Page 6 of The Bratva's Hostage

I nearly dropped my glass from fear. You fool! You had to stay and poke him and threaten him! And now he remembers you! I laughed a nervous laugh and sipped my drink. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I refused to meet his eyes.

“It was you alright,” he pressed. “I can see it now. Your height fooled me, but tell me, princess… What were you hoping to find in my office?”

“I told you I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Except I did. He had me dead to rights, and there was nothing I could say to convince him otherwise.

I didn’t want my father, or the family involved in this. Things were heated and I didn’t want to be the reason a war broke out. I’d told no one about my plan to break into Maksim’s office.

My eyes roamed the crowd, looking for an escape, and luckily, they fell on a familiar blonde head. Ashley Brooke, my good friend. She was standing with her father—a very wealthy and influential businessman—at the other end of the room.

Her eyes widened with joy as our eyes met and she waved excitedly at me. I nearly melted with relief, glad to have found my escape from Maksim. For now.

“I’m sorry,” I said, smiling. “This was fun, but if you’ll excuse me, I just saw a friend.” I picked up my drink and rushed off. Even as I walked away, I could feel his intense eyes burning on my back.

Chapter 3 - Maksim

I sat in my office, the curtains drawn close, ridding the room of light. I pushed myself closer to the massive mahogany desk in front of me. I ran my fingers over the roughness of my rough dark stubble and stared blankly through the small slit in the curtains. I couldn’t stop thinking about Elena Moretti and that mole below her lips.

It had to be her… who else could it be?

Although a mole didn’t exactly prove she was the woman in my office, she was evasive when I asked her. She feigned ignorance but was unable to look me in the eye or keep her expression blank.

It was a shame when I discovered who she was. Our banter had been quite interesting, her presence intoxicating. I wanted to drink in every word she said and have her for myself. Had she not been who she was, she would have been in my bed that night. I still found it difficult to erase those thoughts of her from my mind.

Her hazel eyes were expressive… her anger and irritation at my threats, her amusement and interest at my flirtation, and the brief glimpse of fear when I asked if she was the one who broke into my office. All were visible to me through those gorgeous eyes.

I leaned back in my seat and turned the chair as I pictured her as she was at the event. Her slim, athletic figure in the elegant black dress that revealed just enough of her glowing, olive skin, and the smile on her red lips, as if she knew she was beautiful, had lodged themselves in my brain.

Her chestnut brown hair had been styled in an elegant bun, with loose waves that framed her face and dangled shy of her cleavage. I wanted to see what her hair would look like falling down her shoulders over her bare breasts.

I groaned and pushed hard against my growing erection, as thoughts of her continuously bugged me no matter how much I tried to dislodge them. There was something about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something different, unique.

With a deep sigh, I got up and opened the blinds to let the light in. A brighter office would scatter my thoughts. I returned to my seat and tried to delve into work.

You’re only thinking of her because she could be a threat to our organization, there’s nothing more to it.

Of course. I needed to protect my people from whatever threat she may pose. I could think with more than my cock in moments like this, no matter how beautiful and fascinating the woman in question was.

Despite my best efforts, I could not concentrate fully on the work. There were too many things clouding my mind.

My eyes constantly slid to the side, the file with the information Fyodor had gathered on her, sitting on my table. I ignored it, returning to work. I had perused the document twice and knew the general information about her life, including her father, Don Armando, and her uncle, Lucas Moretti, the only men in her life.

There were no boyfriends or brothers to be found. An only child, she was not much of a spoilt princess, but she was quite demanding. An attribute I didn’t need the file to tell me after the night I spent in her company.

There was limited information available about her on social media. She didn’t seem to have much of a social life and appeared to have kept herself separate from the family business, a decision that was working in her favor.

Even though she was the daughter of our sworn enemy, she was fucking hot. I had watched her from the moment she stepped into the hall, her beauty and confidence captivating. My eyes hadn’t been the only ones on her, to the jealousy of the other women in the room.

I had hatched a plan to speak with her when she moved to the bar and was struck with a sense of familiarity and confusion, each emotion conflicting with the other. My attraction towards her had not disappeared when I saw the mole on her lower lip, but it had quickly been overshadowed by another emotion. Anger when I realized why she was so familiar.

The mask over her head had made it more difficult for me to truly confirm my suspicions, but my conversation with her did. It was undeniable. She was the culprit.

Another feeling had grown side-by-side with my anger. I was impressed by her ability to not only break into the building but also my office and she would’ve gone unnoticed if I hadn’t had more cameras.

The footage I did have did not prove anything. Hunting down the Italian princess would only break out war if I had nothing to show. While I was confident in my abilities and that of my men, there was no point in unnecessary war.

I had scoured my office, turning it upside down to guess what she could have wanted. It would’ve been easier to find out if she’d gotten what she wanted before I caught her. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.

What was so important to her that she was willing to risk her life to get it?

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