Page 11 of Brutal Bratva Boss

“I’m not going to give you the resources to disappear and take my child away from me. You are going to stay right here where I can keep an eye on you.”

“But—” Kat’s eyes drop down again, darting from side to side. She looks back up after a moment, pinning me with a glare. “You can’t do this.”

I snicker. “Actually, I can. But don’t worry, you will have plenty of resources at your disposal once we are married.”

Kat’s eyes go wide. “What? No!”

From the moment the plan started to form in my mind, I knew this would be the best option. I gain possession of the woman who has invaded every waking moment, seeping into my very being under the guise of claiming a power chip that our enemy could use to their advantage. She will be mine and I will see to it that no other man ever lays a hand on her for whatever reason.

With Kat as my wife, Igor will have to stop his plans to take over our organization or risk harming his only daughter. Once we are married, I will make sure the word gets out. I will see to it that every organization far and wide knows exactly who she is and what has transpired. Igor will have no choice but to fall in line or risk outing the fact that he was in the dark about the matter. The latter would look very bad for his business, so I am counting on the fact that he would rather save face than risk opposing me.

With his daughter and soon-to-be grandchild in my possession, I should not face too much resistance. I give myself a pat on the back. I found a way to kill any thoughts of a war before the Patrovs even had a chance to start planning it. I’ve also weakened an already subpar organization by taking something of value from them. By binding myself to Igor’s daughter, I have demolished any chances of him forming an alliance with any of our oppositions. As far as I am aware, Kat is an only child. If the stories are to be believed, her mother died while giving birth, and her father never remarried, for whatever reason. So, Kat is the only bargaining chip Igor owns. Owned.

This course of action should also appease my brothers. I can tell them this was all part of my plan, that I devised it with the intention of using her as a bargaining chip, but then she delivered herself to me. Keeping everything in mind, they should not have too many questions when I tell them we are to be married, and when I insist on having her watched at all times. This should also explain my distracted behavior since that night, and why she seems to affect me differently from other women, as my brothers were quick to point out. If it seems like this has been my plan from the beginning, it should stave off further questions. My brothers will wonder why I did not tell them, but I can find a way to work around that.

“You came to me for help and some form of safety, remember? That is precisely what I am offering. But everything has a price. The only way for me to offer full protection is for us to be bound together in some way. I told you that Dubrovs protect their own, and this will be no different. With us bound by marriage, you will have the full force of the Dubrov empire ensuring your safety and the safety of our child.”

Even if this is to my advantage, and the advantage of the organization, it is still the truth. By my side is the safest place for Kat and my unborn child to be.

Kat shakes her head furiously. “No, I will not agree to this. There must be another way!” She takes a shaky step back. “Coming here was a mistake.”

Kat spins around, hastily making her way toward the door where she yanks on the handle. It will not do any good though; when my brothers left, they locked the door. Kat tries the handle a few more times before realization dawns. Her shoulders hunch forward and she turns toward me slowly, her head hung in defeat.

“You misunderstand me, princess. This is not a request or a negotiation.” I stalk towards her, only stopping when I am close enough to reach out and touch her. My fingers flex at my side, but I don’t dare give in to the urge to skim my fingers over her soft skin. “We will be married, you and me. You will be my wife, and I will be your husband. And you will not leave my sight until the day my child leaves your womb. After that, you will be granted certain liberties, liberties that I deem fit.”

With each sentence I utter, Kat’s face falls a little more. By the time I’m done, tears pool in her eyes. I watch as they roll down her cheeks, and she does her best to swallow the choked sobs building.

A twinge of guilt makes its way through my chest, but I tamper it down. I am still unsure of Kat’s motives for being here. I am not even sure there is a baby. Although, if this is a play, Kat is one hell of an actress. Even bearing that in mind, I will need to have it confirmed first. I need to get a physician out as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

A slap across my face catches me off guard.

“How dare you!” Kat starts pounding her fists on my chest, rage evident on her face. “I trusted you!”

Grabbing her wrists, I haul her up against me, ignoring the familiar feel of her body molding to mine. “That was your first oversight,” I say with a sneer. “Make no mistake, princess, the life growing inside of you is the only reason I am not bending you over that table and teaching you a lesson.”

Her breath comes in short bursts as she looks up at me defiantly. Even in this situation, it is hard to deny she has tons of fight in her. No doubt the world she grew up in has shaped a fighter, and I have to give her the respect she deserves for that.

Turning Kat to the side, I give her a little shove so that she falls back into one of the chairs. She adjusts herself in the seat, wrapping her arms around her chest.

Tipping my head back, I take a calming breath before dropping my gaze to look at her again. “You do not have to like it, but the reality is we’re here now. If you marry me, I will see to it that you and our child are safe. You’ll want for nothing. You will have the protection of this organization, that I can promise you.”

Kat looks at me with disgust. “But you’re Bratva. How can I trust anything you say? You have already told me I made a mistake by trusting you the first time.”

I nod. “This is true. But I’m still a man of my word. If you come with me peacefully, I give you my word that no harm will come to you or our child. Our child will be raised by its blood father, something only I can offer. And blood protects blood.” Leaning down, I grab her chin roughly. “But mark my words, princess, if you betray me in any way, you will live to regret it.”

Kat pulls her chin from my grasp and leans back as if she’s repulsed by my touch. I smile; we both know that is not true.

Straightening, I fold my arms over my chest. “Think of it this way; right now, I am the devil you know. I’m many things, but a liar is not one of them. I’m well aware of how your father runs his operations, and I know what will happen if you go back there.”

A slight twitch of one of Kat’s eyes is the only indication I need to know I have hit the nail on the head.

“No doubt your father already has plans to marry you off. Do you know who he has in mind?”

Kat’s eyes drop to her lap where her hands are now balled into fists. Her emotions are giving her away, and she doesn’t even know it. Most of what I’m saying is based on hearsay, but the way she is reacting to it is all the confirmation I need that it is all true.

“Are you willing to bet our child’s life on that? Are you prepared to condemn yourself to a life with a stranger who will do who knows what to enforce his dominance over you? It could be years of torture and anguish before you’re carried out in a body bag. You might want to think about that before you kick up a fuss about what I’m offering.”

Chapter 7 - Kat

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