Page 57 of Claimed Bratva Virgin

Did she honestly think she could slip away from me? Didn’t matter what she thought at this point; I wasn’t letting her out of my goddamn sight.

The taillights of her Audi glinted under the streetlights as she weaved through minimal traffic. I kept my foot on the accelerator to match her pace, maintaining enough distance not to catch her attention immediately.

I had blood roaring in my ears and intoxicating adrenaline rushing in my blood, like a juvenile on fucking meth. I couldn’t tell what pissed me off more, accepting that Ivan and Andrei were right or not understanding why her betrayal felt like a fucking dagger had gone through my chest.

It burned.

Then, at that distance, she accelerated, as if sensing my presence.

A grin tugged at my lips. Fucking underestimating her. Leonora knew I was here. Good. Let’s see how far she thought she could run.

I slammed my foot on the gas, feeling the engine roar to life as I surged forward.

I expected her to be as good as the blogs and headlines on the news gave her credit. I’d seen for myself her strength and bloody hellish skills on the track. So, when she darted through cars, taking sharp turns, I stayed right on her tail. My car’s tires screeched as I followed her down a narrow side street, and the rest of the city blurred around me.

She was fast. And her fucking speed always had me impressed; I’d give her that. Not this time, though. I wasn’t about to let her slip through my fingers again. Not like last time. She’d won that round, but this one? This one wasmine.

I stayed close, following every turn she took. I was there, and I was going to stay there until I had her. She tried to lose me in a maze of alleyways, but these California streets were more than familiar. They were almost home.

“Nice try, Leonya.”

There was no radio communication this time to tell her just howexcitedI was to be gaining up to her. I closed in on the distance.

Her car swerved into the highway, and a few moments later, she was zigzagging off. A distraction that wasn’t going to work, as she pushed her speed to the limit. I didn’t hesitate; I kept my hand steady on the wheel.

I hit the gas, pulling ahead of her car as the deserted road stretched out in front of us. The need to confront her was slowly biting in, overtaking every ounce of logic. The headlights from her car flared in my rearview mirror, but I didn’t care.

I veered sharply to the right, cutting her off. Her tires screeched as she slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a stop mere inches from mine. The silence that followed was deafening, with only the faint sound of engines purring in the stretch of darkness.

I stepped out of my car, slamming the door behind me. The night was sharp and cold, but I barely noticed.

Leonora got out, too, furious and radiant under the faint glow of the moonlight. She looked ready to kill me as much as I wanted to kill her.

I forgot my fucking blade. Else, her throat would have had it first, and I’d have finally finished what I fucking started when Ivan brought her in that night.

Her fiery glare cut through the shadows as she stalked toward me.

“What the fuck is this, huh? What are you doing?”

I didn’t answer. Words weren’t enough for what burned inside me. Instead, I closed the distance between us in two swift steps. Before she could react, I grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her back, pinning her against the rough bark of a nearby tree. A gasp escaped her lips as her back hit the trunk, her body tensing beneath my grasp.

Her eyes widened, anger flashing as she tried to shove me away. “Get off me—”

“The question should be, why were you running?”

“What—”

“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find out?” I growled, cutting her off. My grip tightened on her wrists as I pressed them against the bark above her head, my body caging hers. “You thought I wouldn’t know?”

“Know what? You chased me down the road and now have me pinned to this stupid tree like a psychopath ready to snap my head off, and yet, I don’t fucking know what the hell is going on!”

“Enough with the fucking games already!” I slammed her hard against the bark, reveling in the groan of pain pouring out of her lips. “You fucking betrayed me!”

Her eyes widened in slight shock, and I knew she’d caught on. Her chest rose and fell like she’d run a marathon. She could try to run and escape me, but she couldn’t escape the truth.

It fucking burned when I thought I saw guilt. Or was it fear? Either way, it wasn’t enough.

She whispered, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t. Look, I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t—”

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