Page 14 of Fiercely Protective

“I will see that it’s done, but you need to do something with her.”

I looked back over my shoulder to where Bri was intensely listening to our conversation, the fear evident on her face. “I will take care of it, and then I will call Nik. Something doesn’t feel right. He rarely leaves Las Vegas, so who would even know that he is in town?”

“For someone to make a move against the Bratva, it is always serious and I’m certain Nik has many enemies. He has never been a fucking Boy Scout.”

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Bri. I walked past her to my desk, opened a drawer, took out a bottle of whiskey, and poured a small amount into a glass before walking over and handing it to her.

“Here drink this.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure what is happening, but I am more convinced than ever that I made a mistake by coming here. Will you take me home now?”

“There are things I need to take care of first and when I get back, we can continue our discussion.”

She jumped to her feet. “There is no discussion. I don’t want to be a part of this. Take. Me. Home.”

I pushed her back into the seat and leaned down close to her face. “You are already a part of this.”

Her lips clamped together as she stared up at me.

“Now is not the time to be brave, Angel. Don’t try and defy me. There will be time to talk about your future once I have made certain it is safe for us to leave. Now sit down and stay quiet.”

Bri

I waited a total of five seconds after he left before I jumped from my seat and looked around the room for another way out. How could I have been so stupid to get involved with a man like Rogue Delaney? A man was just killed outside his club, and he behaved as if it were just an ordinary day. Now I understoodwhy his club was aptly namedSinners. I moved over to the desk and looked for anything that might help me escape. I rummaged through the drawers, not caring if I made a mess, but I didn’t find anything other than another bottle of whiskey and two glasses along with your typical office supplies, pens, notepads, etc. none of which looked as if they had ever been used. It was as if this wasn’t a real working office, just a room made to look like one, like a movie set.

I started pacing the room, my brain conjuring up all sorts of horrible things that could happen once he returned. My heart began to beat faster. I still had my cell phone, and I contemplated calling Allison and asking her to come help me, but that would more than likely just get her into trouble, and I couldn’t keep relying on someone else to rescue me. I had to find a way out of this mess myself.

Surely, he wasn’t going to kill me. What if he planned on selling me? Young women went missing all the time and were never found. The thought made me a bit nauseous. No, if he was going to kill me, he would just do it or have one of his goons do it for him.

Whatever he had planned, I didn’t come this far escaping a deranged stalker in Colorado just for this guy to attempt to hold me hostage or to get killed by getting mixed up in some kind of war between criminals. There had to be a way out of this, and to find it, I had to be smart. I took a few deep calming breaths and slowly moved about the room, taking in as much of it as I could. The room itself was very sparse. A desk containing nothing significant, with a black chair behind it, and two black leather chairs in front. A small bar on one side of the room, but nothing else of importance. No pictures of him, no pictures of anyone or anything. The walls were bare, and the room was well-lit.

After realizing that I would find nothing here that would help me get out of this situation, I sank back down into the seat and covered my face with my hands, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait. Wait to see what this arrogant devil of a man had in store for me. But he couldn’t watch me 24/7. There would be an opportunity to escape, and once I found it, I would not hesitate to take it.

Rogue

After leaving Bri in my office, I went back upstairs to find that most of the patrons in the club had no idea what had gone on outside. My employees had done a good job of offering distractions, so no one became aware of the attempted assassination or shooting that occurred just a few feet from where they were all drinking, dancing, and performing more intimate acts. Blaze was standing by the stairs, his phone in his hand and a glass of bourbon close by.

I walked toward him and took a seat at a table nearby. “Any news from Nickolai?”

Blaze turned the glass up and finished off the contents before pouring another. “He said that he would be seeing you soon. I imagine that after your little possessive display with the girl, he thought you might be otherwise occupied for some time, and he obviously had other things to do.” He took a sip of bourbon. “If you aren’t going to send her on her way, you need to think of ways to protect her. It would be very easy for someone like her to be hurt, caught up in a world she knows nothingabout. What is she to you? Is she just another employee, a fling you have taken interest in, or is it more?”

I poured my drink and leaned back in the chair. “For now, she belongs with me; I am claiming her. That is all anyone needs to know.”

“And is she accepting?”

I smirked as I drained the glass of liquor, letting it burn my throat. “Since I had to lock her in my office to return here, I would say no.”

Blaze closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushion of the chair. “Hmm, taking advice on women from Alessio?”

“Alessio blackmailed and married his beautiful Cara Mia. He was concerned with cementing his legacy and protecting the Messina family from Benedict Russo. I just want to have her in my bed. She will be well compensated for the time she spends with me and once I have had my fill, I will let her go.”

Blaze stood from his seat. “Hmm, we will see. I have never known you to stay interested in a woman for more than a night and with an assassin trying to take out the Bratva leadership, now might not be the best time to play around with the girl.”

He spoke the truth. I had never had any kind of relationship that lasted longer than a one-night stand, but this woman was different. I had been instantly drawn to her, and after getting a small taste of her last night when she first wandered into the club, I knew I wanted more, much more, and I always got what I wanted. But Blaze was right, I needed to find a way to protect her for as long as she remained with me. How long that would be was still uncertain.

Chapter Four

Bri

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