Page 63 of Plus-Sized Bratva Prisoner

“This wasn’t about the money, Tia. This was going to happen regardless. I pissed them off when I attacked him outside the office. Whether I went there to pay the debt or not, they would have gotten their revenge. Now it’s over and done with and I’m here, I’m okay. I’m fine. We will deal with the debt later. We’ll go directly to his boss.”

“Not you. He said if he ever sees you again he’s going to kill you.”

Her voice is tight, and her eyes are bright with the threat of tears.

“Tia, baby girl, I’m going to be fine. I’m okay.”

She sits on the edge of the bed, leaning over me to brush her fingers across my cheek. “You’re not okay, you big idiot.” She leans down and softly kisses me, her lips pressed carefully against mine. It hurts, but it’s the thing I’ve needed more than I could have imagined. Her kiss. Her touch.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper against her mouth, my hand wrapped around the back of her neck.

She runs her hand over my chest and sighs heavily. “You should never have hidden from me either, Yefim. It was bad enough you went behind my back to try and fix it, but then to hide it from me afterwards—don’teverdo that again. Don’t keep things from me. I’m not weak. I don’t need protection from things like that. Especially not when I should have been here to take care of you.”

I nod. “You’re right. I should have told you. I was scared of pushing you away with my stupid choices.”

She sighs heavily, again, closing her eyes for a moment. “All that matters right now is that you’re okay. You’re definitely a bit broken, but you’re okay.”

“My brothers will look after me until I’m back on my feet.”

“Not a chance. I’m staying here with you. I’ve brought all my work files with me, I’ve got everything I need. I’m staying with you, Yefim.”

I grin. She really is the most beautiful girl in the entire world.

She is perfect, and she’s mine.

Chapter 19 - Tia

I’ve been staying at the safehouse for the past week. The debt collectors are out there looking for me; I know because they keep messaging threats and warnings.

I don’t get it. Yefim apparently handed them more than enough money to cover the debt and they didn’t take it.

I wish he had just stayed out of it like I asked him to. Honestly, I’m furious about that. He could have been killed. The thought rips at my heart and causes an ache in my chest. I don’t want to lose him—not when I just learned to trust someone, not when I just learned how to open my heart.

I sigh in frustration. I’ve been pacing up and down this house for an hour now trying to figure out what to do.

I hear the front door opening. Leon, Oleg and Alexei are the only ones who have access, so I’m not worried.

Leon walks in with a bag of groceries.

“He said he was craving stir fry, so I figured I’d make it myself,” he says, placing the bags on the counter.

“That’s really nice of you.” I smile tightly at him. They really are a close family. They have been going out of their way to take care of their brother.

Of all the brothers, Leon is the one I get on with the most. Oleg seems so stiff and serious. Alexei is great, but he tends to act like everything is a bit of a joke. I think he’s the opposite of Oleg—he hardly takes anything seriously. At least he makes me laugh, though. He has a few scars on his face that make me think he was a fighter when he was young.

Leon is the calmest, the most down-to-earth of the brothers, and I feel like I can actually talk to him.

“Leon.” I step towards the kitchen counter as he starts unloading the groceries.

“Yeah?” he says, leaning into the fridge to pack some of them onto the shelves there.

“I need your help. It’s this debt collector. I don’t even want to talk to Yefim about it right now, because he’s not really in an okay state.”

Leon turns to look at me, his eyes more serious. He is focused and ready to listen. “What’s going on?”

“He keeps threatening me.” I push my phone across the kitchen counter towards him to show him the string of messages I’ve received since Yefim was attacked.

He picks up my phone and flicks through it, reading some of it. “Fuck. He’s really not playing a fair game here,” Leon mumbles.

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