Page 66 of Virgin Bratva Hostage

“Yes, sir,” Royce says seriously.

“Fuck. Ok. Well, at least we know now.”

The call ends and I stand quietly, feeling a heavy weight settle over my shoulders.

I was waiting for evidence and now we have it.

My men have found something that ties her brothers to the attacks—I have no choice but to tell her. And I think she is going to be heartbroken to hear the news.

She has such incredible faith in her family—this is going to hurt her.

I decide that I will wait until the end of the day. When we go to bed and things are quiet I will tell her then. That way we can still enjoy her new coffee mugs, and the cake, and watch the sunset together. I don’t want to take that moment away from her because she looks so happy about it all.

But I can’t keep this from her for longer than that. It won’t be fair of me so I will be telling her tonight.

“Hey, come on, stop getting distracted,” she peeks around the corner and grins at me.

“I am on my way,” I smile back, pushing everything else aside and leaving it alone until I need to face it again.

In the kitchen, she has washed our mugs and has already ground the coffee beans. She hands me a dishcloth. “Dry those. And then you can also find some plates for our cake. But they need to match the mugs.”

I chuckle, “Of course, they obviously need to match. I wouldn’t dream of it being any other way.”

She playfully punches me in the arm, “Don’t tease me.”

I grab her around the waist and pull her against me.

“I love teasing you,” I smirk, then press my lips against hers and savor a gentle kiss before she pulls away and shoots me playful glare.

Bright orange streaks spread across the sky, in between pink and darkening purple splashes, as the sun sinks even lower, almost touching the horizon.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” she says, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I look down at her, hardly paying attention to the beauty of the sunset because I want to enjoy her beauty for as long as I have it. And I don’t know how much longer that will be.

I have no idea how to deal with the issue of her brothers.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulder I sit quietly with her, until the sky grows dark and it’s time for bed.

She wiggles in my arms, snuggling closer to me.

“I wasn’t allowed to eat any kind of gummy candy when I was growing up,” she laughs. “After my brother caught me squishing chewed up bits between the sofa pillows, he banned me from having it.”

I crack up laughing, “So, you were a nightmare to take care of.”

“Yes, I know I was. My brothers did a good job though. They took care of me. One summer, we all went to the local swimming pool, but it wasn’t really warm enough to swim yet and my brothers decided it was better to come back another day. I bolted away from them and jumped into the pool, determined not to go home without a swim. It was so cold I panicked and breathed in a lung full of water. Two of my brothers had to jump in after me. They helped me out and both were furious and shivering. I never do what I’m told—and they still love me. They do everything for me.”

She is chatting away about her childhood and what it was like to grow up with her brothers. She is sharing intimate memories and I’m drawn into every story, enjoying hearing about her life.

The more she talks, the less inclined I am to tell her about the evidence my men say they have against her family.

This moment with her is too special. I don’t want to ruin it.

“Where did you grow up?” she asks, glancing up at me, her eyes bright with curiosity.

And to my surprise, I find myself telling her something I have kept a secret for my entire life as a mafia boss—I tell her about my sister.

“I grew up not too far from the shopping district in town. My sister and I used to play in those streets.”

---