Page 51 of Caught By the Bratva Beast

“How's the happy couple doing?” Nicolo asks, his tone mocking. “I assume the two of you are getting along well. You're playing your part of a happy wife.”

“I wouldn't say that we get along well, but it works. He doesn't suspect anything. Hell, he doesn't even have people watching me half the time, although not that I could go anywhere. I don’t know where to go if things go wrong though.”

“I know where you are and that's enough. I can handle whatever happens.” Another fist sounds on the other end of the call. “I've got business to deal with. Is there anything else that you need from me?”

“Are you sure that Antonio doesn't know about me? You never said anything. Nothing. Right?”

“He knows of you. I don't think it's connected the fact that my Pearl is the same one who's now married to Maxim. I don't think there's cause for concern.”

“Of course, you don't think that. You're not the one sitting in the house with the monster, waiting for the time when he figures out who you are and then decides to kill you.”

“You may have a husband now, but you do well to remember to watch your tone with me.”

“I'm sorry.” I get to my feet, running my hands through my hair before opening the doors and stepping out onto the terrace. “I'm just worried.”

“I thought you said that everything was going well there. Have you been lying to me? Have you abandoned the plan?”

“No, I'm still going to go through the plan. When are we going to neutralize the problem?”

“We're not administering the order yet. I still don't know how to crash his empire. You're going to hold off on what you know. I'll keep quiet about what I know. I'll tell you when I make a move.”

“I prefer sooner rather than later. I don't want to spend the next twenty years of my life married to him.”

However, spending the next twenty years being fucked by him, well now that could be something entertaining. Then, of course, there's the small feeling in the back of my mind that keeps telling me that maybe I don't hate Maxim as much as I thought I did. Maybe in the good moments after sex, when we're sitting there staring up at the ceiling, talking about everything other than who I am and where I came from, we're good. In those times, he seems like somebody I could easily like.

And then he gets out of bed, and I go for a shower. And as I scrub his scent from my skin, I’m reminded of the fact that he's the man who killed my father.

The sound of punching in the background comes to a stop. “You need to listen to me now. You need to remain calm. I know this is a lot to deal with right now. I'm going to take care of Antonio. You keep looking for more information we can use.”

“And what if I don't find anything?”

“You better find something. I’ve spent years and tens of thousands of dollars training you to be the absolute best there is. Just so you could come up with nothing and tell me that you can't find anything? You’re there and you’re going to find more information. Something I can use.”

“Just promise me that you're going to get out here before he can impregnate me. I can't have a child with this man.”

“I don't think that's something you need to worry about right now, do you? Just keep him happy if that requires popping out a child or two and well, who are you to deny him?”

“You promised me that this wasn't going to be years of my life when I agreed to marry him. You told me that I just had to keep him happy for the time being and find information to take him down.”

“And now I'm telling you that plans have changed.”

The line goes dead, and I'm left staring at the garden around me, considering making a run for it. It's clear that Nicolo is going to abandon me if he thinks it's what's best for his business.

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to hold the tears back that well up in my eyes.

This isn't the life I should have for myself. This isn't what my father would have wanted. But I need to avenge him. I need to finally put that piece of my life to rest, and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is by finally killing Maxim.

Except that, I don't think it's going to be as easy as I thought it would be.

I head back inside my room, tucking the phone away in the little hidey hole, sealing it shut, and making sure that it doesn't look like it's been moved.

I flop back into my bed, the cushions hugging me like a woman friend.

It's getting harder and harder to separate Maxim and the two sides of his personality. Maybe I should start thinking more about what a long-term life would look like with him.

What would happen if I left Nicolo to deal with his problems?

Would Dad want me to murder somebody for him? Would he want me to become just like the monsters that killed him?

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