Page 55 of The Bratva's Forced Innocent Bride

In the pale light of the moon, Luca blanched, his eyes bulging as he made frantic grunting noises beneath all the tape wrapped around his head. I clenched my fist, thinking one nice smack to blacken one of those famous eyes would make me feel better, but then I stepped back, only staring at him until he looked down, starting to cry once again.

Beating the shit out of him now would be too easy, and the sick fuck would probably enjoy it anyway. Letting him stew in fear like he’d made Brooke do was going to have to suffice for the moment.

“Don’t accidentally suffocate him,” I warned as Dima folded him into the trunk.

“I’ll do my best,” he said with a smirk, still dabbing at his nose as he slammed Luca into his temporary tomb.

I didn’t think it was petty to enjoy the sound of the actor’s whimpering as I strode back to Brooke’s side.

“Nearest hospital,” I said to the driver, brushing Brooke’s hair off her face.

She stirred and shook her head. “I’m not hurt—not enough for the hospital. Please, Max, I just want to go somewhere else. Somewhere safe.”

“You’re never going to be in danger again,” I said. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

She found my hand and gripped it. “I don’t want to be around strangers. Just you, please.” It looked like she wanted to say more, but I told her to rest, promising we’d head home instead of the hospital. She nodded weakly. “Yes, home,” she murmured, closing her eyes and resting her head on my shoulder.

I decided to take her to my house in LA to spare her a longer drive, and we were back in no time. She barely stirred as I carried her upstairs, and she only woke up with a start as I laid her in our bed.

“Remember this place?” I asked with a smile. This was where we’d spent our tumultuous honeymoon.

She tried to return my smile, but her eyes were still haunted. I brought her a bathrobe from the closet and helped her out of her clothes to wrap her up in the thick fabric. Even under the covers and with a hot cup of herbal tea in her hand, the fear remained.

Sitting beside her, I set aside her cup and held her icy-cold hands between mine. “You’re never going to have to face Luca again,” I said. “I swear that to you.”

“Are you going to kill him?” she asked.

My sweet, law-abiding wife almost looked like she wanted me to, and relief flooded me that her fire was slowly returning. The bastard hadn’t managed to put it out, and I was going to rekindle it or die trying.

“I don’t know yet,” I said truthfully. “But you can believe he’s going to suffer.”

“Good,” she hissed, turning to me. “Those videos. There were so many. I wasn’t anywhere close to the first, but I was probably the only one who made it out without…” she trailed off, desperately upset about those other women in Luca’s video collection.

“I’m going to try to make it right. I swear it, Brooke.”

With a smile that was a lot stronger, and eyes that no longer looked like she was seeing demons everywhere, she nestled into the pillows, her hand still clasped in mine. Soon, she drifted off to sleep, her lashes resting on her pale cheeks, the sight of her bruises filling me with sorrow.

I had so many regrets, but not one of them involved meeting Brooke. From the moment I laid eyes on her at my brother’s Christmas gathering, she burrowed under my skin. I couldn’t shake her from my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried. It was only a matter of time until I gave in and found a way to meet up with her again in San Francisco, but fate had intervened, and I’d been given the task—that I now saw as a gift—of keeping her from witnessing a family scene that might involve punches being thrown.

Was it on that very first night that I’d spilled almost everything about my life? That I’d thrown one of the world’s most famous movie stars off my dance floor for daring to get too close to her? If it weren’t for that piece of human excrement, would Brooke and I even be married?

The answer in my mind, was a resounding yes. If I hadn’t jumped at that opportunity, I would have found another one. Hell, I might have even done something no one in my family could seem to manage. Actual dating, until she was as in love with me as much as I was with her.

Because I was so damn in love with her. She wasn’t just under my skin; she was in my blood, the very thing that kept my heart beating.

Unable to help myself, I reached out and gently drew my finger down her soft cheek, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, just to reassure myself she was really here with me, and okay. I hadn’t failed her. She was okay.

Except, she wasn’t. Not really. As much as I loved her and would do anything to keep her by my side, we couldn’t continue on this way. I had believed with all my soul that keeping her isolated and close to me was for her own safety, but it had ultimately pushed her away.

Brooke was stubborn, set in her ways, and fiercely independent. All traits I adored and would instead have swallowed one of Dima’s homemade bombs than stifle them. The danger was over, and I had no more excuses. As soon as she was awake and feeling better, I resolved to tell her that she now had complete freedom.

She could choose to do anything she wanted, even if it meant losing her, because I was damn well sure Luca wouldn’t be capable of continuing with his sick fixation on her.

Did that mean I was giving up on us? Hell no, far from it. If she did go, I was going to pursue her, show her the best days and nights of her life, give her anything her heart desired. Our intense chemistry was something she couldn’t deny for long, and I was convinced I had a pretty good shot of winning her back. Even if I had to give up everything, because, without Brooke, I had nothing anyway.

My phone buzzed next to me, and I grabbed it to silence it before it disturbed her. Unfortunately, I had to keep it on at all because while we were driving back to LA and Dima was takingour captive to one of our safe houses, he’d heard that the Italians down in San Diego had been acting up and that things might be going to shit sooner than later.

With a sigh, I hurried to the bathroom and shut myself in, answering with a snarl even though I knew no one would be calling unless it was urgent. I was shocked to see it wasn’t Dima at all, but the manager of my diner.

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