Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(17)

It wasn’t because he was yelling at her that tears formed in her eyes. It was that she felt foolish, and more than anything, she felt like the child that he was always accusing her of being. Luka was very vocal with his anger, and demonstrative, gesturing out wildly around them, but his movements drew Alex’s attention to his Jeep as a door slammed shut.

With him being so much taller, she couldn’t see over his shoulder to see who was approaching, but when they finally reached Luka’s side, Alex hadn’t expected to see her.

It was no secret to anyone that she didn’t care for Natasha and the reason why. She didn’t like to admit it, but Alex was jealous of the girl.

She was everything that Alex wasn’t. Natasha had the long, wavy hair two shades darker than brown, her eyes the same rich color, and while Alex was petite and barely had any curves to her frame, Natasha was practically the definition of curvaceous. And more importantly, she had the attention of the one person Alex wanted.

The rules that governed Alex and Luka didn’t affect Natasha. Sure, she was technically working for the Bratva, but if Luka wanted to be with her, no one was going to stop him. There was a time when Alex thought Luka didn’t care about those rules since he had shamelessly flirted back with her on multiple occasions, but since Anya, he had stopped completely.

Alex took a step back, her gaze shifting between the two of them. She hadn’t given a second thought to calling Luka when she was in trouble. Even if Mishca would have been in town, she would have likely called Luka first, but had she known that he was with Natasha…she might not have called him.

Natasha slipped her hand around Luka’s shoulder, as if she was trying to calm him down. “We need to handle this before someone drives by. I’m sure Alex didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Her cheeks coloring in embarrassment, Alex ground her teeth together. It didn’t help that Natasha was talking about her like she wasn’t standing there, and it only made it worse that she had heard Luka yelling at her.

Just seeing them so comfortable together felt like a stab in the heart. She could remember every single time she had begged him for any little piece of him, only to be denied because ‘she couldn’t handle him.’ She knew he treated her differently than others, even joked around with her when no one else was around, but it was becoming apparent that her reading something into that was off.

Tearing her eyes away from them, she looked back to the car that was still smoking, but was slowly dwindling down. “Sorry. I should have called someone else. I didn’t realize you were busy.”

It wasn’t Luka that responded however, but Natasha. “It was no trouble at all.”

There was an edge to her laughter, something Luka seemed to catch onto. “I don’t remember calling you, Natasha. I don’t have the number for the Gilded Room. I’ve been meaning to ask, do you each get a separate number, or do you just call and ask for who you want? Maybe there’s a menu?”

“Alex, that’s enough,” Luka said.

“Is it?” she asked reaching into her pocket for her pack of cigarettes and lighter. Pulling one free, she stuck it between her lips, lighting the end of it, only to have it plucked from her lips and tossed to the ground, Luka grinding it out with the toe of his boot.

“Oh, you have some f*cking nerve. Unless you’re my brother, or you’re f*cking me—which neither applies to you—you don’t get to do that.” Now, she was the one who was mad.

“Not tonight, Alex,” he returned in French, earning a frown from Natasha as if she hadn’t known he could speak the language. Huh.

Maybe if he hadn’t immediately started yelling, she might have felt differently, but now she wasn’t in the mood for a private conversation.“What would you prefer then?” she asked, still in English. “Tomorrow night? I wouldn’t want to interrupt your appointment.” Her eyes cut to Natasha. “I know those can be hard to come by. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t know you booked Wednesday nights as well. Her * must be lined in gold.”

Natasha didn’t look offended by the statement, but her eyes narrowed.

When Luka opened his mouth, probably to chastise her again, she waved his words away. “Whatever. I’m sure you want me to wait in the car where I won’t be able to f*ck up your night further. Excuse me while I get on that.”

Without waiting for a response, Alex went to his Jeep, lighting up another cigarette along the way. The burning nicotine in her lungs kept her calm as she climbed into the back, but it didn’t help when she noticed that Natasha stayed by his side.

He made a few calls, speaking in heated Russian as he explained what he needed done. First came another of Mishca’s guys who didn’t notice Alex at all, then came a flatbed that loaded the Mercedes and took off. It only took about an hour and a half, but by this time, Alex was out of cigarettes and starting to crash. While her body felt exhausted, mentally she was wide awake.

When Luka had finished and it was time to leave, he seemed considerably more irritated than when he had first arrived, that familiar tick working in his jaw.

“Alex, front seat.”

Natasha looked at him in confusion—and maybe a little hurt—Alex just looked uninterested. “I’m fine back here, thanks,” she said on a laugh, tossing the butt of her cigarette out the window.

Apparently, Luka wasn’t in the mood to be denied.