Page 44 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

She was mine.

Mine to own and protect.

Chapter 17 – Giselle

The ride back home was suffocating; that was the only word I could use to describe the odd silence and the tension hanging in the small space of Andrei’s Mercedes like a storm about to break.

Andrei’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles stark white against his tan skin. His jaw was locked, muscles twitching with suppressed anger.

I kept my gaze fixed on the window, watching the darkened landscape blur past with my hands curled into fists on my lap.

Tonight still felt like some sort of dream.

Today, as a whole, felt like a nightmare I so badly wanted to wake up from. I’d gone from happily making breakfast for Andrei to hearing him talk about me as if I was some sort of tool; then, I was kidnapped and almost killed by some fat Romanian with a receding hairline.

It seemed the god of luck wasn’t on my side today.

Still, I was lucky he came to save me despite the anger he would’ve felt when he realized I was missing. I was pretty certain I’d be dead by now if he didn’t.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, tugging against the seatbelt.

Now that the relief of being saved by him had subsided, the anger from this morning returned with full force. Come to think of it, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t said what he did.

As much as I’d like nothing more than to go home, take a hot bath, eat dinner, and go to bed, I needed to make sure we were on the same page. I’d clearly overestimated whatever spark there was between us, and now I was the only one who was heartbroken by it all.

Andrei briefly looked away from the road to glance at me. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not.” I crossed my arms over my chest and refused to look at him. He was smart, so I expected he had already figured out why I left in the first place.

“Are you mad at me?”

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. “Is there a reason I should be?”

“Tell me. You’re the one who is clearly upset about something.”

I looked at him beneath hooded lids, my anger barely contained. “Are you joking right now?”

“No, I’m not. You ran away from home and put yourself in danger. I want to know what you were thinking when you did that.”

I hissed. “I was thinking I didn’t want to be your pawn anymore, Andrei.Thatis what I was thinking. I heard you talking to someone this morning. I heard everything you said about me and what I meant to you.”

“And you thought getting yourself in danger was the best thing to do?”

I narrowed my eyes on him, anger burning through me. “Forgive me. Maybe I should have walked in and given you a hug for using me as a means to an end.”

His fingers turned ashen. There was a flicker of regret on his face.

“How long were you outside my door?” he asked quietly. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know I meant nothing to you. I liked you, I trusted you, and you made a fool out of me, Andrei.”

“I didn’t make a fool out of you.”

“Then explain it,” I said sharply. “Explain the things you said, and don’t even think of lying to me because I can see through that bullshit. I need you to be honest.”

He sighed heavily. “It’s more complicated than you think,solnishko.”

I shook my head, laughing bitterly. “You were very clear with what you said. You know whatiscomplicated? Taking my virginity, making me feel things for you, and manipulating me just so you can use me to find some stupid shipment.”

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