I eyed Yafon’s reflection in the car mirror as he drove me home. “Where is he, Yafon? What is going on?” I was going to nail him down and get some answers. How the fuck did I go from getting married last night to not being able to find my husband today?

He stared back at me in the mirror and shook his head. “No, Missy.”

I knew that was his way of telling me that he was not going to divulge any information to me.

The night rolled around, and still, there was no sign of Glazov. I cried myself to sleep. This was the first night I’d been without him in six months. The not knowing is what gripped my insides and twisted. It wasn’t a love struck kind of cry; it was the cry of a woman who was accustomed to feeling completely in control and suddenly found herself adrift.

Was he in some fucking alley, bent over and struggling to breathe with all his ribs cracked? Had he slumped down the wall into a helpless heap after being beaten and left for dead? I knew one thing and that was if he wasn’t dead, I was going to kill him myself. How the hell could he expect me to account for every moment of my day, yet he could just take off without even having the decency to let me know he wasn’t dead?

Something was wrong, severely wrong. This wasn’t like the man who was obsessed with my every move. People didn’t change overnight, and Glazov was too ingrained with old school Bratva teachings to just disappear from the face of the earth. I knew something horrible must have happened, so my mind went round and round with no answers, and worst of all, no closure.