Page 26 of Forced Bratva Bride

She doesn’t pick up, so I dial again, then again.

By the third attempt, I am ready to explode.

I storm through the house to locate the housekeeper.

“Where did say they were going?” I yell. She winces, not used to me raising my voice.

“The mall in the city, River Park Mall.”

I storm back out to my car, climbing in and flooring the gas in the direction of the mall. Anything could have happened to her, why did she have to risk going out without security? Why would she ditch them like that? What is the point of trying to keep her safe if she isn’t going to listen to my very simple requests? I was so clear about it when I left the house this morning. It’s not like I am trying to lock her up, I just want her safe.

Walking through the mall, I try and call her again, but I still get no answer. My blood is boiling. Fear that something is wrong has creeped into my mind, and I can’t seem to push it away. The mall is relatively quiet, and my eyes are darting everywhere trying to spot her.

Then I see the housekeeper's daughter in one of the swimwear stores, and I rush over to her. She looks up and nearly jumps right out of her skin when she sees me and the expression on my face.

“Where the fuck is Chiara?” I demand.

With wide eyes, she points to the changing rooms. I march right into them. The lady in the front looks like she is about to tell me I may not enter the ladies' area, but the glare I throw in her direction has her backing off quickly.

There is one closed door, so I storm right up to it and shove it open.

Chiara lets out a loud squeal of fright and spins toward me with her eyes shooting open, and her mouth parted in shock. “Maxim?” she stammers.

“Why the hell did you leave the house without the security I specifically hired for you?”

“You can’t just walk in here—"

“Answer my question, Chiara.” I stand over her in the small space, pushing her up against the wall. She is wearing nothing but a bright pink bikini, which looks fucking incredible on her, but I am doing everything in my power not to notice that. The rage is helping to distract me—or it is making it worse? I can’t tell.

“I-I just wanted to get a new bathing suit. It’s just a mall. Nothing is going to happen to me here,” she murmurs, seeing how angry I am.

My arm is pressed against the wall above her head, and my face is inches from hers. My hand is wrapped around her chin, forcing her to look at me. She needs to hear my words, and she needs to understand that I am not messing around with this.

My eyes pierce into hers with a darkness I have not shown her before.

“This is the last time I will let you get away with disobeying me. It will not happen again. You need to understand that you are now part of a very powerful family, and we have enemies who would not think twice about harming you in order to get what they want from me. And I cannot let anything happen to you. Do you understand me, Chiara?” I growl in a harsh, whispered tone.

Chapter 10 - Chiara

Maxim stands tall leaning over me, his grip tight around my chin so that I cannot look away from the darkness in his eyes. The usually bright blue has turned into a storm of anger, and I am completely shocked into silence.

His muscular arm is pressed into the wall above my head, and the muscles are rippling with tension.

Never mind the fact that I am practically naked, and completely caught off guard, and his body is pressed right against mine…

He is furious.

He is not angry that I went shopping, or left the house, he is just furious because I apparently put myself in danger.

“Chiara, I need you to tell me that you understand and that this won’t happen again,” he demands.

I nod, the coldness in his voice warning me that this is not a negotiation. The ruthless way in which he is handling me has caused a heated tension between us and the small change room is charged with electricity.

“It won’t happen again,” I say softly, feeling the heat growing between my legs. Fuck, he's sexy when he's like this. Why is this turning me on so much?

He leans a little closer to me, and the heat increases.

“Say it again,” he growls.

---