Page 8 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

The cemetery was empty now. Only the sound of the evening breeze rustling the trees and the chirping of birds returning to their nests kept me company.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, I stared at the freshly turned soil. The air smelled of damp earth and dying flowers, and a hollow ache settled in my chest. Everyone had left except me and him.

I could leave, but he was stuck here forever.

As much as I wished I could remain here with him, I couldn’t. He wouldn’t want me to put my life on hold; he’d want me to be strong and achieve my dreams, and I was going to do just that.

The only problem was that I knew his killers were out there, roaming freely. The police had not yet found a single clue about who killed him and why, and I realized I would never fully find peace if no one was punished for this.

Sighing, I rose to my feet and smoothed out the black dress that was supposed to be for our date, and then I smiled at my dad’s grave. On his gravestone, I had them carve,Here lies Peter Rae, a loving father and a mobster with a good heart.He’d laugh if he were here to see it.

“Rest well, Dad. I hope the ground isn’t too cold and lonely.” I ran a hand over the tombstone, smiling through tears. “I’ll come by whenever I can.”

I blew a kiss to him and turned around to leave but stopped when I felt the hair on the back of my neck rising. It was the same sensation I’d gotten earlier today, as if someone was watching me.

And I was right; someone was.

From a distance, I recognized the icy, piercing blue eyes, that strong jaw, and those broad shoulders. It was the same man from the funeral—one of the men from the Bratva.

Had he been waiting for me the entire time? If so, why?

It didn’t matter. Dad was dead now, and it was better not to get involved with men like him.

I looked away and began walking toward the gate of the cemetery.

It wasn’t safe; I needed to leave.

He must’ve noticed me glancing at him because he started toward me. He was pretty composed, but his strides were so long that he was quickly catching up even when I hastened my steps.

My pulse quickened, my stomach churning with fear. What if…what if they were here to kill me, too?

God, why hadn’t I thought of that and left earlier with everyone else?

I had to run—fast.

But before I could start running, strong, warm hands wrapped around my wrist and tugged me around.

I threw my hands up, ready to defend myself, when I saw the smirk on his face—his very handsome face. Shit, this wasn’t the time to admire a dangerous man, but I swore he looked like he’d been sculpted from a special type of clay by God himself.

“Hello, Giselle,” he said in a deep, throaty voice that I would’ve absolutely fallen for if we’d met under different circumstances.

I swallowed, pushing down the lump in my throat. He had a sexy Russian accent that added to his charm. “What do you want?”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, ignoring my question. There was no emotion in his voice. I would feel more sincerity from a robot than I would from this man.

All the rage from earlier came back. I wanted to yell, to scream and tell him this was all his fault—theirfault. That my dad wouldn’t be six feet under if they didn’t turn him into a criminal.

I kept my composure and muttered a low, “Thank you.”

“I need to have a word with you,” he said calmly, like a predator luring his prey to their death. “I’d appreciate it if you could spare me a minute of your time.”

“Well, I don’t have a minute to spare.” I made to leave, but he didn’t let go.

His smirk dropped, and his face hardened. “I wasn’t asking.” He sounded gravelly this time. “You’re the last person your father contacted before he died. What did he tell you?”

My blood turned to ice with fear, but I didn’t let him see it. Men like him were prone to feed on other people’s terror. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t one of those people who would cower under his scrutiny.

“Do you just go around asking people what their calls with their fathers are about?” I cocked a brow against my better judgment. “Do you also want to know everything my father and I ever talked about since I was a child?”

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