Page 24 of Forced Bratva Hostage

“Also,PakhanArtem says to tell you that he’s impressed by how much progress you've made in such little time,” Alexei added, crossing legs.

“I'm glad he feels that way,” I replied, shooting a quick look at him.

Out of all of us, he was the one who worked closest toPakhanArtem. It was a privilege, and Alexei always jumped at the chance to utilize it.

Alexei's gaze was unwavering, his blue eyes locked on me. “So, I hear there's an idiot who managed to slip through your fingers.” He leaned back in his chair, and with a measured tone,he added, his words evenly spaced, “$500,000 is a lot of money to sweep under the carpet, don't you think?”

Alexei was known for two distinctive traits: his unforgiving, stone-cold heart and his mercilessness. Now that he was here asking questions about Wren, it only meant that she was in deeper trouble than I thought.

My cousin wouldn't mind that she was a woman, or that she was a pretty one. No. Such things never moved him. The ice in his veins made him colder than my brother, Roman, and I couldn't bring myself to imagine what he'd do to her.

“I'm well aware of the situation, cousin,” I said, feeling a slight pang of irritation at his words.

“The solution to this is simple,” he said, a cold, calculating glint flickering in his eyes as a smug grin played on his lips. “You have his daughter as your prisoner, so the debt is as good as settled.” His face contorted into a cruel, self–satisfying sneer. “We’ll sell her off to the black market. I'm sure there's a lot of…perverted ass-licking connoisseurs who'd pay good money for her.”

My jaw tightened at his plan.

The men he was talking about were collectors, aficionados of fear and pain who relished in the tears and screams of the women they possessed. Those sick fucks always paid a fortune for rare, unspoiled goods, and considering that Wren was a virgin, they'd bid on the privilege of adding her to their collection.

“She's a pretty one. I'm sure they'll pay handsomely for her—maybe three times what her father owes us,” Yakov chipped in, sitting in the chair next to Alexei.

I shifted my gaze toward Yakov, flashing a disapproving glare that caused him to squint, perplexed by my reaction.

“Excellent. It's settled then,” Alexei said, his tone dripping with finality.

“No, it's not,” I declared.

Alexei's brows narrowed, his eyes shining with curiosity. “Okay?”

“I've got a better idea,” I said, my lips curling up into a smirk as I anticipated their reactions.

This should be fun.

They both cast their unwavering gazes on me, their brows furrowing ever so slightly.

I leaned forward, a sly smile spreading across my face as I announced my intention. “I'm going to marry her.”

For the next few seconds, the room was silent as a graveyard, both their eyes widening at my declaration.

“You're joking…right?” Alexei arched his brows, his eyes never leaving mine. “This is another one of your jokes, isn't it?”

“I'm afraid it's not.” My smile fell as I reclined in my chair, picking up the Rubik's cube I'd dropped on the table.

“You can't be serious,” Yakov said, his tone laced with disbelief.

I jerked my eyes toward him. “I've never been more serious in my life.”

Alexei uncrossed his legs and edged closer, his gaze lingering. “We have rules, cousin—rules that aren't meant to be broken,” he warned, his brows narrowing.

“I know.”

“Do you?” he questioned without letting me finish. “Because right now, it seems like you're willing to go against what the Bratva stands for.” A scowl settled on his face, accentuating his disapproval.

“I know the contents of the contract, cousin. I’m well aware that she's now the property of the Bratva due to her father's failure to keep his own part of the deal,” I explained, my voice calm and steady.

Alexei let out a soft scoff, shaking his head in confusion. “Then why are you doing this—why do you want to marry her?”

“Because I want to protect her,” I blurted out, shifting a stern look across the two of them.

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