Page 70 of Romi

“Luckily, the marriage arrangement is not common knowledge. So far, only ourselves, Glowacki’s family and some of our closest men know about it. That should help because few people know that you were fooling around with Sonia while she was technically engaged to Dariusz,” Marko said, obviously thinking aloud.

“If we can keep it that way and also come up with an alternative arrangement that suits Glowacki, then neither he nor Miki will lose face. Something neither man can afford to do when we are all vulnerable to our enemies,” Luca said in direct reply to Marko.

My breath hitched as hope blossomed inside me. I didn’t want to build my hopes up too soon, but it sounded like the guys were coming around to the situation.

“We’ve been trying to think of an alternative since we found out about it. I even asked Uncle Maxim, but so far, he has failed to think of anything either,” I said.

Marko raised his eyebrows, then slowly nodded.

“I will talk with Miki. I might have an idea. In the meantime, you are being sent back to Russia tomorrow until Miki calms down,” he stated.

“I won’t leave her!” I shouted as I shot to my feet.

“Those are Miki’s instructions. He is your pakhan, and you will obey him,” Marko shouted back.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I stated defiantly.

“If you want my help, you will do what is required. You are lucky that you’ve only been separated. Something worse could have happened to you,” Marko replied, his tone brooking no argument.

Narrowing my gaze at him, I clenched and unclenched my fists, just barely holding myself back from punching his face. Marko looked like he was having the same problem.

Tension fizzled between us as we stood facing off to one another. No bloody way was I leaving the country without my woman.

“Romi, you need to do what Miki says until he calms down. You’ve poked the bear enough. Defiance will only cause you more trouble. You need to be smart about this,” Anton warned.

My gaze flickered to him. He was right. I did need to be smart.

“Fine, I will go along with that as long as her marriage is called off,” I barked in annoyance.

Marko nodded stiffly.

“I have an idea. I’ll see what I can do,” Marko promised before leaving the room without another word.

Anton shook his head at me but patted my shoulder in a gesture of support as he followed. Luca watched me intently for a minute, then sighed heavily and left.

Anxiousness made my chest tighten at the thought of being forced to leave Sonia and go to Russia without her; being separated by only a few miles was one thing, but being separated by oceans was soul-crushing. I wasn’t sure how I would cope with that, and I wasn’t sure how Sonia would either, but it seemed we had no choice. For now, at least. If Marko really did have an idea, then there was hope for us, so I had to go along with this situation for a bit longer.

At least I knew I had allies in Russia who would help me if Marko failed to. If he did, I would be on the first flight back and nothing, and nobody would stop me from getting to my Little Miss Trouble then.

CHAPTER 36

SONIA

SATURDAY AGAIN – KIDNAPPED!

Pain lanced through my jaw, making me wince as I slowly came awake. My eyes slammed shut again the moment I opened them, the glare of light from the bare bulb above my head making my head hurt.

What happened?

Things came rushing back to me. I remembered leaving the house and sneaking through the tunnel. Then Ivor was suddenly there, and my feeling of danger, then nothing. I reached my hand up and tentatively touched the left side of my head; it was tender and swollen, which explained the pounding headache. The bastard must have hit me and knocked me out.

But where was he? And where was I? And more importantly, why had he taken me?

Still feeling disorientated, stiff, and sore, I tried to stand up and stretch, but my neck was suddenly jerked sharply, making me cry out in pain.

My hands flew to my throat, and I grasped the thick leather slave collar that had tightened around my neck when I’d moved. I pulled at it, but it didn’t budge. Reaching around, I felt for whatever held it in place. There was a small metal clasp with a thumb-shaped indentation, and I realised that the bloody thing could only be opened by a thumbprint. Naturally, mine didn’t work.

Unbelievable. I couldn’t believe those pigs had put a collar on me like I was a dog. Well, they’d better watch out because this bitch was going to bite the first chance I got.