Page 12 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

It smelled amazing.

Even from the basic task, Yaro somehow looked incredible doing it. His black tee hugged his muscles snuggly, and those light military-style pants suited his figure nicely. As he moved the eggs in the pan, his back flexed with each movement, and I couldn’t help but stare.

I wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was attractive, but I was ashamed that I was attracted to my captor.

Everything about him was striking. If I had the chance, I could’ve watched him from my place all day.

The longer dark hair fell into his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at me, taking notice of my presence. The buzzed undercut felt especially fitting with his attire.

“Get tired of the bedroom?”

Flustered from being noticed, I hugged myself and nodded.

“I never said you had to stay in there,” he added, returning his focus to the breakfast he was busy making.

His vague kindness took me off guard. I didn’t know what to make of it, especially after he lifted me from my dorm yet didn’t need to lock me in anywhere. I couldn’t understand why he would want to marry me in the first place. We didn’t even know each other.

But with every small gesture he offered me, I couldn’t help but feel like he was trying.

Clearing my throat, I approached one of the stools next to the kitchen island and took a seat. I kept a close, skeptical eye on him.

“You said your family has a business,” I began, treading as carefully as possible. “What does it entail?”

He thought for a moment. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”

“But it involves kidnapping people?”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them, but I tried to grip any form of confidence I had left. I didn’t want to seem spineless.

Yaro just snickered. “Unfortunately, that’s part of it sometimes, but it’s not a daily occurrence. We’re in the business of making ourselves as rich as possible without being scrutinized by legal bodies or anyone who wants to take a chunk out of us.”

“And how do you do that?”

“We protect our prospects and money makers with our lives, which is what I do. We have teams of men who protect our products, our associates, rendezvous points, and our families,” he explained, scraping lightly at the pan. “I oversaw the flow of the warehouse your father rented to us.”

If they worked to dodge government bodies, I could only assume they didn’t do honest work. At least, work that wasn't entirely legal.

I had heard of the mafia before, but I assumed those stories were made for movies or to scare people into staying in line and walking the straight path. I never thought I’d know anyone related to such organizations.

Feeling brave, I lifted a brow in his direction. “How rich are you then?”

A small chuckle came from him. “Beyond your imagination.”

“That’s why you were so angry with my dad then,” I concurred, watching Yaro turn off the burner.

If he did steal from them, he would have caused a direct loss for their business. It made more sense knowing Yaro’s role in it.

He nodded and began dishing the food onto two plates, moving effortlessly. “We paid your dad handsomely, yet he had the gall to steal from us. One of our most important merchandises at that.”

My stomach sank at the thought.

My dad meddled in a world he had no business being a part of and kept that separate world away from me. Despite never sharing the truth with me, he still managed to rope me in it anyway.

If Yaro and his family were willing to deal in the underground business and were ready to kidnap me without remorse, then there was no telling what else he was capable of. Based on his somewhat brutal nature, I knew I didn’t want to find out.

Despite the conversation going relatively well, a cold chill ran through me. The reality weighed heavily on my shoulders, and I wasn’t sure how close I wanted to get to him.

That urge to flee riddled me with restlessness.

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