Page 33 of Claimed By the Bratva

Chapter 19 - Anton

Since I met Joyce, my life has been a whirlwind of situations, feelings, and rash decisions. I knew I couldn’t do this to her anymore. I had to come clean if I wanted to keep her. She won’t thrive being kept at home out of the loop.

Walking the length of my office, I knew I had to make a decision. It was hard to admit that I had to give her some leeway. I had to do what was best for her, even if that meant putting my feelings aside.

Joyce needed to be around people; she wanted to feel useful. Coming to this conclusion, I decided to give it a try. Before heading home to pick her up, I popped into Tasha’s office. I had to ask if she would be okay working with Joyce. Like always, Tasha was thrilled.

We agreed that they would take it slow. Tasha would share only what was needed, and we could see how Joyce coped. Feeling good about my decision, I went to get Joyce. I wandered the halls looking for her. I hadn’t called ahead as I wanted to surprise her.

I found her wandering the halls with a book in her hand. She had been restless since she came here, but I know better. “Joyce,” I said, grinning. I took her around the waist and pulled her into my arms. I could see I frightened her as she spun around, but once she laid eyes on me, she smiled.

“Anton,” she replied, raising her brows. “What are you doing back?”

“I came to pick you up. Tasha said she wants to show you some things, maybe get your opinion?” I knew I was lying to her. But it was a small one, as I wanted her to feel needed. I didn’t want her to think we involved her just to ease her.

Joyce placed her hands on my chest as she thought about it. She smiled, rose to her toes, and kissed my cheek. My body instantly warmed. Her every touch ignited my senses. “I would love that,” she replied.

Taking her hand, I led her to the car and returned to the office. Tasha and Mila had been working to link the players to the buildings we were checking on. I hoped Joyce would be able to assist, seeing that she worked in customs. She may have heard or seen some of these people before.

The drive back was quiet, but I could see she was deep in thought. For a moment, I considered asking her but decided not to. I was sure she would share her thoughts with me if she wanted to. Her whole being appeared to light up as we headed to Tasha’s office.

Her office door was closed, so I knocked and waited. “Come in,” Tasha called through the door. Opening it, I ushered Joyce inside. Mila was also there, standing by the whiteboard in the corner.

Tasha had cleared the space on the desk next to her. “Welcome, Joyce,” Tasha said, getting up.

“I was surprised to hear you were joining us,” Mila added, walking closer. “But we can use someone with your background.”

Moving away, I stood by the window staring out while listening to Tasha and Mila explain to Joyce what they were doing. Tasha had made it clear that I could only observe. I wasn’t allowed to interfere with the mission. I was conflicted. I knew they wouldn’t let anything happen to Joyce, but I wanted to protect her.

Mila was studying a list of names written on the board. She had a couple of printed sheets in her hands. Flippingthrough the sheets, she wrote numbers next to the names. “I’m trying to link as many of these people to the buildings we know are being used by the three rival Bratva groups,” Mila said.

“Come sit with me,” Tasha said, pulling out a chair.

Joyce beamed at me before taking her place. “I’m going to grab us some coffee while you get Joyce up to speed,” I said, heading for the door. The three women didn’t respond. It was like I was suddenly invisible.

Coming back with four coffees and some snacks, I found the three women before the whiteboard. “Something happened in the short time I was gone?” I asked.

“Joyce may be able to create a link between,” Mila replied excitedly.

I placed their coffee down and stood back, watching Joyce scribbling on the board. “Who is this?” Joyce inquired, tapping on Jason’s name.

“We have had problems with him in the past. He has been quiet since our last confrontation. Yet, we haven’t been able to link him directly to any of the groups.” Tasha explained.

“But we know he is involved,” I added.

The three women turned, glaring at me for interrupting. I lifted my hands, apologizing. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Mila grinned as she reprimanded me. “You are here only because we are allowing it. Please keep quiet so we can work.”

I could see Joyce was enjoying working with them. She listened intently, absorbing every detail that was shared with her. She was calm and appeared unaffected. Once she had taken in all the information, she stepped back and looked intently at the board. She was like a sponge absorbing every word.

“Right now, we are looking more in depth into these four buildings. Jason has been known to frequent them. Yet, we cannot find the links between them and any of the Bratva families. Apparently, they aren’t owned by anyone,” Mila said, holding out the blueprints.

Joyce took them and looked from one to the other. “This one,” she said, holding up a blueprint. “This one has come through my office before.”

Tasha and Mila both looked at her with surprise. Joyce walked to the computer. Glancing back, she spoke to Tasha. “May I?”

“Yes, sure, go for it,” Tasha replied as she and Mila joined her. I was dumbfounded at her quick adaption to all she was exposed to. I had underestimated her ability to adapt. Standing closer, I watched as Joyce opened the name she found and linked the person to the building.

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