Page 66 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

The moment he pulled away and stood up again, I sucked in a deep breath.

“You’ll regret that,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Soon enough, you’ll realize you wanted me all along.”

My stomach twisted at that since I already knew that was impossible. No part of me would ever want someone like him.

But with whatever luck I had left, Pietro went toward the door and left. The lock clicked again behind him.

That relief I felt to be left alone in the bedroom came with the crushing realization that I wasn’t any closer to getting back home.

I was still trapped and away from the man I needed the most.

Unable to hold back the emotions from the stress of it all, I broke down. Tears streamed down my face as I pulled my legs in and hugged them tightly. Sobs shook my body, and it was all I could do to silently plead for Yaro to get me out.

I needed to go home.

Chapter 24 - Grace

Every time I heard footsteps out in the hall, my stomach sank, regardless of whether they came in or not. I dreaded seeing Pietro again more than anything, even if he was trying his hardest to come off as a nice guy.

There was something sinister beneath that mask, and I didn’t want to ever see that true part of him.

Even if I had full faith that Yaro would find me eventually, some agonizing part of my brain wanted to convince me he wasn’t looking. That he had given up on me and didn’t think I was worth the hassle.

It made me wonder if I was even that important to him since I hadn’t been found yet.

The thought was selfish, but I couldn’t help it. Being trapped in that room for hours made my mind run wild.

I jumped the moment the door unlocked and cracked open again. My skin went cold at the expectation of finding Pietro there.

However, an older man stepped in. He gave me a look of recognition when he spotted me on the bed, then the door closed behind him.

“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” the man said as he shuffled over to the windows. “I’m Sergio, Pietro’s father.”

I stiffened at that and didn’t say anything.

He glanced over his shoulder and sighed. “I told my son to let you keep your self-respect, at least. Please, go cover yourself.”

While part of me didn’t want to take any kind of order from him, my desire to be properly clothed outweighed that thought.

I got up from the bed and hurried to the closet, snatching the first hoodie I found. I pulled the black material over my arms and zipped it up. Finally, I didn’t feel quite so exposed.

Standing there somewhat awkwardly, I watched as he pulled out a cell phone and tapped on the screen a few times. With a quiet beep and the sound of something releasing, the window in front of him was unlocked. He pushed it open slightly to let the breeze sweep the curtains into the room.

“Some air should help,” he murmured, turning back around to face me.

My brows pinched together. “Aren’t you afraid I’d try to escape?”

Sergio snickered. “You’d be dead before you could even try to get away from that drop. Besides, I don’t think you’d be that foolish to try.”

Biting my tongue, I crossed my arms over my chest.

The older man moved over to the bed and sat on the end, the mattress sinking beneath him. He sighed.

“I knew your father, Grace. We used to be business partners until his drinking got in the way of progress, and we went our separate ways,” Sergio began, running a hand over his graying hair. “I was aware of his predicament. How he was paid generously by the Levovs for the warehouse rentals, yet he drank it away and lost it all. He even lost you.”

Not taking my eyes off him, I couldn’t bring myself to move closer. But the mention of my dad did pique my curiosity.

“Dominic informed me you were wrongfully taken by Yaro Levov. His last wish was for you to be rescued from them, no matter the cost. He wanted you to be with my Pietro instead, to seal our families together.”

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