Page 28 of Bought By the Bratva

Closing the speaker, I sighed before speaking again. “I will do my best. Thank you, brother, and sorry again.”

He mumbled something, and then the line went dead.

Taking a quick shower, I changed back into my suit and headed home. It was later than I had hoped, and I wondered what she had been up to. I could have accessed my camera system from the office but decided not to do that tonight. I wanted to spend some quality time with her.

Pulling up to the mansion, I noticed the downstairs lights were all off. Getting out, I nodded at my two guards doing their rounds. “All good here?” I inquired as they passed me.

“Yes, boss,” they replied in unison.

Grinning, I headed inside to find Nadia. Quickly moving through the bottom floor, I was right. Most of the lights wereoff, and the place seemed deserted. Heading up, I heard the television playing in the entertainment room.

Pushing the door open, I stood for a second, watching her. She was sitting on the double couch with her feet folded in next to her. Her back was turned to the door, and she didn’t notice me. On the small table next to her was a bowl of popcorn and a glass of milkshake.

It seemed like she was watching a comedy. She laughed at something that happened on the screen. I loved the soft sound of her voice pitching just a notch or two when she laughed. Stepping in, I cleared my throat to make my presence known.

Nadia swung her head as she looked to see who had entered. “Slow down; you’re going to turn your lovely head right off,” I said, smiling at her.

Laughing, she replied softly. “Not likely, but okay. How was your meeting?”

“Let’s not talk about work right now,” I added as I lifted her feet and sat down next to her. “Let’s just watch the movie finished.”

Nadia shrugged and then turned back to the screen. She held the bowl of popcorn out to me as she spoke. “You hungry?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” I replied, taking a handful of popcorn. Leaning my head back, I watched the characters on the screen running up and down some stairs. Two men appeared to be chasing each other, but one kept missing some of the steps.

I ate my popcorn and listened to her laughing. I could do this all night, I thought. But I was tired and knew I would be asleep soon.

Chapter 16 - Nadia

Things have changed in the last couple of days. We were spending more time together. I was sure I was starting to understand Abram better. We appeared to be more alike than I could ever have imagined, and it was a bit scary.

Keeping it to myself was even more troubling as Vadik texted me daily now. I kept making excuses. But I knew I would have to give him something soon.

We were having breakfast outside, and the morning breeze was delightful. Listening to the birds chirping, I thought back to our conversation last night. If I understood him correctly, his big brother always took the lead. His main purpose was to babysit his little sister, Tasha.

Being a mommy’s boy and then joining the army made his life hard. He only joined to get out from under his brother and his father. He was in the military for so long, that his brothers rejected him and pushed him out like my family pushed me away.

That was if he was telling the truth. Looking up from my cup, I grinned as I spoke. “Abram, can I meet Tasha?” As my words hit the air, I almost regretted uttering them.

He looked at me so sharply that I was sure he was going to reject the idea. For the longest moment, we sat staring at each other. I was afraid to utter another word as I couldn’t determine his thoughts.

A strange grin appeared as he spoke slowly and calmly. “I think I can make that happen.”

Releasing the breath I was holding, I gave him a kind smile. “Thank you,” I said.

“No problem,” he said as he got up. “I’ll give her a call and set it up.”

I watched as Abram headed inside. He was different from the rest. I hoped that Tasha was more like him than the others. If so, I could see us building a relationship. If he meant as much to her as she did to him, I felt confident things could work.

After finishing my coffee, I headed in as well. I was about halfway upstairs when Abram appeared at the top. “

Tasha said she’ll be here around one. I was thinking we can do lunch and then you can have some time if you want.”

Grinning, I shook my head violently up and down as I responded. “Yes, thank you.” I felt excited and found it hard to contain it.

“Okay, I’ll let the cook know,” he added as he went back to his office.

Heading to my room, I wondered if I should change out of my shorts into a dress. Standing in front of my closet, I decided not to. I felt sure being in this family, Tasha would most likely wear jeans or shorts as well.

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