Page 15 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

I navigated the car into the Yezhov estate. “Because you are, at least for now.”

She winced as if I’d said something hurtful to her. “Do you even understand what you’re doing? What happens if the police finds out you lied? That would make you an accomplice and me a criminal.”

“Well, would you have preferred rotting away in their cell and being interrogated every day for who knows how long, five to ten years? Because I sure as hell know you can’t afford a lawyer, and you don’t want your mother getting involved.”

She opened her mouth to argue but shut it as if realization dawned on her, even if she couldn’t understand my reasoning.

“You should be thanking me for getting you out of there, not questioning my intentions.”

She shot venom at me with her eyes. “Listen, Mr. Yezhov—”

“Andrei,” I corrected her. “Just call me Andrei.”

“Fine.” She inclined her head with a nod. “Listen, Andrei, I know my father worked for you, and I really don’t understand why you’re going this far or why I’m even involved in this. Canyou at least explain what’s actually going on so I don’t lose my mind trying to piece the puzzle together myself?”

I slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop. Giselle jerked forward, and I threw out a hand to protect her head from hitting the dashboard.

“What the hell was that about?” she asked, furrowing her brows as she sat up.

“You really have a knack for driving people insane, don’t you?” I pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the dashboard and slid a stick between my lips. I held out the rest of the pack to Giselle. “Do you want one?”

She held a hand up, displaying the intricate tattoo on her wrist. “No, I don’t smoke.”

I huffed. I knew she didn’t smoke; I’d tried to find out everything about her. She was truly the epitome of innocence, and her delicate appearance would’ve completely suited her if she wasn’t so sharp-mouthed.

The metallic click of my lighter echoed in the quiet space as I lit it, inhaling deep before exhaling a slow stream of smoke.

I glanced at her. “Do you really want to know everything?”

“Don’t leave out a single detail,” she ordered.

No one ever gave me orders aside from Egor, but I was willing to let this go for the sake of everything she’d been through.

I leaned back in my chair and allowed the cigarette to slip between my fingers. “Your father hid something before he died, a shipment with something valuable.”

She coughed, waving off a plume of smoke rolling in her direction, and I rolled down the car windows, transferring the cigarette to the hand closer to the window to let the smoke out.

“And let me guess, this valuable shipment was Tyfun-1?”

I nodded. “You were the last person to see him alive and the only person he sent that coded text to, so everyone thinks you know where he hid the shipment.”

Her brows drew together. “But I don’t know where it is.”

“Good luck explaining that to the cops, the Bratva, and the rats lurking around you, trying to get their hands on the shipment.”

The color drained from her face. “Wait, what do you mean by the rats lurking around me? Is there someone else trying to get their hands on the shipment aside from you and the police?”

I took another drag of my cigarette. “That shipment is worth at least a billion dollars. It’s incredibly hard getting it into the country, and you know what they say about high demand and scarcity and how it affects prices. It’s only natural that other crime organizations and rival mafia families will try to get their claws on it.”

“Look, I really don’t want to get involved in this.”

“Too late, you’re already involved. Do you even understand how much danger you’re in?” I didn’t want to scare her, but I needed her to understand just how dire the situation was. “By crime organizations, I don’t just mean the Italians. I mean the Romanian syndicate, the Outfit, the Irish mob, the Albanians—people who won’t ask nicely like the FBI did.”

Her pupils dilated, the emerald swollen by the black. “What do I do now? How do I escape them?”

“There is no escape for you,solnishko. You won’t be safe anywhere else.” I tossed the half-burned cigarette away and rolled up the window. “That’s the reason I’m taking you under my protection. You’re going to play the role of my fiancée until all of this is over if you want to stay safe.”

She laughed, but it was mirthless—a blend of fear and disbelief. “How am I supposed to believe you’ll keep me safe?You’re just like them. Just as cruel and soulless as the rest of those vultures. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trap?”

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