Page 7 of Bought By the Bratva

Abram stood up, nodding as he responded. “Sure thing, let me walk you back.”

We entered the house through a door to the opposite end. This door led to the kitchen. Two people were working there.The one I recognized was the woman who brought out the tray. The other appeared to be cooking something. The smell was divine. It made me think back to a meal I vaguely remembered my mother cooking. There was nothing like a whiff in the air to bring back memories. We walked out into a passage and back to the foyer.

“Are these paintings of your family?” I inquired, stopping at a portrait of a young woman with three boys.

“Yes,” Abram replie,d clearing his throat. “This is my mother and two of my brothers with me.” He smiled as he stared at it for a second. “I was the baby them.”

I could see he missed those times as a tear sparkled in the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I stated softly.

Abram shook his head and returned my smile. “It was a long time ago. Come on, let’s get you to bed,” he added as he took my hand and led me upstairs.

Once in my room, I plopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The mattress was very soft, and the linen smooth. I felt like I had fallen onto a cloud. I couldn’t reconcile the warnings of my cousins with the man I had seen up to now. But I would stick to my mission. Maybe once I started searching, I would find what they had seen in him.

Pulling out my phone, I put it on. It vibrated instantly as the onslaught of texts my cousins sent came through. Sighing, I sent a message back. ‘Arrived at his house, will let you know when I find something.”

My eyes suddenly felt heavy. Closing them, I allowed myself to relax. I woke up with a loud knock at the door. Sitting up, I checked my watch. It was six in the evening already. I hadn’t realized I was so tired. “Mam,” I heard a woman’s voice through the door. “Dinner is ready.”

“Thank you,” I called back. “I’ll be down soon.”

I listened as the footsteps grew softer and disappeared. Before heading down, I quickly washed up in the bathroom. It was bigger than any bathroom I had ever seen. It held a big oval tub, shower, and two basins. I wondered if Abram also used it but saw no other door leading in. Maybe it was for couples, I thought, leaving my room.

Abram was waiting for me at the bottom as I descended the stairs. “Did you rest well?” he asked, holding out his hand.

“I did, thank you,” I replied placing my hand on his arm and allowing him to lead me to the dining room. It was also one of the bigger rooms in the house. The oval-shaped wooden table held space for about twelve people. I assumed this was the size of his family and wondered when I would meet them.

He pulled out a chair for me on one end of the table as he spoke. “Would you like to sit here or closer to me?”

Looking from one end of the table to the other, I considered the options. If I sat at one end and he was on the other, I couldn’t see how anyone could have a conversation. So, I opted for the closer chair. There were six places set. I wondered if we were having company.

“I wasn’t sure where you would want to sit, so I had multiple places set,” Abram whispered as I looked around. It felt like he could read my thoughts. Grinning, I walked to the chair closest to the head of the table. “I’ll sit here, thanks,” I said softly. Abram smiled at me as he pulled out the chair.

Instead of sitting at the head of the table as I had expected him to, he sat down opposite me. The same maid from this morning came through a door to the side. She placed a plate before each of us, gave a shallow bow, and left.

Abram poured a glass of wine and handed it to me. As I took it, I started to wonder if my cousins actually knew this family as well as they thought.

“What’s your family like?” Abram asked before taking a bite of his food.

Chewing quickly and swallowing the bite I took. I smiled at him.

“Well,” I started saying, then lowered my gaze, suddenly feeling overcome by emotion. “My parents died when I was young. I had no siblings, and the only family I had was my cousins.” Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my tone before continuing.

“My cousins didn’t have much time for me as they had their own lives. But they took care of me as best they could, I guess. They provided for my basic needs but had no time for affection.” I could feel my emotions dancing around in my eyes as tears threatened to rush out. Swallowing the lump, I took a big sip of my wine. I had to get a grip on my emotions. I didn’t want to appear weak.

Abram reached across the table and stroked my fingers. “I’m so sorry. Was it your cousins who sold you?” His tone was soft and caring. Looking up, our eyes met. I could see the fury growing in them as I nodded.

He took a deep breath. Squeezing my arm lightly, he spoke softly. “I will do all I can to protect you.” For a moment, I wanted his help. I wanted to believe in his sincerity, and kindness as he pulled me in. He had a magnetic personality, and I saw a gentleness I couldn’t deny.

“You are aware that they sold you for life?” he asked, staring at me intently.

As his words hit me, I inhaled sharply. The agreement was for a couple of months. Only as long as it took for me to get the intel. I lowered my gaze and blinked a couple of times. I didn’t want him to see the shock in my eyes.

“It is probably better this way,” I breathed out, trying to steady my tone.

The rest of supper flew by in a daze. Heading up to my room after supper, I felt that tingling inside me again. He had a spark that appeared to draw me to him. As he whispered goodnight and lightly kissed my cheek, I snapped out of my daze.

Stepping back into my room, I closed the door on him without a word. I had to stay focused. I had a mission to do. I wasn’t here to fall in love or explore feelings. Shaking it off, I sat down on the bed. I would wait a little bit before exploring. I had to be sure he had gone to bed.

Pulling out my phone as I fell back, I remembered Abram’s words. ‘The sale was for life.’ I had to confirm with Vadik as this wasn’t what I had signed up for. Turning to my stomach, I stent the first text. ‘Vadik, did you sell me for life? It wasn’t what I signed up for.’

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