Page 28 of Dangerous Beginnings

Bratva.

The word echoes in my mind, a warning, a death sentence. And as his unyielding gaze bores into me, I realize with chilling clarity—this isn’t just a game I’ve stumbled into. It’s a battlefield, and I’m woefully unarmed.

Chapter 17

What is Done is Done

Isabella

The silence stretches, tightening like a noose around my neck. I sit rigid, every muscle tense, waiting for him to speak.

Then, he does.

“How much do you think your stepfather would pay for a pretty girl like you?”

The words slice through the air like a knife, sharp and cruel, and my stomach flips. The room tilts for a moment, and my breath catches in my throat. My body stiffens, but I don’t move. I can’t. How does he know about him? A cold sweat breaks out across my skin as the weight of his question settles in, heavy and full of menace.

I force myself to take a breath, but it comes out ragged. My chest tightens, and I fight the instinct to bolt, to run as far from this room as possible. But the door is locked, the windows sealed. There’s nowhere to go. I’m trapped, just like always.

“Wh-what?” The word escapes before I can stop it, weak and broken.

That’s when he moves. Slow, deliberate, like a predator taking its time, savoring the moment. He reaches into the drawer of his desk, pulling out a black file. He tosses it onto the table in front of me, and the thud feels like a death sentence.

I don’t want to look.

“Open it,” he says softly, his voice a cold command.

With trembling hands, I reach for the file, the paper feeling too heavy in my grasp. I open it, my breath hitching when I see my name in bold, capital letters. Every detail of my life spillsout across the pages—my birthdate, my addresses, my friends, my work, even my favorite food. My stomach churns as I flip through, the full extent of his knowledge sinking in like poison. He knowseverything. I am stuck in his web, a fly already caught, unable to escape.

I stare at the pages, but I can’t read anymore. The room is closing in on me. I feel small, like a child, like a prisoner waiting for judgment. I want to scream, but the words are lodged in my throat.

Suddenly, his fist slams onto the table, the impact rattling everything around us. The file slips from my hands. “I asked you a question,” he growls, his voice sharp, dangerous. “How much is he going to pay for you?”

I flinch at the sound, my body shrinking into the chair. The pounding of my heart drowns out everything else. I don’t meet his eyes; I can’t. If I look at him, I’ll break.

“He’s not going to pay you anything,” I whisper, barely audible.

For a moment, there’s silence. Thick, suffocating silence. Then, a low chuckle escapes his lips, but it’s not amused. It’s dark, almost mocking.

“Doesn’t care, hm?” His voice drops even lower, so low it’s almost a growl. A shiver races down my spine. “That makes things more interesting, doesn’t it? A girl with no one who cares… no one who’ll miss her.”

The file is still splayed open in front of me, my life laid bare in front of him, but he’s already bored with it. His eyes flicker with something darker now, a sick amusement curling at the edge of his mouth.

“Hmm,” he murmurs, his voice quiet but full of menace. “So, he’s not going to pay. No surprise, really.”

He tilts his head as if he’s considering something. A glint of something terrible passes through his eyes, and my stomachknots even tighter. My body screams at me to run, but I can’t move. Not with him watching me like this.

“What to do, what to do…” His voice is almost sing-song now, as if he’s toying with the idea of what comes next. “If I can’t make a profit off your family, well… there are other ways to make you useful, aren’t there?”

He leans forward, his elbows resting on the table, and his smile twists into something vile. “Maybe I should keep you for myself.” The words roll off his tongue slowly, like he’s savoring the idea. “A girl like you could be… entertaining. And if not to me, then there’s a whole world of people who would pay very well for something as fragile anduntouchedas you.”

I freeze, ice flooding my veins. The air around me grows impossibly thick, suffocating. His words settle in like a poison, burning with the full weight of their meaning. I want to scream, to claw my way out of this nightmare, but my body is locked in place. My breath quickens, my chest tightens, but I stay silent.

He watches me with a cruel glint in his eyes, enjoying the fear radiating from me. “Maybe I could sell you after all,” he muses. “Not to your stepfather, of course, but to someone else. There’s always a market for a pretty, desperate girl who’s got no one left to care about her.”

I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms so hard I feel the skin break, but the pain is nothing compared to the terror twisting inside me.

He taps his chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe,” he continues, his voice low and casual, as if we were discussing the weather, “I should just break you here and now. Piece by piece. I’d find out what makes you scream…and then, maybe, I’ll find someone who enjoys hearing it as much as I would.”

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