Page 80 of Bratva Prisoner
“I never laid a hand on you,” he protests, like emotional abuse doesn’t count. His voice takes on that wounded tone he used to use whenever I tried to discuss his controlling behavior in the past.
“You pointed a gun at me,” I seethe.
“I was protecting us both from making a mistake we’d regret.”
This is the man I once thought I loved, and I can’t understand how I was so blind to his true nature. My younger self seems like a stranger now, someone naive enough to mistake possessiveness for devotion, but I’ll never make that mistake again.
“Let Diane go, and I’ll listen to whatever you want to say.”
“Nice try, but she stays until we reach an agreement.” He glances at Diane, and just his looking at her makes her flinch.
My throat feels dry as dust, but I force the next words out. “What kind of agreement?”
“You come back to me willingly, and everyone stays safe. You continue this charade with Barkov, and people start getting hurt.”
“Define ‘come back to you.’” I need to understand exactly what I’m agreeing to, even though every option feels like stepping into quicksand.
“Move into my apartment. Cut off contact with the Russians. Be my woman again, the way you were meant to be, only now, I won’t have to keep such a massive part of my life away from you. You know about my world now, so it’ll be even better than before.”
The thought of living with him, of pretending to be happy while he controls every aspect of my life, makes bile rise in my throat. But looking at Diane’s terrified face reminds me that this isn’t just about me anymore. The lives of people I care about hang in the balance.
“And if I agree to this, you’ll leave Maksim’s family alone?”
“As long as they don’t interfere with our relationship, they’ll be perfectly safe.”
I search his face, looking for any sign that he might be lying, but he seems genuine. In his twisted mind, this really is about winning me back rather than destroying Maksim’s operations.
“I need guarantees,” I tell him, stalling for time while I try to think of a way out of this mess.
“You’re hardly in a position to make demands,” he points out with a chuckle.
“Diane’s life is the only leverage you have. Once you let her go, what’s to stop me from running straight back to Maksim?”
“If you do, I’ll kill everyone you’ve grown to care about, starting with those adorable triplets.”
The mention of Aleksei’s children makes my blood run cold. My hands start to shake as I picture Sofia, Marco, and little Anya in danger because of me. The thought of anything happening to those innocent babies because of my choices is unbearable.
“You wouldn’t hurt children.” The words come out strangled, barely audible above the rushing in my ears.
“I wouldn’t want to. But if you force my hand…” He lets the threat hang in the silence between us, but I can see he’s deadly serious.
The message is clear: comply, or watch innocent people suffer the consequences. I’m truly trapped.
I look at Diane again, taking in her obvious terror and the way she’s watching me like I’m her only hope of survival. Then I think about those beautiful children who call me Aunt Alyssa, about the family that welcomed me, about the life I’ve built in Maksim’s world.
All of it will be destroyed if I don’t find a way to end this threat.
“Okay,” I hear myself saying. “You win.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll come back to you. But only if you release Diane first.”
Troy studies my face, clearly trying to determine if I’m telling the truth or just buying time. His gaze probes mine, searching for deception. “You’re not exactly known for keeping your word these days.”
“I kept my word for three months when we were together. I only left when I discovered you were lying to me about who you really were.”
“And now you know the truth. No more secrets between us.”
