Page 33 of Bratva Prisoner
“I have never hurt you,” he points out. “I’ve never threatened you, never raised a hand to you, never made you feel unsafe.”
“Until tonight.”
“Do you feel unsafe right now? Standing here with me?”
The question forces me to actually examine what I’m feeling, and the answer terrifies me more than anything else that’s happened today. No, I don’t feel unsafe. Even knowing what he’s capable of, even after witnessing him participate in torture, some traitorous part of me still sees him as my protector rather than my threat.
Which makes me an idiot.
“That’s not the point,” I deflect.
“It’s exactly the point. I kept my involvement in the Bratva from you because I wanted you to feel safe with me. I wanted you to see me as someone who could protect you, not someone you needed protection from.”
“By lying to me.”
“By not telling you everything at once.” He takes a step close with his hands out, like he’s trying not to spook me. “Alyssa, my feelings for you are real. Everything between us has been real, except for that one omission.”
“One omission?” I bark out a laugh that sounds more like a manic cackle. “You’re a criminal, Maksim. That’s not a small detail you forgot to mention. That’s your entire identity.”
“It’s what I do for a living. It’s not who I am.”
“Really? Because the man I just saw in that room looked pretty comfortable with violence.”
“The man you saw in that room was protecting his family and his interests. Sometimes that requires methods that decent people find distasteful.”
“Decent people,” I repeat. “Is that what you think I am?”
“I think you’re the best person I’ve ever met,” he says. “I think you deserve better than getting dragged into my world, which is why I tried to keep you separate from it.”
“Well, congratulations,” I sneer. “Your plan worked perfectly.”
“Alyssa—”
“No.” I hold up a hand to stop whatever he’s about to say. “I can’t do this right now. I need time to think, time to process what I just saw. I need you to leave me alone.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know. Maybe forever.”
Pain lances across his face, but he nods once. “If that’s what you want.”
“It’s what I need.”
We stand there staring at each other for what feels like hours but is probably only seconds. Part of me wants to take it all back, to run into his arms and pretend I never saw what I saw. The other part wants to keep running until I’m as far away from this place as possible.
I turn and walk back toward the house, forcing myself not to look over my shoulder to see if he’s watching me go. My legsfeel shaky as I climb the back steps, and by the time I reach my bedroom, I’m ready to collapse.
The door closes behind me, and I sink onto the edge of the bed, staring at the elegant wallpaper while my brain tries to make sense of everything that’s happened.
Maksim is Bratva. The man who’s been protecting me, housing me, and making me feel safer than I have in my entire life is a member of one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world. The same world that Troy operates in, though obviously at very different levels.
How did I not see it? Looking back, there were signs everywhere. The expensive house, the extensive security, the way other people deferred to him, his knowledge about Troy’s connections. I was so grateful for his protection that I ignored every red flag waving in front of my face.
But here’s the thing that’s really messing with my head: even knowing what he is, I still don’t feel like he’s a threat to me personally. When he grabbed my shoulders outside, I wasn’t afraid he would hurt me. When he admitted the truth, I wasn’t scared for my physical safety.
Which probably makes me the stupidest woman alive, but it’s more than I could say for my ex.
Troy seemed normal for months before I discovered his criminal connections. He made me feel special, right up until the moment I walked in on his business meeting. But from that moment on, I was terrified of him. I can’t explain why, but I justknewhe would sooner chop me into pieces than risk me telling his secret to anyone.
