Page 10 of Bratva Hostage

“We’ll protect her. I promise.”

She ends the call, and I remain in the empty study for a long moment. Cecily wants her freedom, but all I can offer is a locked gate and armed guards. She wants out of this world of violence and gore, that much is clear, She ends the call, and I remain in the empty study for a long moment. Cecily wants her freedom, but all I can offer is a locked gate and armed guards. She wants out of this world of violence and gore, that much is clear, which means any future with me is off the table.

A future?

What am I thinking?

She’s not interested in me, and I don’t need complications in my life. The fact that I’m even having these thoughts is enough to make me question my own sanity.

Still, I cannot deny the way my heart beats a little faster when her defiance makes her hazel eyes flash or how my blood rushes south whenever she glares at me.

I have a reputation for being cold and unyielding. I’ve worked hard to ensure people fear me, and now, I find myself drawn to a woman who is not afraid of anything.

This isn’t good.

Not at all.

Chapter 4 - Cecily

If this is for my own good, why do I feel like a prisoner?

Two of Dimitri’s men stand by a tall window near the end of the hall. They nod politely, but I don’t slow down. I have a plan, or at least the start of one. I’m going to demand answers, and I’m going to do it in front of his brothers. I want them all to hear my side, and I’m not leaving until I get what I want.

I turn left, pass a heavy door with an electronic lock, and continue through a wide foyer. There are more guards here than usual, probably because all of the Barkov men are here at once, and they all pay close attention to me. None of them reach for a weapon. They don’t need to. They know I’m not armed, and they probably think I’m too small to be a threat. That mindset only pisses me off more. I’m tired of being underestimated.

I pause at the threshold of Dimitri’s office, where I can hear them all inside talking, and I gather what’s left of my courage. Then I push the door wide open and stride into the room.

A massive table takes up most of the space, and it’s covered with maps, papers, and the remains of what looks like a late lunch. Five men look up: Dimitri, Maksim, Aleksei, Akim, and Nikolai. Grigor must be at the safehouse with Seraphina. Good. At least she’s protected.

Dimitri stands at the head of the table, commanding attention without speaking a word. From everything I’ve heard, Aleksei, as the oldest, is the head of this family, but right now, Dimitri looks every bit in charge. He straightens his spine as his focus zeroes in on me, and I have to remind myself to keep breathing.

Jesus, why does he have to be so good-looking?

His hair is a little darker than his brothers’, and it looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days. His black suit holds tight to his powerful frame, and the white dress shirt is unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a hint of muscle.

I plant my feet. “I need to talk to you.”

“We’re in the middle of something.” He gestures toward his brothers, but I don’t move.

“Then consider this an interruption.”

Maksim lets out a low sound that might be amusement. “She’s got spunk, huh?”

Aleksei rubs his jaw. “You have no idea.”

I ignore them and focus on Dimitri. “I want to know what your plan is for me.”

“Cecily, if you would just—”

“Now, Dimitri. I want to know now. You’ve kept me in the dark long enough.”

A moment of silence passes, and the way Dimitri’s looking at me, I’m almost afraid he’s going to come across the table. But then he nods to his brothers, and one by one, they file out of the room. Maksim is last to exit, and when he does, he throws me a grin over his shoulder. When the door closes, we’re alone.

My heartbeat roars in my ears, but I keep my head high. “Well?” I demand. “Are you going to keep me here forever? I have a right to know what’s going on.”

“We’ve been over this.”

“I’m not a piece of property. You don’t get to store me away and hope he never shows up.”

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