Page 50 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

“It is not a trap.” That I was very certain of.

“Would it make a difference if I told you not to go ahead with the marriage?” he asked.

“It wouldn’t,” I answered honestly. “She’s mine, and I won’t stop until I have her.”

“And you’re willing to go against me for her?”

“There will be no need for that if you don’t try to stop me.”

Egor’s jaw tensed. His dark eyes locked onto mine and remained there, as if he was trying to see through my thoughts.

The silence between us thickened, pressing against the walls of the VIP section, muffling the bass-heavy music thumping outside.

“You’ve lost your fucking mind,” he finally said, his voice low but sharp. “This isn’t some playground romance, Andrei. You don’t get to throw away everything for a woman just because she makes your cock hard.”

Anger rippled through me, but I forced myself to stay seated, to not rise to his provocation.

Giselle wasn’t someone who merely made my cock hard. She was someone I cared about. Someone I was willing to die for. “This isn’t just about that,” I said, my tone even. “She’s mine. I need her.”

Egor’s lips curled into something between a sneer and a smirk. “Need?” he echoed, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. “That’s a dangerous word. Need makes men desperate. Desperation makes men sloppy. And sloppy men die young.”

Rafayel shifted beside him, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. “Not if it’s real,” he said. “You feel the same way about Freya. It’s the same way I do about Leonora.”

Egor turned his glare on him. “How are you sure it’s love and not some weird obsession and need to own her? She’ll be nothing but a distraction to him if that’s all he sees her as.”

Rafayel shrugged. “I can’t say for sure.” His voice was calm, deliberate. “I thought Leonora was a distraction once. That she’d make me weak. Instead, she gave me more to fight for.If Andrei feels the same about Giselle, then stopping him won’t change a damn thing. He’ll still go after her, with or without your blessing.”

Egor exhaled sharply, his patience clearly thinning. “You think this is the same?” He gestured at me. “He barely knows this girl.”

“You didn’t know Freya enough either when you chose to put everything at risk and chase after her like your life depended on it,” I cut in, ignoring the death stare he was giving me. “Her father worked for us for years. I think I know her enough to want to be with her.”

Miron let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Giselle must have some magic between her thighs if you’re willing to go up against thePakhanfor her.”

I ignored him.

Egor studied me; his expression was unreadable, but I could see the calculations happening behind his eyes. He was weighing risks, measuring the potential for disaster against my determination.

Finally, he sat back with a slow, deliberate sigh. “You want to be with her against all odds?” His voice was quieter now but no less dangerous. “Fine. You’re responsible for everything she brings with her, too.”

I didn’t blink. I was willing to handle anything as long as I had her by my side. “I accept that.”

He nodded once, but there was no victory in it. “If she turns out to be a threat, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in her myself.”

Something dark and lethal unfurled inside me, but I kept it buried. “That won’t happen. Giselle can’t even step on a flower, let alone become a threat to us. It’s not her you’re worried about; it’s the information she has.”

“At least you’re thinking straight now. You should be getting answers from her, not trying to marry her after what happened.”

My teeth gritted at the reminder of Gavril kidnapping Giselle and hurting her. The bastard was dead; still, a part of me wanted to bring him back to life just so I could kill him all over for what he did to her. “It won’t happen again. No one will ever get their hands on her or the shipment.”

Egor’s smirk returned, but it was colder now. “Let’s hope not.”

With that, he rose to his feet. The conversation was over. He’d made his stance clear. “I’ll be at your wedding. Text me the date and venue when you’ve decided on it.”

I had a date and a venue in mind already.

She was going to be my wife in exactly three days, and we were getting married in my mansion. A Yezhov wedding was usually a big deal, but I didn’t want to draw attention to Giselle or myself with so many vultures circling over a single carcass.

We were going to have a small wedding with very few guests. I didn’t tell Egor that, though. He was pissed already as it was; engaging him in further conversation wasn’t going to be helpful to either of us.

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