Page 23 of Used By the Bratva

“I’m sorry,” I added, wishing I could take away her pain. “Is there anything I can do or anything you need?”

Jamie shook her head, but I couldn’t just leave her like this. I took my towel robe from its perch and stood before the shower door, holding it up for her. “Can I hold you?” I asked softly.

Jamie looked miserable but stood and closed to the taps. As she stepped towards me, I wrapped it around her and picked her up. I felt her relaxing slightly in my arms as I carried her to the bed. Placing her down on the bed, Jamie rolled to her side and pulled herself into a ball. I sat down next to her, caressing her hair and rubbing her back, she just lay there with her eyes closed.

“Jamie,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t move. Her lips were pushed out into a pout, and a layer of sadness seemingly covered her like a blanket. Watching her, I realized that I needed to step up and make amends if I wanted us to work. I sat with her until I was sure she was sleeping.

Back in my office, I made arrangements and sorted some things out after I set an appointment with Leo and Luder for first thing in the morning. There was a lot to do, and it was time to get the family involved. They needed to know why things went the way they did so we could discuss moving forward.

Staring out the window, I felt a wave of guilt. I didn’t handle things right from the start. I was over-eager and made so many mistakes. But, moving forward I would set it right. We were a big family and supported each other, I should have included them, and I knew things could have gone better.

Chapter 15 - Jamie

Stretching out, I rolled over in the large bed, patting Ashan’s side of the bed, but he wasn’t there. Opening my eyes and rolling to my back, I stared up at the ceiling. I actually felt better than I expected. I slept like a rock even with everything that happened and was going on. Being back in Ashan’s arms made me feel safe, and grateful for him, but I knew we would have to talk at some point.

Too much had happened for us to simply move on, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about him beating up Pedro.

I noticed the suite was empty. Ashan was here when I fell asleep, but he wasn’t anymore. Would he be back this time or was he going to ignore me again for a week I wondered.

Sitting up, I saw a trolley at the foot of the bed. Moving closer, I studied its content, as there were a couple of things on it. There were three covered plates, a bag, and a large pot of coffee. As I scooted down to the bottom, I had to wrap the robe tighter as it wanted to stay behind.

Pouring a cup of coffee, I felt excited. It was like Christmas with gifts looking at the trolley. I lifted the first lid to see what was hiding under it. I felt enthusiasm creeping in as I discovered not food but a brand-new phone under plate number one. Smiling, I sipped my coffee and took the box out of the plate.

Folding my legs on the bed, I opened the box and stared at the phone. It was brand new and a nice one as well. Holding the Oukitel phone in my hand felt like home. I placed it on the bed next to me and opened the second plate. This one actually had food in it. It was a plain breakfast with sausages, eggs, some muffins, mushrooms, and a piece of steak. The delightful aroma instantly filled the air around me.

My stomach growled. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. With everything that had gone on, I skipped supper altogether. Taking a bite from the muffin, I had to close my eyes. It melted in my mouth, infusing my senses with caramel chocolate and a hint of strawberry cream. It was to die for; I couldn’t believe anything could taste that good.

I opened the last plate, not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It contained a single red rose with purple on the edges and a note. I picked up the rose and smelled it, and allowed its unique fragrance to fill my mind before opening the note. Reading it out loud, I pulled out the bag and placed it on the bed next to me. “You are the purest of roses. I hope you enjoy the gifts, and I am sorry. Yours always.”

Picking up another muffin and biting into its velvety softness, I wondered what flavor this one was. It was extraordinarily creamy with a hint of caramel, mint, and chocolate.

Zipping the bag open, I was surprised to find it held a laptop inside. I thought Ashan was trying to spoil me as I took it out. Things may turn out to be better this time around. I should have run away sooner, I thought, grinning at myself.

My grin faded as my mind suddenly reminded me of the end results. Shaking off the gloom that was trying to take over, I breathed deeply. “No, you’re not going to dwell on that,” I reprimanded myself.

I opened the laptop and wondered if I should try to hack their system. Just for fun to see if it was now being monitored. Plus, it would help to take my mind off last night.

After finishing the second muffin, I decided to leave it alone. Placing everything down on the bed, I rose and headed to the bathroom. While washing and dressing, I couldn’t make up my mind about what to wear. After a bit, I pulled on slacks and a top.

Sitting back down on the bed admiring my new toys, I heard a knock at the door. “Yes,” I called out thinking that it could be Ashan. Although, I didn’t know why he would knock.

The door opened and Cleo stuck her head in. “Morning,” she said cheerily. Seeing her smiling face brightened the day even more.

“Hi, there,” I replied as she opened the door fully.

“Ashan asked that you join him in his office.” She added while collecting the trolley. “I hope you enjoyed your breakfast,” Cleo added but left before I could reply.

Closing the laptop, I shoved the phone in my pocket and headed to the office, wondering why he would summon me instead of coming to see me. It could be that he was busy, I thought. The door was open when I came down the hall, so I just walked in, but I stopped just inside the doorway.

There were two other men there with him. I had seen them once or twice before and remembered the one from my rescue. I was sure he was Ashan’s brother or at least family somehow. I wasn’t sure of the other one. He could be a client. Yet, it felt more personal; maybe he was also family. I had read that the Morozov family is quite large.

“Jamie,” Ashan said as he saw me. His smile this morning lit up his whole being. “This is my cousin Leo,” he added, pointing at the one man I thought could be a client. “And this is my brother, Luder,” he said, pointing to the other man.

I was right; the one is his brother. There was very little resemblance between the three though; I would never have made the connection. Both men smiled at me as they spoke almost in unison.

“Welcome to the family,” they said and grinned at each other. I felt quite out of place. I expected Ashan to first talk to me and sort things out. Now, I was being introduced to his family. Who said I still wanted to stay?

I only wanted to return to the confines of the suite at that moment. I should have insisted that Ashan come to me. Standing there staring at the three men before me, my mind traveled away. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen or heard Ana since I returned. I made a mental note to ask Cleo about it later.

---