Page 14 of Kidnapped Bratva Virgin

There’s no point being more callous than I need to be. “I know the land has lithium on it, and you already have plans forit. Admittedly, I don’t have the manpower or the resources to do anything on it, and the money you offered me, won’t help me do that either. But you know that, don’t you?”

Stunned by how smart she is, I hide my admiration responding flatly, “I’m aware of what the land has the capability to do with its natural resources.”

“It’s more than you’re saying. I can tell. I want land rights, and you can only carry out your operations on Raven’s Peak if I receive a percentage of the profits. I’m counteroffering your flimsy proposal for a long-term mutually beneficial contract. Understand?”

Grinning, I’m willing to concede, and quite frankly she’s making my dick hard with her intelligence. “Ms. Knight, you are a dark horse and that’s one of the reasons I like you. I’m not so unreasonable I can’t bend in this instance. I, too, have a long-term vision I can share with you for the property, and I guarantee it will be satisfactory for both of us. I want the land for the purpose of what it can bring to the Bratva and myself, so therefore I’m willing to agree to your terms.”

“Good. And don’t try anything because I know the law,” she warns, but her thinly veiled threat I liken to shooing away a mosquito. It’s quite cute.

“As you should, you’re studying it.” Chuckling, she regards me with contempt, but the tightly coiled tension that existed earlier between us has dissolved given I’ve agreed she can keep the title. What do I need with it? She’s getting what she wants and so am I.

“In the contract, you won’t be able to fall short on your promise. And you can’t kill me.”

“I will make good on all my promises. And the Bratva doesn’t kill people for no reason. Trust me,” I declare. “And if weare going to work together, then we need to start over. Renew the trust, wouldn’t you say?” I coax as Ava visibly relaxes.

“Yes. I agree. We should.” Her words are careful, almost as if she doesn’t quite believe me, but now that I know where we stand and I’m going to get what I want, I don’t care. Besides, if she wants to back out, she won’t be able too. I’ll be more inclined to execute my plan of torture.

“You need your strength, Ms. Knight. Especially as we cut through the finer details of the contractual arrangements,” I tease with a self-assured smirk. “I wouldn’t want you to miss any important details within it.”

She cuts her eyes on me. “I’m not going to miss anything,” she quips, stirring a long-held longing for a challenging woman from deep within me. Right on cue, a quick knock at the door presents itself, and I step away briefly, opening it and wheeling the food in.

“I trust that you won’t. Please eat, and if you need anything else, I’ll see that you get it.” The agreeable version of me glitches through, and judging from the startled expression clouding Ava’s face, she’s as stumped by my demeanor as I was about giving a damn about her well-being earlier.

She sits up, the color slowly returning to her face, and I can tell she’s hungry. The ice inside my veins is thawing because this version of the deal could give me the opportunity to capitalize on more than just Raven’s Peak.

“Thanks,” she responds begrudgingly, picking up her fork as I back off.

“I’m going to let you eat in peace and get some rest. Meanwhile, I’ll come back with a prospectus on what my plans are for Raven’s Peak.” Pausing, I nod once. “Congratulations, Ava, you can kiss poverty goodbye forever.”

Her wary glance in my direction thwarts any idea that she’s going to be easy to win over, but that only piques my curiosity more. It’s better this way, and Ms. Knight has earned my respect.

Chapter Nine - Ava

The meal has nourished me enough to start clarifying a plan. Now that I’ve agreed to be in business with the monster, he seems to have backed down. He’s playing nice, but I don’t trust it. Or him.

How did I let myself get so run-down? Beating myself up about my health probably isn’t the best thing to do right now, but as I devour the best food I’ve ever had in my life, there’s so many reasons why. I’ve been running on empty for the longest, and I guess my body’s broken down and can’t take it anymore. I’ve been barely making it from university to work, or making ends meet, only to face gross customers and a tyrant of a boss for shitty tips with nobody to help me.

The door opens and my automatic response is to jump, but it’s more food and my phone is on the tray. “Hi, dessert, Ms. Knight. Have a good evening.”

“Thank you.” I check under the silver lid, my eyes boggling at how pretty the dessert is and how my mouth is watering.

It’s a trap, Ava. Don’t fall for it.

Picking up my phone, I look it over, while scanning the room. There must be hidden cameras somewhere within it, and I’m no dummy. It’s likely Dimitri has bugged the phone and is tracking it. A burning sensation grows in my chest. I might have made the biggest deal with the devil ever, but I don’t like the fact he’s monitoring me, and he’s probably already looked through my text messages and knows my friends.

He’s Bratva. A fucking Russian mobster and doesn’t trust you either.Shaking my head, I smooth my hands over the phone noticing the bottom of it is scuffed. Almost as if someonehas peeled the back off, or maybe I’m paranoid. Either way, I know this is a test. There’s a lot riding on the situation for Dimitri. He made that part plain, and I despise the fact we have backstories in common. His father is nothing like mine. Mine loved me, he was just poor and didn’t know how to handle money.

Prickles of heat ride up the back of my neck as I consider my friends and their well-being. I’m not completely without help, though. My friend married into Bratva, and Sophia would probably be the best person to help me navigate yet another shitty situation I find myself in.

My legs are cramped, and I don’t want to sit around in bed any longer, so I get up and take a look around the rest of the suite, feeling safe enough to do so. The drapes are as dark as Dimitri, a rich tone of jet black. I stare at the paintings on the wall. It’s clear the art is fairly expensive, the gold-gilded frames holding hauntingly beautiful pictures inside them. Frowning, I study one painting, which has skulls stacked on top of them and a knife plunged through the middle. Skimming my fingers over it, I ponder what it means. Dimitri has so many tattoos on his body, and it’s hard not to notice them.

They’re kind of darkly sexy, and the three-day shadow of his dirty blond beard invokes feelings I want to deeply repress. I touch the large black vases in their corners, admiring the red flowers inside them. Clearly, he has a theme, and I know the colors must mean something significant. Boldly, I look into the expansive bathroom with his and hers showers, everything immaculate and in its place. Wow. The entire suite is almost bigger than my tiny apartment. I’m involved with a man who’s going to bring me riches, but he’s on the wrong side of the law.

If my father is watching me from the heavens, I wonder what he thinks about it. How would he get out of this? I hopehe can see I’ve made the best possible decision I can, and one that will keep me alive. Treading lightly, I open the door, trembling in anticipation of walking down the corridor. When I do, I take note of more art on the walls. Not all of it is dark, and some of it is more of what you would expect to see in an art museum. What a life. Skimming my hands along the walls, I peer down the long hallway noticing all the different passageways, wanting to venture down them, but also scared of what I might discover. I pass a theater room with huge speakers, and a giant TV embedded into the wall, but an evocative scent invades my nostrils reminding me ofhim.

His room must be close…. It can’t hurt to look. The temptation is too great for me not to look in. Pushing the cracked door back, my mouth drops open. The sultry seduction of the room blows me away, tingles sprinkling down the length of my spine. What kind of room is this? It’s big enough to be its own department and on the wall is a large sword encased in glass and a thick black frame. His poster bed is black, but there’s a strange element to it. My gaze is drawn to the ceiling because on it is a long rectangular mirror.

What the hell is a mirror doing on the ceiling? Especially above his bed? His dresser drawers are black too, but on them are exquisite mini sculptures and there’s a painting of a phoenix and a tiger on the far side of the huge room. It’s got the usual trimmings, like the room I was held in, with a large screen TV, a chair, and a study desk with potted plants in each corner. What I can’t get over is the mirror. The carpet is a cream color, and the entire space screams seduction. I want to touch everything in the room, but I keep my hands to myself admiring from afar.

---