Page 45 of Claimed By the Bratva

I wanted to protect him but ended up hurting him. My heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces as a tearrolled down his cheek. I had to be honest with him. Taking his hand, I held it to my chest as I spoke. “Anton, I want to be with you.”

His voice sounded hoarse as he spoke. “Then why, why have you been isolating?”

Shaking my head lightly, I opened up. “I’ve been avoiding you to keep you safe. I don’t want something to happen to you.”

Anton smirked. “Joyce, doll face,” he breathed out. “I can take care of myself and you. Why would you think you had to keep me safe? Remember, I got you into this, not vice versa.”

I tried to swallow the mountain growing in my throat and chest, but it was too big. My heart overflowed with all the pain and fear I was holding back. My tears started streaking down my face as I inhaled sharply. My lungs felt like they were rapidly filling with fire.

Anton slid off his lounger, moving onto his haunches before me. “Please don’t cry,” he said, wiping at my tears. “I care about you, and with each passing day, my feelings have grown. Let me ease your pain.”

Anton kissed my fingers before pulling me into his warm embrace. I took a deep, slow breath. Feeling him holding me, I knew I couldn’t do this alone and would have to inform him.

“Anton,” I breathed out, pulling back a tad. “Jax has been calling me, asking me to leave you…” My words fell away as his expression changed. I wasn’t sure if I should continue.

Rage had replaced all the pain and sorrow in his eyes a moment ago. As he spoke, I could also hear it in his rough tone. “Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt; I couldn’t allow him to take you away from me,” I huffed between breaths.

“Jax is a dangerous man, doll face. How did he even get hold of you? How long have the two of you been in contact? What does he know?”

As his words fell to the ground, I felt my tears burst uncontrollably. I tried keeping them back, but they just flowed.

“Shh, it’s okay, come here, doll,” Anton said as he pulled me into his arms. “I’m not angry or upset with you.”

“I didn’t tell him anything, I promise. I didn’t say a thing as I love you,” I sobbed into his chest. As the last part of my sentence was uttered, I realized it wasn’t how I wanted to tell him how I felt.

Anton kissed me on the head, whispering. “I love you too, doll.”

I watched in horror as he stood up and walked away. Then he stopped and just stood there.

Chapter 25 - Anton

Who does Jax think he is? How dare he mess with Joyce’s head? I was relieved that she didn’t get swayed by him. But I also knew I had to handle the issue before it got out of hand.

Turning back, I looked at Joyce. She was so fragile; I couldn’t imagine what I would do if something happened to her. Walking closer, I spoke softly. “Joyce, I know he is your family, but I have to ensure he doesn’t mess with us again.”

There was sadness in her eyes as she looked at me. “I know you need to do this,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “He is still my blood, and I don’t want him dead.”

Bending down on one knee, I held her hands. What she was asking of me wasn’t going to be easy. But I didn’t want to do anything that could cause a rift between us. I only wanted her to be safe and happy. “I will try my best to ensure nothing happens to him, but I can’t make any promises,” I said.

She gazed into my eyes as she spoke. “What are your plans? How are you going to deal with Jax?”

Smiling tenderly at her, I spoke in a clear tone. “I don’t mind sharing my plans with you. I want us to be open with one another.”

Her entire being appeared to light up as I spoke, and I felt my heart skipping a beat. Continuing, I kept my tone calm. “I was planning on trying to get close so I could persuade him to stay clear of this mess. But if he didn’t agree, I would have knocked him out and dropped him somewhere very far from any form of life, hoping he would stay away long enough for us to finish.”

She laughed and then fell silent. “What if that wasn’t possible?” she questioned.

“If it meant saving you, I would do whatever was needed,” I replied.

Joyce sighed, lowering her head. I held her hand and waited as she took a couple of deep, slow breaths. “How about this?” she finally said. “If you can keep Jax alive while you take care of this matter, I will officially join your operations.”

This wasn’t a bad idea. She would be an asset. “Okay, so then you must get a meeting with him. We need to know who he works for to assess the situation,” I said, watching her reaction.

“Okay,” Joyce replied without hesitation.

“If you don’t mind, I would like you to wear an earpiece. It isn’t two-way, so you will also have to keep an open line on your phone. You will be able to hear us with the earpiece, but we won’t hear you.”

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