Page 67 of Virgin Bratva Prisoner

“My brothers did that?” I ask, feeling guilty for what they tried and how they messed with clients that didn’t belong to them.

“Your brothers did that and more. The problem is that if our clients come after us for something we didn’t do—it gets ugly really quickly. It’s one of the reasons I hate this mafia bullshit. People shoot first and ask questions later.”

I bite at my lower lip, frowning as I follow him through the warehouse.

“So, are my brothers still messing with your clients?”

“No. Thankfully, because of our marriage, your brother was forced to come to an agreement with me. He will not sell our primary product, and I have promised not to sell his primary product. It was a small distribution product that we were testing out, but if handing it over to your brothers means we can avoid a shoot-out, I am more than happy to do that.”

“So, you gave up a portion of your business to my brothers even though they are new in this city?”

“It’s better than war, Raisa,” he says as he picks up a clipboard, checking some information on it and setting it down again.

“Before you kidnapped me, did you try to speak to my brothers?”

“Numerous times. It was at the point where I had to make a choice before my brothers took control of the situation. People would have lost their lives if we had gone ahead with their solution.”

I can’t believe I am only now coming to understand exactly why Oleg kidnapped me and forced me to marry him.

The other option was his brothers storming my family home and killing my brothers—which would have been an easy fix for them. I would have lost my family.

And even if Oleg’s brothers didn’t want to go that route, one of the angry clients would have. In this world it seems everyone really is ready to shoot first and ask questions after. Oleg went against the knee-jerk reaction by trying to force their hand into an alliance.

“Has it worked?” I ask, wondering if his plan was successful or if my brothers are still causing shit.

“It did as far as I can tell. Rodion has stuck to his agreement and has not been selling or speaking to our clients.”

Oleg is still talking as he shows me around the rest of the warehouse. He tells me all about how things work and how he likes things organized. All of his staff are happy to see him and I can tell that even here in the bigger business sections—Oleg is still a very gentle soul beneath all of the dark and mysterious exterior he has to present to the world because of what he does.

I walk around, following Oleg, thinking about his reasoning for marrying me. He did make the right choice. My brothers would never have worked with him without being forced to do so. They would never have allowed someone to dictate their actions—even if it was for the better—Rodion might not have known that.

By marrying me, he saved their lives and he saved his brother’s lives too. It could have become a bloody mess.

Oleg comes to a stop outside an office door on the upstairs platform of the warehouse. “This is where I work when I’m not at home.”

He pushes the door open and ushers me inside.

It is a modern, simple and clean office. Minimalistic in black, grey and white.

He closes the door behind us.

“Can I make you a coffee? I had them put the machine in here because while I’m working, I drink quite a bit of it.”

“Sure. Um, Oleg, I understand a lot more now, why you did what you did.”

I lean against his desk, facing him while I talk.

“Can you see why I didn’t have any other choice? I am sorry, Raisa. I am sorry you got dragged into it—but it seemed so much kinder than—“

“—death.”

“Yes.”

“You used me as a tool,” I sigh.

“I did, but I never saw you as that. Right from the beginning you captivated me. You are such an incredible person, Raisa. You deserve so much more than what happened to you. I mean the marriage—“ he looks down at the coffee mug in his hands, his voice is tight.

“The marriage isn’t that bad,” I giggle, starting to relax around him again after he opened up to me like this.

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