Page 11 of Bratva's Stolen Bride
“No, no, okay.” I force my breath out between my teeth. I asked for this. “Taylor disappeared from London, well, from somewhere in Russia, we think?—”
“Shewhat?” Feliks’ expression has gone hawk-like.
“She’s a ballerina. We were all in care after our mother died, and she was sent to this awesome ballet school in London,” I explain.
“In Richmond, yes.” Feliks nods for me to continue.
“She said she had an even better opportunity, and then she just stopped communicating.” I shrug. The hurt is familiar now, but I still miss Taylor. “Hayley—my other sister, she’s the eldest—tried to get the police involved, and she searches for Taylor herself. But it…”
I shake my head, unable to explain how the police didn’t take our concerns seriously until it was too late, and the trail had gone totally cold.
“Girls from care are an easy target, and not high priority,” he grits out.
“That’s about it.” My fingertips trace the leather of our joint armrest, and for a second, he shifts, and the backs of our handstouch. A brief moment, there and gone, that sends electricity down my spine. But when I look up into Feliks’ face there’s nothing but compassion.
“All my life, I’ve been the baby, the one cared for and protected by my sisters.” I don’t know why I explain more. He didn’t ask, but I’m compelled to tell him. “I’ve wanted to stand on my own feet, to contribute, and Ivan’s gifts that I could sell to help without having to spend hours more working was too good to say no to. Ivan was the one who pursued me and gave me gifts, not the other way around.”
Feliks nods. “You said the PI found her ballet troupe?”
“Maybe. That’s why I kept on with Ivan even when…” I didn’t want to be his girlfriend anymore, even before we argued about the “gifts”. But how could I stop?
“He made you uncomfortable,” Feliks fills in after a moment of silence from me.
“Yes. But it’s a long shot.” I’ve kind of given up hope of finding Taylor, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.
There’s a sad silence, and maybe talking about Taylor has given me the feeling I’ve nothing left to lose, as I turn in my seat, and square my shoulders, and ask what’s been bothering me since the limo ride.
“You implied that Ivan was involved in something worse than drugs. What’s going on?”
6
FELIKS
The pain of hearing Payton mention Ivan—my biggest mistake and regret—is enough to make me want to request a dare instead of truth, and hope it’s to jump out of the plane.
“Do not ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to, Payton,” I reply, and I pray she takes my advice.
“Was it a mafia betrayal?” she insists. “He said something about Camden?”
I bark with laughter, though it’s not funny.
“No. I wish it were so simple.”
She curls her feet up into the large leather seat so she can look more easily across at me, but keeps her seat belt on. Such a good girl.
I’d love to corrupt her, starting with dragging her into my lap and fucking her right here.
Instead, I’m going to tell her the truth.
“Beckenham’s main business is in high-tech solutions for physical security—the sort of things that people don’t want us to be able to do—but I do dabble in online surveillance as well, since that’s often related. And it was during a routine check that I discovered Ivan and his friends have tastes that even an immoral bastard like me doesn’t condone.”
She looks confused, poor innocent.
“He likes to torture those who don’t want or deserve it.” Which is something I could live with if it were confined to mafia business or consensual adults. I’ve inflicted plenty of suffering in my time, for the sake of ensuring Beckenham is respected and feared. But it wasn’t that. There were a lot of recordings, and they were clearly for my son’s sick entertainment. “People. And animals, too.”
The dawning horror on her face is grim. I wish I could save her from this, but at least she hasn’t seen the video footage that I have.
“It turns out Camden discovered before I did, and were blackmailing him. I think that’s why he was so keen to have you as a girlfriend. You were a plausible cover that he had a pretty girlfriend, and so I wouldn’t look for any other interest he might have.” It worked, for a while, and I’m torn as to be more angry that Ivan had Payton or that he duped me. “And you were a reason he needed the money he was actually spending on trafficking his true interests, and paying Camden for their silence.”
