Page 96 of Secret Bratva Baby
I decide she must not be ready to talk. I am happy she’s letting me help her, so that has to be enough for now. I wash her entire body, letting her rest her head against the back of the bath while I shampoo and condition her hair.
I work slowly, paying careful attention to her breathing, her shoulders, her body language.
By the time I’m finished, she seems to be a lot more relaxed.
She stands up, and I use the bath shower extension to rinse her body.
Then she lets me wrap her in two big towels and lift her out, carrying her back into the bedroom.
I climb onto the bed with her in my arms, held tightly against my chest.
“Do you want to talk?” I ask.
“All this time I had no idea,” she sighs.
“About what?”
She shifts a little away from me so that she can look at me.
“The company that I worked at—just before I started there, it was bought out by Tania’s uncle, Boris. It was for money laundering. All this time, I was working in a money laundering business, and I didn’t know.”
I shake my head. “It’s too specific to be a coincidence.”
“It wasn’t an accident that I got hired there.”
“How do you know?”
“Boris has a big mouth. He bragged about everything when he had me tied to the chair. They saw you with me before we broke up, and they kept an eye on me. They hired me onpurpose. They’ve always known who I was,” she says in disbelief. “They kept me as a trump card to play when they needed it the most. Which was when, according to Boris, they started losing the fight against you recently.”
“And Tania?”
She shakes her head. “Tania was just being used by her uncle. She was my friend. She always wanted to tell me the truth, but thought it would put me in danger. She begged them not to hurt me. I think they threatened her life.”
Chapter 24 - Rose
Luka listens to me explaining what I learned when I was taken. He’s patient and calm and continues to reassure me that it’s all over now and that I’m safe.
It’s strange how it all feels a million miles away from this moment.
It’s like it never happened. It’s over. It’s done.
I might just be in shock, though. I’ve seen in the movies how people only process what happened days later. Sometimes months or years, depending on what happened to them.
But even while I’m talking about this crazy, intense thing that happened—something that should leave me horribly traumatized—there’s something else, more important, on my mind.
I almost died without getting a chance to tell him how I feel.
The entire time I was tied up, questioned, terrified, all I could think about was that he would never know that I’m madly in love with him.
I was comforted by the fact that Lily would have an amazing family; even if I didn’t survive, she would be surrounded by love. It broke me to think like that, but I knew it was true. The thing that was bothering me was that I would never have a chance to tell him I love him and that I think he’s an incredible father.
Luka’s eyes are locked onto me. He touches my arm, brushing his fingers over my skin, smooth from the scented oils he put in my bath.
I let out a heavy sigh, and Luka’s frown deepens.
“Was there somethingelsethat happened, Rose? Did they do something to you? You can tell me anything. I promise you, I’m here for you.” His question is filled with fear. He is still blaming himself for everything that’s happened, and I want him to stop doing that.
Right now, I’m not even thinking about those assholes anymore—I’m thinking abouthim, and ourfuturetogether. The future I wasn’t brave enough to chase before, but now I understand that life is short, and you should take the leap of faith.
