Russian Mobster's Forbidden Mistress by Bella Rose Read Free Book Online

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    Every instinct in Dani’s body was on high alert as she followed Josef out to her brother’s big, black SUV. The dark tinted windows made the thing look like an FBI special.
    “Don’t you find it amusing that you and almost every FBI agent out there have the same vehicle?” Dani asked Mikhail as she buckled herself into the back seat. “I mean, you guys just have so much in common . I’m sure you could all be friends if they didn’t want to charge you with racketeering and a million other felonies.”
    “Shut your mouth,” Mikhail said, glancing into the rearview mirror and meeting her gaze. “Please?”
    “Since you said please ,” she murmured. “And actually, why did you say please anyway?”
    “What? A brother cannot be polite to his baby sister?” Mikhail pulled the car away from the curb, with Josef riding shotgun.
    “No. And you never call me your baby sister either.” Her stomach knotted with tension. “What’s going on?”
    “We’re having a meeting with the Rusnaks. That’s what’s going on.” Mikhail steered the vehicle around the corner and headed toward a local restaurant that was a popular meeting site for people who don’t trust each other.
    A local family owned the place. They had so many ties to various mafia groups that they were almost genetically predisposed to be neutral. Mikhail parked on the curb out front and the three of them exited.
    “I’m glad we’re here, actually,” Dani said with forced nonchalance. “I’m starving and they have amazing breakfast.”
    “We’re not here for the food,” Mikhail grunted. “We’re here to make a deal.”
    Dani kept an eye on Josef. His expression was leaden. She didn’t understand what was going on, but the way he was acting told her that she needed to be on her toes. Josef entered first, as was fitting for an enforcer. Then Mikhail went, with Dani bringing up the rear.
    The first thing that always struck her about Mama’s restaurant was the delightful array of smells filling the air. Biscuits and gravy, spicy sausage, crepes, blini for the Russians, and even plain old pancakes and waffles were all on the menu. Dani was already scoping out the place for a table when she realized that there were three people standing at the opposite side of the restaurant, and they were all staring at Dani.
    “Mikhail,” Dani whispered. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
    “Papa has decided that he wants you to marry one of the Rusnaks in order to cement an alliance between our families.” Mikhail’s tone was perfectly reasonable, even though he’d just handed her the biggest line of bullshit she could ever imagine.
    “Papa wants me to marry a Rusnak?” she said dubiously. “Which one?”
    “The guy in the middle.”
    “The one who looks like he’s fifty years old?” she managed to squeak.
    “No, the other one.”
    Dani almost turned around and walked out. This second alternative was not better than the first. The smarmy-looking man in the middle was wearing an honest-to-goodness leisure suit, a purple shirt open at the collar, and snakeskin half-zip boots. He was already leering at her as though he wanted to strip her naked right there in the restaurant. And if Dani wasn’t mistaken, Josef was about to rip the man’s head off.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Josef had never been so ready to punch someone into unconsciousness as he was at that very moment. The way Igor Rusnak was staring at Dani was completely unacceptable.
    Josef nudged Mikhail. “This is a bad idea.”
    “Why?” Mikhail barely spared his friend a sideways glance. He was too busy waving at the Rusnaks. “He will marry her, and we will eliminate this bullshit we have to go through every time one of our ships comes into port.”
    “Look at the way he stares at her,” Josef said fervently. “No respect. It is as if he does not respect you enough to have respect for your sister.”
    Mikhail snorted, finally turning and giving Josef his full attention.