Page 42 of Bratva Hostage

“We’re restructuring security rotations for the west gate,” he announces, like this is a normal conversation we have. “What do you think?”

I blink. “What do I think?”

“You heard me.”

I stare at him, waiting for the catch. Dimitri doesn’t just change his mind overnight. He doesn’t suddenly ask for my opinion when he’s spent the last several weeks deciding everything for me.

I slowly reach for the file, flipping it open to scan the details inside. It’s a logistical matter, not particularly sensitive,but still something that most men in this organization wouldn’t consider bringing to me.

I trace a finger over the map of the estate, noting the current guard posts. “You’re leaving the west gate weaker in the afternoons,” I remark as I point to the rotation. “You’ve staggered the shifts too much. If someone wanted to time an approach, that’s where they’d do it.”

Dimitri studies me, then the map. “And what would you suggest?”

I glance up, searching for the trick, but there’s no sign of trickery. He’s serious. He actually wants my input.

I push the file toward him and tap a section near the perimeter wall. “Instead of staggering shifts at the gate, stagger them here. It creates the illusion of an opening without actually making one. If Thorne or anyone else is watching, they’ll think they see an opportunity, but your men will already be positioned to cut them off before they get close.”

Dimitri doesn’t answer right away. His eyes move between me and the file, then he nods once. “I’ll have Maksim run that adjustment.”

That’s it. No argument. No dismissal. Just an acknowledgment.

I pick up my coffee again, trying to act unaffected, but my mind is racing. He didn’t just listen—he accepted my suggestion without a fight. It’s a small thing, a minor security thing, but it feels bigger than that.

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because you’re right. You know how Thorne thinks. I should use that.”

I don’t know how to respond to that. He’s not just letting me have a say; he’s admitting he was wrong to keep me out of it. For a man like Dimitri, that’s almost impossible.

I should feel victorious. Instead, I feel unsettled. Not that I’m going to let him see that.

I nod and push the file back toward him. “Good. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Dimitri smirks like he knows I’m playing it cool. He stands and picks up the file. “I will.”

He strides away, leaving me sitting there with my mind turning. It was just one detail. Nothing big. But it feels like something.

I exhale and look around the room. A few of his men are scattered throughout, sipping coffee and discussing business in deliberately low voices. At first, I don’t pay them any mind.

Then, I notice it.

Some of them are watching me.

Not in an obvious way. No marked stares or open hostility. Just quiet observation, an awareness in their posture that wasn’t there before.

It takes me a second to understand why.

They saw Dimitri bring me the file. Saw him ask for my opinion in a way he doesn’t do with anyone outside his circle. And now they’re wondering what it means.

Power plays in this world don’t always come with declarations. Sometimes, they’re as simple as who gets consulted and who doesn’t.

And I just got consulted.

I glance down at my cup and pretend to be exceptionally interested in the brown liquid inside. I know exactly what’s happening. I’m being tested.

Some of these men don’t trust me. Maybe they think I’ll sabotage them. Maybe they think Dimitri is blinded by whatever this thing is between us. Or maybe they just don’t like that a Thorne is sitting at their table.

Whatever the reason, I feel the shift in the room, as if a new line has been drawn in the sand. Before, I was Dimitri’s prisoner, then his reluctant wife. Now, I’m becoming something else. Something with potential.

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