Page 44 of Captured By the Bratva

“And I’m the daughter of the crooked cop you want to kill, another enemy,” I bit back.

He stood, regarding Emily as she slept against my chest. Still, I swayed in place, not wanting to rouse her to fuss while I railed against the pain in my heart.

“You are.” He looked me up and down. “And I won’t forget it.”

Without giving me a chance to reply, he turned and left me in the room with my sleeping daughter. His parting glance sickened me.

He’d looked at Emily with something like disdain, like he viewed her as a bastard child, not an innocent baby who was getting good at capturing his attention.

Even worse was his regard for me—a tight smirk as though he wouldn’t be deterred from squeezing out every drop of usefulness out of me, the daughter of his nemesis he was determined to kill.

He shut the door after himself, and the soft close sounded so final, so judgmental. After sharing my hardest story with him, all he wanted to do was shutmeout. And I hated how badly it hurt.

17

IVAN

When Becca confided in me about Dominic being Emily’s father, I felt threatened. That my enemy, a dangerous man from the Italian Mob, could have a bigger impact on Emily than I could. It didn’t calm me to know that Dominic wasn’t aware of Emily’s birth or that he’d impregnated Becca.

What really got to me was the fact that he’d raped her. That he’d taken her against her will, with contempt, and kicked her out of his life.

I fucked her too, and I bet some would claim I’d done the same thing, that I’d raped her. But she’d wanted it. And still did. I didn’t miss the longing in her eyes. Like when she gazed at me after I stepped out of the shower.

Now, I had to add Dominic fucking Rossini to my already long kill list. That asshole would never have a moment of peace or safety as long as he lived. To hurt Becca, to harm her, to violate her with only the intention of malice and pain…

It was an unforgivable crime.

He would pay. I would make sure of it, but I had to figure out how and where. When, too. Alek ordered me to handle Murphy. We had to get that corrupt officer out of the way before he triedto attack the Bratva or bring our organization down. He was a direct threat to us.

The Rossinis weren’t as big of a danger at the present. With their record for infighting and skewed business interests, they didn’t pose an immediate danger to us.

But Dominic Rossini had earned a death sentence. Knowing that he’d raped Becca and manipulated her…

It was personal now. As soon as I took care of Murphy, Dominic was next.

Unless I can kill two birds with one stone.

I still didn’t know what Murphy and the Rossinis were plotting together, or if they even were after all this time since Becca heard that call between her father and Dominic, but I had to assume something was up.

Despite the desire to reach for Becca and pull her into my arms, I took the easier way out and left her in Emily’s room. I yearned to hug that woman and tell her that I would see justice for how she’d become a mother. I wanted to be a hero for her and explain that she didn’t have to worry about Dom being in her life at all anymore.

Looking at the mother and daughter together was just too hard. It pained me to see them, strong yet alone. Abandoned but having each other. Becca and Emily looked so good and pure together, full of love that would never cease or fade under any condition.

They resembled the perfect picture of a future I’d never considered. A wife and a child to hold and protect. A woman to love and cherish with a daughter to raise and enjoy.

Once more, as I woke up the next morning, still bothered by how tempting that woman was, I wondered if my brothers were getting to me.

I’d left her last night because of how badly I wanted to comfort her. It seemed like such a vulnerability, to express sorrow and regret on her behalf that she’d ever suffered.

This morning, I felt prickly at the possibility that I was threatened by what she seemed to offer, something I never thought I could have or find.

Alek started it all, marrying Mila. Then Nik and Amy. One by one, the Valkov brothers were falling for women. I didn’t think any less of Alek or Nik. They weren’t weaker men for finding their other halves.

But I’d given up the hope that I would find love too. That I wouldwantto find love.

Once I got up and started my day, I let the simmering anger about Becca being raped guide me to action.

I didn’t see her in the house. She and Margie preoccupied Emily while the women cooked and talked in the kitchen. With Becca busy, I slipped out of the house and did my best to stay focused on my job.

---