Page 57 of Captured By the Bratva

I tilted my head to the side, loving this stubborn defense she had for herself. Seeing a woman recognize and stand by her self-worth was admirable and sexy as hell.

“What about what he said of me?”

She looked me up and down, a once-over from my shoes to the top of my head. “He doesn’t know you.” After clearing herthroat, she sighed. “He doesn’t know you like I do. Even though I want to learn more.”

Fuck me.The longing in her voice cut through me. I wanted to show her all of me. Everything. I wanted to strip bare and welcome her into my life for good.

I went to her, lowering to one knee, and took her hand. Her paler, softer skin cut such a contrast to my darker flesh marred with ink and scars. “And youcancount on me.”

She had to know this by now. I’d told her that her purpose was to be a hostage, bait, but she’d come to be so much more.

“I’ve noticed…” She almost smiled, but the topic of her father had her frowning again.

I squeezed her hand before standing, pacing once more to think better.

“He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”

“I suspected that.” She slumped back in her seat. “And that’s not the first time he’s tried to get me to lower my guard by hurling insults and demands.”

“It’s almost like he’s trying to distract you,” I added.

“But why? For what reason? Distract me from what?” She cringed. “I don’t see what I can have to do with his need to hide like this.”

“Think back. Let’s talk it all out.”

She growled. “I’ve already told you everything I know.”

“Be patient.” I glanced at her as I took the other chair, leaning forward to set my elbows on my knees and my hands held together. “Start with the clubs.”

She smirked. “I don’t go to clubs.”

“But he wanted you to get an envelope for him at one.”

“Yeah, but I hung up on him. I don’t know what that would’ve been for, who would’ve given me anything, nor which club he’d expected me to go to.”

I nodded. “What about your time with Dom? You didn’t hear him mention Murphy during all that time?”

She shook her head. “Just that one time. That night he… he raped me. And I didn’t hear him mention Steven’s name. I just overheard them talking and I recognized Steven’s voice on the speaker call.”

“Dom never asked you anything about him?”

“Never. Nothing.”

I wouldn’t give up. “What did he talk about?”

“Not much. I spent more time speaking with assistants at galleries and meeting instructors and students at universities. Dom was a busy businessman, just arranging my lodging as he traveled around. We’d have dinners and such, enough for him to try to charm me into spending more time with him.”

What aren’t you saying, though?“You said that he admitted to only being interested in you as a way to keep an eye on Murphy.”

She nodded, furrowing her brow. “Yes.”

“But if he never asked you about Murphy, how was he keeping tabs on him?”

She shrugged, lifting her phone. “I don’t know. Maybe hoping Steven would contact me and they could trace my calls? I don’t know. When I came home, before I found out I was pregnant, I wondered if Dominic might have intended to keep me with him as insurance. If he and Steven were working on something together but argued and didn’t see eye to eye on details, maybe Dominic wanted to keep me close as a way to keep Steven in line.”

Which sounds a lot like what I figured to do as well, to use her to lure him out of hiding.

“But they sounded like they’d ended whatever plan they had.”

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