Page 24 of Used By the Bratva

The three men before me were all smiling at me, and I wondered what had happened in the seconds I was enthralled in my mind.

“Come in and sit with us,” Ashan said, pulling his chair around his desk to join those already in front of it. Luder closed the door behind me, and we all sat down.

“So, then,” Leo spoke first, “Ashan told us you’re very skilled in your field, and I was wondering if you could tell us a little more about your expeditions?” Not sure what Ashan had told them I considered his question. Ashan was pouring us each a drink and handed me one. Taking my glass, I took a big sip.

Leo was a tall man with dark hair and deep green eyes that softened his look. Glancing at Luder, I noticed he had two different colored eyes but was also tall. In build, I supposed Ashan and Luder were similar, but I felt sure that Ashan was taller, and they wore their hair differently.

“Okay, okay,” Leo said anxiously. “What do you prefer? A backdoor, phishing, or brute force attack.”

Stunned at his words, I felt my mouth open, but no words came out. Ashan had told them everything, I thought in disbelief. But as Leo continued to speak, I realized he also had to be a hacker. He knew way too much not to be.

Once we started talking in my language, I felt more at ease. It took a while and a lot of chatting, but I started to settle in. Leo and Luder were very friendly and seemed to accept me even though I had caused some issues.

Ashan and Luder mostly talked to each other as Leo, and I spoke about hacking. They added their two cents worth now and then but couldn’t keep up. We had some more drinks, and lunch was brought to us. After lunch, Leo spoke about some of the new protocols on their network. He had put new ones in place should anyone try and hack them again.

Grinning, Leo looked me in the eye as he spoke. “You claim to be so brilliant. Let’s see if you can hack us now.”

I was astounded by the invitation. I had considered doing it earlier to see if I could, but I had not known then about the added security. But now, now, I was being asked to do it. “Okay,” I replied, standing up and heading for the door. “Let me just go grab my laptop,” I added, smiling at Ashan as I left the office.

I hadn’t had much time to play with the laptop and wasn’t sure it would have all I needed. But the time I had been on it was enough to know it could have everything on. Picking it up from the bed, I felt alive. I have always loved challenges. I rushed back to the office, where the three men waited for me.

Sitting opposite Leo at the table, I opened my new laptop. He had already set up his and waited for me to begin. As I started, the three men watched me closely; I could feel their eyes on me. I didn’t let their stares faze me, though.

I infiltrated the network quickly but couldn’t get to any real detail. I tried and tried pulling all the tricks I had from my hat. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get in. After about an hour, I sat back in my chair and threw my hands in the air. “Nice,” I said, looking from one man to the other. “You did a stellar job, Leo.”

Leo beamed at me as he spoke. “I reckon our data is safe, wouldn’t you agree?”

I nodded, smiling at his childlike reaction. I reached out over the table to congratulate him, before catching Ashan’s look. His posture had changed, and he suddenly seemed upset. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I saw his anger coming through as Leo, and I shook hands. For a second, the images of him beating Pedro played in my mind like a movie.

“Great stuff,” Leo added. “Just let me know if you’re interested in working for us exclusively, okay.” As he finished, he winked at me.

I felt my cheeks turning crimson. Ashan stepped up to my side, breaking up our handshake. “She’s mine, now stop this,” he growled, looking harshly at Leo. I didn’t like where this was heading and felt annoyed at him. I might be married to Ashan, but I didn’t belong to him.

Slamming my laptop closed, I stood up rapidly. “Well, it was nice meeting you both,” I said. “But I’m a bit tired now. I think I’ll just head back to the suite.”

Images of Pedro on the floor and Ashan on top of him tried to flood my mind. I fought hard to keep them from upsetting me further. I felt like screaming at him but would wait until we were alone.

Luder and Leo both nodded and said goodbye as I turned to the door. Ashan quickly moved to hold the door open for me. As I passed him, I gave him an angry glare hoping he would know what it was for.

I went back to the suite, angry at Ashan. Taking a long bath, I lay soaking in the herbal essence I added to my water. I lay soaking it up for a while. I cleared my mind and tried to relax. Once I was done, I went to bed.

Cleo came up with supper, but I didn’t want any as I had heartburn. I was feeling a little ill as well. But I was sure it was just from everything that was going on. It could be from stress though, or something I had for breakfast or lunch. I wasn’t sure, but I was confident that I would feel better in the morning.

Chapter 16 - Ashan

I waited for Jamie to leave before turning back to Leo. “What was that all about?” I spat at him. “She is mine, and as you know, I already married her.”

“Slow down, Ashan,” Leo stated as he rose. “I am very happily hitched, you know that. Man, I was just being friendly. As you said, she’s officially part of the family. I’m sorry if you feel I was overly friendly. Constrain that beast, it’s not a good look on you, and I’m sure she saw it as well.”

“Brother,” Luder said as he walked closer. “Calm down, as you have pointed out to me many times in the past; don’t lose your head over a woman.” Luder tapped me on the shoulder as he continued. “Follow your own advice here. Plus, do you really think Leo would make a pass at your wife, or anyone’s wife for that matter?”

“Get a grip on this Ashan, or you’ll lose her due to your actions, man,” Leo added as he moved around the desk.

Feeling my mood slowly changing, I grinned at them. “Sorry, Leo,” I said, walking back to my table. “It’s just, after Ana and everything with Pedro, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” Lifting the bottle of whiskey, I continued. “Another drink?”

“Sure,” they replied again in unison. We laughed and I was glad to have them there. Luder has always looked out for me; I may need him now more than ever. We shared a couple more drinks and discussed growing the business on my end before Leo eventually left.

Luder and I visited a while longer, and soon, noticed evening creeping up on us. As he was about to leave, he stopped at the door and turned back to me. “Ashan, if you really like Jamie. It’s fine, and I’m glad for you. But please, don’t become an obsessive bastard. Make sure you treat her right and consider her in everything you do.”

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