Page 19 of Secret Bratva Baby
I huff loudly and roll onto my side, squeezing my eyes shut tighter.
Sleep.
I need to sleep.
I drift in and out of dreams about her, restless and uncomfortable.
In one dream, we’re in the past, sitting at the bench overlooking the city, the one in the parking lot near the hiking trail. It’s dark and there are thousands of stars above us. Ilean closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist. In this moment, I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I remember being scared.
I wake up with a fright.
My heart is racing. I wanted to marry her, but instead I pushed her away.
Maybe, if things had been different, I would have looked for her again. But then I lost Grigoriy, and my world fell apart for a while.
I sigh loudly, lying alone in the dark.
I have a feeling she’s going to ask me again to explain what happened—why I broke it off with her.
And I can’t avoid answering forever.
I’d have to tell her everything about my family’s background, too. The mafia, bratva, the underworld we function in.
What am I going to tell her?
That I was trying to keep her safe? That I thought it was for the best?
That I have regretted my decision every single day since then.
Chapter 6 - Rose
It’s growing light outside. The morning sun is slowly filtering into my room. Lily is still fast asleep next to me. I’m happy she is comfortable and not panicked over the things that happened last night. I don’t know how much of it she saw, but I did my best to keep her eyes turned away and protect her from it.
As long as I keep my emotions and anxiety hidden from her, she will continue to believe that we are just staying with a friend of mine. That’s all she needs to know.
The rest is for me to bear alone, a burden I’ll carry easily to make sure she doesn’t have to worry at all.
I look from the window, glowing with a late sunrise, towards the bedroom door.What are the chances that it’s still unlocked?
I groan. The chances are low. He would most certainly have made sure I couldn’t get out again.
After what I pulled last night, threatening him with his own gun, I doubt he’d be stupid enough to leave it unlocked again.
My watch says it’s forty-five minutes past seven. I can’t remember the last time I slept this late. However, claiming that I actually got any sleep last night is a bit of a stretch.
People will be arriving at my office soon. They’ll realize I’m not there.
What will they do?
Sighing, I carefully extricate myself from under Lily, doing my best not to move her too much. On a normal day, she’d already be awake, but I think the adventures of last night threwher off a bit. And I might have woken her a few times in the night with my constant tossing.
I tiptoe to the door, my heart racing as I close my eyes, my hand wrapped around the doorknob. I say a silent little wish in my head.
It turns, the lock opens. I can’t believe it.
He didn’t lock us in.
Why?
