Page 44 of Bratva Prisoner
“Or maybe because I have terrible survival instincts when it comes to men who could destroy me.”
The defeat in her voice makes me want to punch something, preferably Troy’s face. Instead, I reach for my own clothes and yank them on.
“Get dressed,” I tell her. “I’ll take you back to Ravenshollow. We’re safer there, and you can have some space to think this through before you make a final decision.”
She heaves out a breath and says, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We’re not finished discussing this.”
The ride back to my estate takes place in suffocating silence. Alyssa stares out the passenger window while I grip the steering wheel hard enough to leave impressions. Every mile that passes feels like she’s pulling further away from me, rebuilding the walls I thought we tore down last night.
By the time we reach the front gates, I’m ready to have it out with her properly. No more dancing around the issue; no more letting her retreat every time we get close to something real. But when I pull into the circular drive, five familiar cars are parked in front of my house like an invasion.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
“What’s wrong?” Alyssa asks as she follows my line of sight to the vehicles.
“My brothers are here. All of them, by the looks of it.”
“Oh.” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “Should I… Should I wait in the car?”
“No. They’ve been asking to meet you. Might as well get it over with.”
We walk through the front door to find my entire family gathered in the main living room like they’re holding court. Aleksei sits in the leather armchair that used to be our father’s, and Grigor and Dmitri occupy the sofa, while Akim and Nikolai lean against the mantelpiece.
Aleksei rises when he sees us, and his dark eyes take in every detail of Alyssa’s appearance. “We were beginning to worry.”
“Worry about what?”
“You disappeared from a crime scene without backup. Akim filled us in on the basics.” His eyes slide back to Alyssa. “You must be the woman who’s caused such a stir in our brother’s life.”
The way he addresses her makes me wince. Aleksei’s idea of charm could freeze vodka.
“This is Alyssa,” I offer when she doesn’t respond. “Alyssa, these are my brothers. Aleksei, Grigor, Dmitri, Akim, and Nikolai.”
She manages a small wave that doesn’t fool anyone. “Nice to meet you all.”
“The pleasure is ours,” Grigor responds with a bit more friendliness in his voice than our eldest brother. “We’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
She glances at me with raised eyebrows. “All good things, I hope.”
“Mostly,” Akim interjects with a flirtatious grin that makes me want to throttle him. “Though Maksim’s been pretty tight-lipped about the details.”
“There’s nothing to be tight-lipped about,” Alyssa replies with a shrug. “We barely know each other.”
The statement feels like a slap across the face, especially after what we shared last night. From the way my brothers all turn to look at me, they caught the subtle dismissal, too.
“Well,” Dmitri breaks the awkward silence, “any friend of Maksim’s is welcome in our family.”
“That’s very kind, but I should probably…” Alyssa glances toward the staircase with obvious longing. “I have some things to take care of upstairs. If you’ll excuse me.”
She disappears before anyone can protest, leaving me alone with five sets of knowing eyes.
“Charming girl,” Nikolai comments once her footsteps fade. “Bit skittish, though.”
“She’s been through a lot,” I defend without a second thought.
“So we gathered.” Aleksei settles back into his chair. “Care to elaborate on what exactly happened last night? Akim’s report was somewhat lacking in details.”
