Page 6 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

I reach for the phone on my desk, dialing a number I haven’t called in months. It rings twice before a familiar voice answers.

“Makar,” comes the gruff greeting.

“I need a cleanup,” I say, my tone clipped. “Someone crossed a line. Badly.”

There’s a pause on the other end, then a low chuckle. “Name?”

“Kris,” I say, the name tasting bitter in my mouth. “You’ll find him at the Ember House. Make it quiet. Make it permanent.”

The line goes dead, and I set the phone down, my chest still tight with fury. Kris has sullied my reputation, my rules, and the sanctity of my business.

By the end of the night, he’ll pay the price.

Chapter Three - Hannah

The bass from the club’s speakers thrums through the air, vibrating beneath my feet as I maneuver through the crowded floor of the Ember House. It’s a Friday night, and the place is packed, every corner buzzing with energy.

Drinks clink against tabletops, laughter and shouts rise above the music, and the faint haze of smoke mingles with the scent of expensive cologne.

I balance a tray of cocktails on one hand, weaving through the press of bodies in my short black skirt and white blouse. My feet ache in my heels, but I’ve gotten used to that. The tips are worth it.

I glance at the VIP section as I approach, the faces there shadowed under the low, warm light. It’s the kind of place where people come to flaunt money and power, though I try not to think too much about who they are or what they do when they’re not here.

When I set the drinks down on a polished table, a sharp memory hits me like a slap, and my breath hitches.

The VIP section. A month ago.Him.

My tray feels heavier as the image flashes through my mind: a man with piercing blue eyes, a suit that screamed power, and a voice that made my knees weak. He’d looked at me like I was the only thing in the room, his gaze stripping away every layer of my defenses.

I can still feel the heat of his hands on my skin, the commanding way he’d spoken, the fire that burned through me when I let myself follow him upstairs.

It was reckless. Stupid. Yet, I haven’t stopped thinking about him since.

I rack my brain, trying to remember his name, but it slips through my fingers like water. Mark? No. Makar? Maybe. I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t there when I woke up, and I haven’t seen him since.

“Earth to Hannah!”

I blink, snapping out of my thoughts.

Julie’s grinning face appears in front of me, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she waves a hand in front of my face. “Where’d you go just now? You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“Sorry,” I say, forcing a smile as I shift the tray under my arm. “I’m just… distracted.”

Julie cocks an eyebrow, her bright blue eyes narrowing playfully. “Distracted, huh? Does it have anything to do with a guy?”

I feel my cheeks flush, and Julie’s grin widens. She always knows how to get under my skin.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, turning away to set down another drink.

“Oh, please,” she says, following me like a puppy. “You think I don’t notice when you get all moony-eyed? Who is he?”

I glance over my shoulder, lowering my voice. “Julie, you’re going to get me in trouble. Shouldn’t you be with your friends?”

She waves a dismissive hand. “They’re fine. I came over when I saw you. I mean, what are the odds? You never told me you work here!”

“It’s just a job,” I say simply, though her excitement is contagious. Julie has that kind of energy—the kind that makes you feel like everything is an adventure.

“Here I thought you were busy studying art all the time,” she teases. “You’re so mysterious, Hannah Fox. Working in a fancy club by night, going to classes by day… what’s next, secret spy missions?”

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