Page 17 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride
“I got something better than news. I have Angelika. Your sister is safe with me,” I say calmly.
“Are you fucking kidding. Oh man, this is such a relief. I can’t believe it. What happened? Where was she? How did you find her?”
“It was an auction ring, and it was as you suspected. Bardil Popov took your sister and tried to sell her to the highest bidder. I got some intel on where and when and… listen, man … it got ugly there. I had to shoot the whole place up to get her out. I don’t know how many of them I took down, but it was intense.”
“Fuck, Diomid, why didn’t you call for backup?” he murmurs, shocked.
“There wasn’t any time, and I knew I could handle it.”
“I don’t know what to say. How can I even thank you enough for what you did for her?”
“The problem is that because I went in guns blazing, I guarantee it’s not safe out there for her. There will be many angry people looking for her. Right now she’s safe. She’s with me. In my opinion, it’s not a good idea for us to leave the hideout until at leastmostof the storm has passed. But it’s up to you.” I already know what he’s going to say.
“No, I agree. If she’s hidden, she needs to stay hidden. I can’t imagine Bardil would have taken lightly to you gatecrashing and tearing down his auction party. But is this a problem for you? I don’t want to cause issues for you.”
“No issues for me. I’m good to stay with her. I’m glad I could help.”
“You’ve done more than help, Diomid. You saved her life,” he says. Guilt scrapes at me, making me wonder if I’m doing the right thing. But my explanation for keeping her here is legitimate enough. It’s not necessary, but it makes sense.
I’m just not used to Jaroslav being so generous with his friendliness. This is all new to me, this alliance dynamic. I’ve been against it the whole time to the point where I didn’t even try to get to know the guy. He doesn’t seem so bad.
“Is that my brother?” Angelika snaps, her eyes wide. “Did he just agree to you keeping me here?” she hisses.
“You’re staying with me for a while.”
Her eyes flare. “I’m doing what? Put the phone on speaker. I want to talk to him.”
In a hurry, I end the call with her brother.
“Listen, man, I want to get her something to eat and some fresh clothes. She’s been through a lot,” I say.
“Of course, of course. Get her to call us when she’s rested. We’d love to speak with her. But for now, I’m sure she’s exhausted and just wants to get some sleep.” Jaroslav says goodbye, and I hang up.
“I wanted to talk to my brother,” she says tightly, fighting for control of herself.
Her voice breaks a little at the edges, and I realize how emotional she feels. A soft sadness glimmers over her face, and she bites at her lip, making me remember how she used those lips to do delightful things to me last night. Wow, it feels like a lifetime ago.
I shove the thought from my mind.
Now is hardly the time to be thinking of such things.
But still, my eyes drift over her, my heart rate spiking, my cock stirring.
Angelika’s softness suddenly disappears.
“You can’t keep me any safer than my brothers can at home, and you know it,” she snarls.
This time, I can’t hide the smirk. I do know it. But I also want to teach her a lesson—that little Bratva pampered princesses don’t always get what they want and sometimes, they actually have to show gratitude when someone saves their life. One corner of my lip curves upward, and she notices right away. “Is this funny?” she snaps harshly.
Her cheeks are flushed from frustration.
“It’s for your ownsafety, Angelika. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” I muse.
“You’ll make sure…” she says in disbelief. “This is a nightmare. This can’t be real.”
“Well, you’d better make yourself comfortable because you will be staying here for a while. I’ll be keeping you…”
“Keeping me!? So basically, I’m your prisoner now? Is that what’s going on?” She’s furious.
