Page 57 of Kidnapped Prisoner By the Bratva
I lowered my head, lips pursed to suppress my smile. “Fair enough,” I whispered to myself.
“Well….” She drew a deep breath with arms spread wide. “Can’t blame a girl for being born in HD.”
I watched her sink into the sofa with a genuine smile on her face. She should be mad about our present situation. But for some reason, Wren found a way to ease our tension and anxiety. Because of her free spirit, there were no dull moments throughout the cleanup.
And honestly, this was the happiest I’d felt in a really long time. My name was in the mud, Akim was hell bent on finishing me off, and my empire was in shambles. Yet, none of that mattered to me at the moment. All that I needed and would ever need was right here in this cabin.
I held her gaze and said nothing, simply standing there, soaking in her beauty. Wren was the light in my darkness, and nothing could keep me from her.
Later that night, after dinner and separate showers, she watched the black-and-white TV for a while before falling asleep on the couch. I sat by the fireplace, gun in reach as I watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about Akim Antosha and all he’d stolen from me. All I could think of was how to keep this woman safe and protected. At any cost.
Chapter 21 – Wren
I woke up to the sound of chirping birds and the gentle rustling of leaves outside. My eyelids fluttered open, then squinted slightly at the golden rays of the rising sun filtering in through the window.
Groaning, I pushed my palms to my face, shielding it from the bright light. I lay on my back and gazed blankly at the ceiling as if waiting for my brain to start up.
The scent of fresh flowers wafted through the air, mingling with the faint traces of Val’s cologne lingering on the sheets. I turned to the other side of the bed, my hand reaching for him, but he wasn’t there.
Shocked, my eyes widened, and my heart almost skipped a beat before I remembered he might just be outside. This new reality would need a little getting used to, but that shouldn’t be a problem, considering how fast I’d learned to adapt.
My situation had been moving from bad to worse for a long time now. And I’d come to the conclusion that grumbling and complaining would solve nothing. Yes, my life sucked. But at least I had air in my lungs, and I wasn’t the only one in this huge mess.
At first, I’d had my doubts about this place, but after we cleaned it up and made a home out of it, I had a change of heart instantly. Away from civilization and all the trouble in our lives, this place offered solitude, peace, and quiet. Just what I needed at this point.
I rubbed the remnants of sleep from my eyes and then got out of bed. The wooden floor was cool beneath my bare feet as I strolled over to the bathroom. There, I brushed my teeth and washed my face.
My body still ached from all the work we did yesterday. I was so tired when we finished that I fell asleep on the couch anddidn’t even recall how I ended up in the bedroom. Clearly, that had been Val’s doing.
Once done, I dabbed my face with a towel and stepped out of the bathroom. My feet pounded against the staircase as I headed downstairs, hunger pangs gnawing at my stomach.
The aroma of freshly baked bread and some scrambled eggs floated through the air, invading my nostrils. The smell was so good it made my mouth water. What the hell was going on here? I thought Val and I were the only two people around the outskirts of town. I thought we agreed to stay off the grid. Why did he hire a chef?
I slowed down as I neared the kitchen, sticking out my head from behind the wall for a sneak peek. There he was, standing by the stove, scrambling some mean eggs with a face towel slung over his left shoulder.
My brows arched at the unbelievable sight, and I straightened and then approached him with quiet footsteps. He was nearly unrecognizable in those casual clothes—a brown checkered shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a pair of jeans.
Who the hell was that?
“Good morning,” he greeted me without turning around, his voice rising above the sound of the sizzling eggs in the pan.
My eyes narrowed ever so slightly, eyes dropping to my feet, wondering what gave me away. I was as quiet as I could be, even though the idea wasn’t to sneak up on him. Yet, he sensed my presence. Creepy.
“Morning,” I replied, stopping by the small kitchen island.
He turned off the stove, reached for the plate rack nearby, and picked up a flat ceramic plate. I watched him wipe it with the clean white cloth slung over his shoulder.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, transferring the eggs onto the plates.
I stretched and yawned. “Surprisingly so.”
“Good.” He picked up the plate and set it on the countertop. “Hungry?”
Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Valarian Tarasov?I thought to myself, holding his gaze with a faint smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “I’m starving.”
“Help yourself.” He gestured at the plate of scrambled eggs.
