Page 10 of Bratva Prisoner
“And if I say no?”
“Then you go back to running scared while Troy hunts you down like an animal. How’s that working out for you so far?”
She flinches again, but this time, it’s from the truth rather than fear. We both know she’s at the end of her rope, that whatever plan she had for escaping this situation has already failed.
“What do you want in return?” she asks before she bites her bottom lip.
In my world, protection always comes with a price, and she’s smart enough to know it. But what I want from her isn’t something I can demand or negotiate for.
“Dinner,” I answer with a smirk.
“What?”
“You owe me a dinner. The one you turned down in the alley before your stalker showed up.”
That earns me a ghost of a smile, the first real emotion I’ve seen from her since the terror in the alley. “That’s it? Just dinner?”
“That’s it. For now.”
The qualifier hangs between us like a promise and a threat. She knows as well as I do that this won’t end with a single meal, that accepting my protection means accepting me into her life in ways she probably isn’t ready for.
But she’s out of options, and we both know it.
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay, what?”
“Okay, I’ll have dinner with you. And okay to… the other thing. The protection.”
Satisfaction spreads through my chest like warm whiskey. She’s mine now, even if she doesn’t fully understand what that means yet. Troy and his little gang are about to learn a very expensive lesson about respect and boundaries.
I squeeze her hand. “That’s my good little kitten.”
Through the windshield, I can still see Troy and his muscle standing on the sidewalk, watching us with the patience of predators. They think they’re hunting, but they’re about to become the prey.
I reach for the ignition, already planning our route. This is my city, so no matter where I take her, she won’t be in danger. I’ll take her somewhere she’ll be comfortable and feel safe, where we can talk without interruption, and where I can start figuring out exactly how deep Troy’s organization runs.
Because make no mistake—this is war now. Troy started this war the moment he decided to terrorize what’s mine.
And I’ve never lost a war.
Chapter 4 - Alyssa
I’ve never been inside a car that probably costs more than most people make in five years, but here we are.
The leather seats smell like expensive cologne and money, while the dashboard displays more technology than I’ve ever seen outside of a sci-fi movie. Maksim drives like someone who’s never had to worry about speed limits or traffic laws, his hands steady on the wheel as we glide through the city like we’re floating on silk.
My nerves are doing backflips in my stomach. Not because I’m afraid of him—surprisingly, that fear evaporated the moment he swept me into his arms like some kind of avenging angel. No, I’m nervous because I have no idea what I’ve just agreed to, and my track record with trusting powerful men isn’t exactly stellar.
“You’re fidgeting,” Maksim observes without taking his eyes off the road.
“I don’t fidget.” I stop bouncing my leg and force my hands to stay still in my lap.
“Right. And I don’t own half the shipping routes on the East Coast.”
I sit up straighter and whip my head his direction. “Do you?”
That earns me a sideways glance and a smile that makes my toes curl in my shoes. “Maybe.”
