Page 8 of Forced & Knocked-Up Bratva Bride

I grabbed my purse and got off the stool, my movements steady—more haste, less speed. He might not be at the VIP areafor now, but I sensed he was somewhere around, lurking in the dark corners and watching me from the shadows. However, I couldn’t grant him the satisfaction of thinking I was running away from him. With that in mind, I sashayed through the crowd as elegantly as I could, my movement fluid and majestic.

A few seconds later, I reached the exit and pushed the door open, the cool night’s air brushing against my skin. I didn’t realize that I’d been holding my breath this entire time until a sharp gasp escaped my lips. My hand flew to my chest, as if to prevent my heart from jumping out, as I glanced back at the shut door. I could still hear the sound of the muffled music coming from inside the club. However, my biggest relief was that I made it out of there.

“I’m sorry, Ayla,” I muttered under my breath and turned around to leave.

For some reason, it was awfully quiet out here, with the street lamps casting long, eerie shadows over the sidewalks. To make matters worse, it was almost like there was not a single soul outside the club.

Where the hell is everyone? What’s going on here?I wondered.

For sure, the people in the club were still inside, having a good time. But what about those outside—the street vendors and the passersby? Where were they? Why did it look like the Mary Celeste out here when it wasn’t even midnight yet?

I shook my head, my heels clicking rapidly against the pavement as I headed toward the waiting car by the curb. It was best just to get as far away from this place as possible because right now, I felt like every cell in my body was warning me against an imminent danger.

The night itself was still, the moon lurking behind a dark cloud overhead, and the celestial canvas was dotted with a few twinkling stars. I quickened my pace toward the car, but halfwayinto the walk, I heard a noise from the shadows—the sound of a twig snapping beneath someone’s foot.

I shouldn’t have, but I stopped in my tracks, glancing over my shoulder. The nearby bush rustled, startling me, and before I could make a run for the car, I felt a large palm cover my face from behind. The touch was cold, the grip firm—so firm, in fact, that it muffled my screams. My eyes widened in terror, and my arms flailed helplessly as a strong scent, harsh and dark, invaded my nostrils. The handkerchief in my attacker’s hold was laced with some substance—a drug, perhaps.

Slowly, my strength began to dwindle, my bones weakened, and my legs turned to jelly. My eyelids drooped, heavy with blurry vision as the world swirled around me. The hooting of an owl in the distance echoed in my head, and my hands dropped weightlessly.

It was clear to me now that I’d been drugged. And just as I drew a deep, long breath—one I could only assume to be my last—a veil of darkness clouded my eyes. My body fell backward, collapsing onto my attacker’s broad chest.

Moments later, my eyes closed for good, and I drifted off—out like a light.

Chapter 6 – Nik

The hanging chandelier cast a warm glow over the opulent interior, its soft, golden light enveloping the space. Across the room, I sat in a leather armchair, my gaze pinned on my little prisoner—the sleeping beauty.

She lay on the comfy mattress, eyes shut, her chest quietly rising and falling—still unconscious, oblivious to her new reality. The girl looked innocent in that state, so pure and blameless that her chasteness was enough to melt a regular man’s heart.

Not mine, though. My heart was made of stone; at least, that was what I was told.

Strands of her honey-blonde hair framed her baby face, her porcelain skin simmering under the soft lights. My gaze swept across her sleeping form as she lay on her side, her slender body arching gracefully. Her hips and waist curved inward, her legs stretching out in a gentle line.

I sat on the sofa, my expression flat—unreadable—as I watched her sleep. The drugs were bound to wear off at any time, meaning sooner rather than later, she’d regain consciousness. I’d wait. I was that patient. After all, I had all the time in the world. There were tons of other things to be done at the moment, but this was more important to me.

She’d wake up soon, confused and in desperate need of answers to the millions of questions that would be running through her mind. Luckily for her, I’d be here to savor the look of fear on her face as I explained the situation she was trapped in.

A faint smirk lined the corner of my lips, anticipating her reaction when I broke her heart and shattered her hopes with my responses.

Until then, let her sleep. This was by far going to be the last good sleep she’d have for a very long time anyway.

My fingers stroked my jaw, my smirk deepening as I thought about Dante Romano’s reaction when he discovered his daughter had been kidnapped. He would almost certainly lose his mind, considering just how precious she was to him. The idea that this little act would tear Dante’s mind apart was satisfying as hell.

The bastard pushed my hand, and his lack of remorse only fueled my rage. He’d stolen something valuable to me, and now, I’d taken something even more valuable from him. An eye for an eye—that was what I believed in. He knew better than to cross me; he knew that my revenge would be brutal. Yet, he let his pride get in the way. Now, look where that got him.

Sleeping Beauty would wake up soon and realize that she’d been stripped of the safety her last name once provided. She would understand that she was my prisoner and that, in here,Icalled the shots. The girl would come to know that I was Lord over her, and there was nothing that could be done to save her. No one would come to save her from me. Absolutely no one. She was mine.

Her soft gasp snatched my attention, and my eyes darted to her face, where a slow breath escaped her lips. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her hand flew to her head, wincing at the aches that plagued her. She blinked a few times, rubbing the back of her hand over her heavy eyes.

I watched her in silence, my gaze fixed on her face. She looked in my direction, but it seemed her vision was still a bit blurry, as she hadn’t reacted to the strange man staring directly at her. She groaned softly, her body shifting on the sheets.

The moment she locked eyes with me, I saw the confusion and fear dancing in her features. Her breath hitched, and with a reflexive move, she jerked up, pulling the sheets over her body with her back against the headboard. Her fingers clenched the hem of the sheets, the white fabric draping over her form.

My face broke into a subtle, amused grin at how ridiculous it was for her to have thought that she was naked.

Her brown eyes darted across the unfamiliar space, her breath slow and uneven.

“You’re awake,” I said, my gaze pinned on her. “Good.”

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