Page 11 of The Bratva's Hostage

“Till then, brother,” Nikolai said smugly, gathering the cash into his pocket. “For now, the strippers thank you for your generosity. I will make sure they know where it’s coming from.”

I laughed suddenly and ran a hand over my face. Fyodor turned resentful eyes at me, and I raised my hand innocently. “If you choose to poke a bear with a stick, you shouldn’t be surprised when it mauls you. I told you to drop it. Now, let’s discuss the Moretti princess.”

Fyodor nodded grimly. “She’s still locked up in the basement, last I checked.”

The two men set their cues down and joined me at the table. I unscrewed a bottle of vodka and splashed it into three glasses. We tossed down the drinks and Nikolai hissed. “My, but that’s great fucking stuff.”

Fyodor nodded in agreement. I pushed the box of cigars to him, and he selected one, giving me a slight respectful bow. He ran the cigar under his nose, inhaling deep in appreciation.

Nikolai took one too. He bit off the head of the cigar and spat it out. I took out a gold lighter and he leaned forward to light his cigar. “Spasibo, Pakhan [thank you boss],” he thanked, then pulled in deep.

I grunted. “What do you think?”

He hesitated, shooting a glance at Nikolai. “I think it’s pretty unlucky for the old man to fall ill right after we kidnapped his daughter. Pretty fucking unlucky. Of all times for the old geezer to knock on death’s door, this is undoubtedly the worst.”

“Tell me about it,” I agreed. “It certainly makes things complicated, but what’s done is done. We can’t just let her go now, can we?” I frowned and swore under my breath. The two men watched me with anxious eyes. “How’s Peter?”

“Took him to the hospital,” Nikolai said, shaking his head. “The Moretti girl fucked him up badly. He got stitches on his nose, and his leg needs surgery. They doubt he will ever be able to run again.”

I nodded. “Tragic. It’s a dangerous life we live, full of risks. He will be taken care of. Who watches her now?”

“Sergei and Aleksandr.” Fyodor tapped his cigar on the tray. “They know to give her a five-foot radius. She’s dangerous, Pakhan. The sooner we decide what to do with her, the better for us.”

I smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little girl, Fyodor. I’ve seen you skewer hardened killers, easy as breathing. Everything is under control. What’s the worst thing that can happen? She breaks out of her cuffs and escapes this fortress. How likely is that?”

Nikolai swallowed his drink. “Fine,” he said, “I agree that we have the situation under control. But we need to figure out what to do with her. They will start looking for her soon. It’s not the longest line to draw to connect us to her disappearance.”

A silence settled in the room. I swirled the drink in my glass thoughtfully. They were right, of course. The problem was that I had no idea what to do. We had a small window that got smaller every second we wasted.

The Italians had three of my men, one of whom was a lieutenant. He knew all our business secrets. Cash drops, trade routes, our dealings. He knew everything.

God knew what the Italians were planning to do with them now, but one thing was clear. The longer we went without making a move, the bigger the risk that my men would be vigorously interrogated.

From the looks on Nikolai’s and Fyodor’s faces, it was clear they were thinking about the same thing. They watched me expectantly, waiting for me to decide. Unfortunately, my mind was painfully blank.

There was something fascinating about Elena. I was convinced that it was her who had broken into my office some weeks ago, even if she denied it the last time we met.

I remembered how the slight woman had broken out of my grip, and then escaped out of the second-floor bathroom window. The way she took out Peter was something special. I was fortunate that everyone had been too shocked to notice the smile that appeared on my face.

Nikolai was right. She was a feisty woman and she worried me. She was as sleek as an eel and as quick as a snake. I didn’t want her in our hands longer than necessary. But she had skills I had never seen in a woman before, she could be an asset.

She aroused my curiosity and the heat rushed down south. I felt an undeniable attraction to her, her danger fascinated me. Such a beautiful and athletic body. Those full, luscious lips that looked like sin, I would love to feel them on my cock. Fuck! And her eyes, glistening like gold in the light, always flamed with determination, even when I could tell that she was scared.

She intrigued me more than any woman I had ever met, and I toyed with the idea of utilizing her talents, establishing a place for her within the Bratva, and maybe even collaborating with the Italians. Given the history of our families, the chances of that happening were as unlikely as her escape from the Wolkov mansion, perhaps even more unlikely.

“Maksim?” Nikolai said, tapping my thigh.

I looked up, startled. The cigar in my hand had burned all the way, crumbling to ash on the table. Dammit. How long had I been running around in my head, thinking about that fucking woman? She was a distraction, albeit a beautiful and captivating one.

“What was that?” I asked.

“There’s bound to be turmoil when her disappearance is connected to us,” Nikolai said. “I was asking what to do.”

I grunted. “How much time do you think we have?”

“A few hours at best, maybe less,” Fyodor said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. “Good thing they are still distracted with their don’s sudden illness, or they could have started sniffing by now. As it is, we don’t have any time to fuck around.”

Nikolai swore under his breath. “This enmity of ours with the Italians, I’m fucking over it. It’s old and it’s pointless, and I would love nothing more than to put it behind us.” He took a drink from his glass. “It always makes things so difficult and ugly.

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