Page 11 of Forbidden Bratva Virgin

We both knew he wasn’t going to leave. The man was as headstrong as a bull. Damir’s eyes hardened, and the corners of his lips tightened with a frown. Cinching his denim jacket tighter, he inched forward with a determination to talk some sense into me.

“Miron, respectfully—”

He ducked, cutting the rest of his words off as I swung my arm high above his head and slammed my hands on the desk at the same time the glass crashed against the wall behind him.

Quietly, he murmured, “And that’s the sixth one,” under his breath.

“Goddamn it, Damir. Get the fuck out of my office already! Every bloody time ‘respectfully’ comes out of your mouth, you already fucking know you’re about to bloody disrespect me by saying shit. I told you already; I don’t want you to be my voice of reason.Christ!This is my shit to figure out, and I will do it by my goddamn self. I don’t need your lectures.”

“I am not here to lecture you, but we both know you’re not trying to figure anything out. The best you can do is to stop avoiding it and face the music.”

Damir didn’t shout back. The volume of his voice remained steady, and his tone was eerily calm. But I heard the silent waves of rage he held back. I saw the subtle flex of his jaw, the slow trembling of his tight fists, and the underlying secret desire to lay a solid one on me. If it were anyone else seated across from me, in that position, right now, he would have been folded up on the floor, choking in his own blood, fifteen seconds earlier.

Stretching forward again, I took my eyes off him and filled another tumbler. “Fucking leave.”

“You will go to prison, Miron.”

“Damir….” It was a warning. One that he so blatantly ignored.

“You might not care because of your ego, but it doesn’t matter how many tumblers go crashing into that goddamn wall. In case you haven’t noticed, we need you here. Scratch that. ThePakhantrusts you to take care of business here. He can’t find out you’ve gotten yourself thrown behind bars and that you’re absent from work because you failed to avoid trouble.”

“He won’t find out.” I glared. “Unless you’re about to go—”

“You know I don’t play dirty like that.”

“Then leave me the hell alone! Imagine me,therapy. Going to talk to some quack about my feelings. Fuck that. I would rather do time. What I don’t know is why you’re suddenly advocating for this nonsense. Unless you also think I have a problem that needs to be fixed.”

The sudden look in his eyes had gotten a man to piss himself once before. Damir gnashed on his teeth and tightened his fists. His control was slipping as fast as a ship losing anchor in a storm, but we knew he had a firmer grip on his emotions than I did. He wasn’t going to lash out, but he was making it clear that he wasn’t leaving my office until things went the court’s way.

“It’s not about what I think, and you know it. I know you already know this, but I’ll say it again to remind you: The stakes are high. Miron, if you don’t attend those therapy sessions, youwillgo to prison. No amount you offer or number of contacts you call will get you out of this one. I told you already, Jeffery does know how to pull strings, and we cannot do shit about it because he’s in the exact position to do whatever the hell he wants with the justice system. Right now, he is a victim, and that puts you in the position of bending just a little for the wrath of the law to pass over your head. Just do it this once.”

A heavy silence dropped between us, and I stared at the liquid in my glass, brooding.

If I was being honest, I knew there was no point arguing with the man, and I was sensible enough to know when I’d lost an argument. He was right; if I didn’t cooperate willingly, that judge and Jeffery would be more than happy to drag me away. As if I would ever give them the satisfaction.

I pointed at him. “I’ll give it to you: You are one goddamn persistent son of a bitch.”

Silently agreeing, he moved a shoulder. “I’ll take that as a triumphant yes.”

“No one likes a gloater.”

“Call it whatever you like.” He raised his hands. “I’m just glad you’ve made up your mind because you’re due to be there in another hour.”

I knew the sessions were fixed to commence today, and the court gave Viktor—and me—the liberty of deciding what clinic I would attend. But not once since that session have I discussed the subject with Viktor or Damir, for that matter.

I felt my eyes narrow to slits. “To bewherein another hour?”

“I knew you weren’t going to bother with picking any place, so I called Amelia,” came his unmoved response.

Rage boiled over, and before I could stop myself, the tumbler went hurling over Damir’s head. The room echoed when the glass shattered against the wall, but Damir focused instead on wiping off the drops of whiskey that spilled on his jacket.

“You fucking didwhat?”Out of a thousand people he could contact, he chose the one person who wouldn’t fail to rub this shit on my face. “Why the hell would you do that?”

He didn’t even flinch. “Because Prima Care Medical Center is one of the best places you can receive treatment—”

“I don’t need any treat—”

“And you deserve nothing but the best. Plus, it’s a private clinic. You will get quality services there. Two, your cousin happens to be the CEO of the place, and we know she’s a badass at her job. Who better else to handle this than family? On the days you don’t show up, I’ll maybe even threaten her to tweak the reports.”

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