Page 31 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

Aleks, taking the reins again, crouched in front of the man with his lip curled in disdain.

"My rules are very simple, Reggie...you make sure my shipments are ready on time. You make sure everything moves as expected, with every last gram included on those damn boats," he uttered, tilting his head while he looked down at him. "Whether it was you or one of your guys, you're the one paying for what was skimmed off the top. This is your first and only warning."

Reggie, bloodied and trying his hardest to not choke on his own blood, nodded as well as he could.

"I like you, Reggie. You've done well by us up until now, which is why I had my brother here knock some sense into you instead of putting a bullet right here," Aleks taunted with a faux gentleness to his tone while he pressed a gloved fingeragainst his temple. "But now, I want you to understand what I'm saying...no mincing words."

Reggie swallowed hard, barely able to look at any of us through his swollen eyes.

"The next time we catch wind of our product being short, you will not live long enough after the fact to make it right. You'll be floating somewhere past this marina, feeding the ocean life. Got me?"

Aware that his life was in the balance, Reggie nodded frantically while he sucked in rigid breaths.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I watched Aleks stand again, casting the man a final glance before turning away, no longer interested in even looking at him.

The moment we all pulled back, Reggie slumped even further, hardly able to move beyond that. Message received.

Not thinking much of it, I left that confrontation feeling a bit lighter than before after getting the chance to blow off some steam.

While some of my brothers weren't too keen about using their fists, it was something I craved. Like a release that helped to balance me out.

And between dealing with Daria's attitude and not giving in to my urges, I damn well needed that release more than anything.

***

Upon walking into the house at the end of the day, I fished my phone out and pulled up the camera feeds in the house. Even if I was moments away from checking in on Dariain person, it was faster and more efficient for me to find her that way.

Spotting her in the upstairs hallway, I watched and approached the front door before my brows furrowed when I realized she was carrying something while entering the master bedroom.

Then it clicked...it was a fire extinguisher.

What did she possibly need that for?

But the moment I put two and two together, my eyes widened slightly and I didn't waste a moment.

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I ran inside and hurried up the stairs until I reached the bedroom.

Daria raised the red fire extinguisher above her head and poised to throw it at the window.

"What thehellare you doing?" I snapped, striding through the room with several furious steps.

Daria nearly jumped out of her skin, but her brows furrowed the moment she caught my gaze. "I'm trying to get the hell out of here."

That both made my heart clench and burn with anger at the same time. I tightened my jaw and cut the space between us before grabbing at the fire extinguisher.

"You'll break your arms before you ever break that window," I rasped, getting a firm grip on it while she fought against me before I yanked it out of her hands. “Are you an idiot? You were just going to try and break the window and attempt to scale all the way down?"

Daria's expression was both pissed off and desperate when she went to leave the room. “It's better than being stuck in this hell hole with you—”

Before she could leave, however, I grabbed her wrist, making her breath catch as I dropped the canister to free myother hand and grab her waist, pushing her back into one of the armchairs.

"That's it..." I muttered, reaching for the silk restraints that were waiting inside the wardrobe next to us. Forcefully, I wrapped them around both her wrists again, tying them tight enough to make her wince. "If you want to act like a prisoner, then so be it..."

With wide eyes, Daria then glared at me like a wild animal. "What, you're going to keep me tied up now?"

"If that's what it takes to make you behave…”

Her anger slipped ever so slightly to reveal a trace of fear in her features, well aware that I kept my word.

---