Page 23 of Trapping His Angel

But she wasn’t theirs anymore. Not really.

She didn’t know it yet, but she belonged to me. Every time she pushed me away, it only made me want to pull her closer, to drag her into my world and keep her there. Her resistance was intoxicating, a challenge that made my blood sing. I wanted to crush that defiance, to make her see there was no point in fighting me.

I leaned back against the chair, fingers drumming on the armrest, as I stared at her from across the room. She pretended not to notice me watching her, but I saw the way her body tensed, the way she avoided meeting my gaze.

Good. She should feel it; the weight of my stare, the inevitability of what we both knew was coming. She could reject me a thousand times, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I’d already decided. If the world came looking for her, they’d have to pry her from my cold, dead hands.

Because she wasn’t just some passing obsession. She was mine. And I didn’t share.

But I didn’t care.

I knew she was mine. I needed to know everything there was to know about her. If I was going to claim her, to make her mine officially, I couldn’t afford to leave a single detail unchecked. Her full dossier sat on the table in front of me, a wealth of information just waiting to be consumed. Every fact, every secret, every piece of her life was there, and I’d devour itall. She might think she could keep herself locked away from me, but there wouldn’t be a single corner of her existence I didn’t uncover.

Reading that dossier wasn’t just curiosity, it was preparation. If I was going to Viktor, if I was going to stand in front of him and demand what I wanted, I needed to be armed with the full truth. Viktor didn’t give his blessings lightly, and he sure as hell wouldn’t hand her over to me without a fight. But I wasn’t asking. Not really. She was already mine; I just needed him to see it.

I flipped the first page, my eyes scanning every line with cold precision. The details of her life unfolded in front of me, piece by piece, until I felt like I could see the shape of her soul. Every hardship, every triumph, every scar, physical or otherwise, was laid bare, and with each word, my resolve hardened.

By the time I finished, there was no doubt in my mind. I would go to Viktor, I would claim her, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. If he wanted to stand in my way, he’d learn quickly that nothing could stop me from getting what was already mine.

I rose from the table with the dossier clenched tightly in my hand. This wasn’t just about knowing her anymore, it was about owning the right to protect her, to keep her exactly where she belonged. By my side. For good.

The Pakhan had the right to refuse this arrangement, however, he wouldn’t.

After helping Roman out, and losing my eye, the Brotherhood leader owed me, and he knew it. I never made a fuss about losing my eye, because I knew there might be a day that I would need to cash in.

I hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

I walked to my temporary office. This wasn’t my home base. I owned property in Karelia, which was close to the Finnishborder. It was a remote location, and once I went back, I wouldn’t be easily accessible. It was why I was an excellent spy.

No one could navigate all the traps I’d laid down in the forest, river, and lake surrounding the property. And that was where I was going to steal my soon to be wife away to. As soon as the ink dried on the marital paperwork, we were leaving to go on an extended honeymoon.

Of course, I had to deal with Viktor first. Which meant knowing mymalen'kiy angelinside and out, so I wasn’t surprised. I bet she would think it was an invasion of privacy.

But I could see her fight dimming.

She needed a reset. She wasn’t ready for the cruel world of The Brotherhood, and for once in my life, I wanted to protect someone from the darkness of my life. I don’t know how, in such a short period, she had imprinted herself so deeply to me.

Her dossier was crumbled in my hand and I opened it again. Name, age, I already knew these things. I needed to see what her secrets were.

Isadora Paéz would have to marry Eduardo Herrarra, a powerful capo in the Venezuelan Cartel. That was a big red flag. I kept going, realizing her hospital records showed she wouldn’t be safe from the Cartel.

No child fell that much as a toddler.

I scrolled through, and saw that she was supposed to marry Eduardo this year, but with The Academy burned to the ground, the Cartel was probably looking for their lost bastard princess.

Their line of succession depended on her survival, since her father couldn’t have any more children. I’d figured out my angle with Viktor. I checked the time, and it wasn’t too late.

The Pakhan would be in his office.

I walked toward it, saluting a few of the soldiers on the way, and waited for the one protecting his office door to announce me.

“Let him in,” Viktor called back.

I went inside of his office. “How’s your ward?” Viktor asked, as soon as I stepped foot inside.

“She’s doing well, Pakhan.” I waited for him to give me the signal.

He motioned for me to sit down, and I adjusted my suit jacket and followed directions. “Well, what brings you here? I mean, you don’t usually even stick around the compound. I assumed you’d be going back to your home.”

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