Page 11 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

I lead Riley out to my car and open the door for her. She hesitates.

“I know you're worried and scared, but I'm not taking you prisoner. You're still free to move around. I just want to protect you,” I say quietly.

“Why?” she asks softly.

“Because you mean something to Gwen,” I say quickly. “And Gwen is family. In my life, family is everything. We do whatever it takes to protect family.”

Riley nods and slowly climbs into the passenger seat of my car. I shut the door, go around to the driver's side, and climb in. “Buckle up.”

Chapter 6 - Riley

I can't believe I'm doing this. I must be insane. I buckle myself in and I stare straight ahead of me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm confused. But his logic makes sense. Viktor pulls into the nighttime traffic and I have forgotten how busy Las Vegas is, even at night. It's such a tourist destination. Unlike my dream, I can see the scenery as it passes by, but suddenly, I get that sense of feeling trapped, and my heart races. My palms become sweaty and I fidget with my tracksuit bottoms. If Viktor notices, he doesn't say anything.

“So we're going to see one of your cousins?” I ask, wanting to know more about the plan.

“Yes, he's a lawyer. He has the right connections to sort this type of thing out. He'll get us to sign everything and get it signed off by a Justice of the Peace that he knows. I won't lie. Money exchanged palms to put this in place.”

“So we're going to be married by tomorrow?” I ask.

“Yes, you'll be staying at my manor with me. I've got a room sorted out for you,” he says, keeping his focus on traffic. He seems on edge.

“Do you think we're being followed?” I ask, glancing back. “You're really tense.”

“I just have my guard up,” he says. “I promised to make sure nothing would happen to you, and I intend to keep that promise.”

I stare at him for a moment before I sit back and watch the lights of Las Vegas pass me by. I can see people queueing to go into clubs and casinos. Their lives seem so simple. We stop at a traffic light and I see some younger-looking girls talkingexcitedly outside a club. They probably have fake IDs like Gwen and me. They don't know how much trouble they can get into.

We pull up to a high-rise building and Viktor flashes some sort of ID to the parking guard. The roller door opens, and he drives in. “We own this building,” he explains. “My cousin is on the fifth floor in his office.”

This all seems so rushed but efficient. I have to give Viktor credit. He knows how to put a plan in place on short notice. I check the time. It's still the early hours of the morning. I'm starting to get hungry because I skipped dinner. I try to suppress my stomach growls, but Viktor glances at me. “We can eat at the manor once we arrive.”

I blush and nod as he pulls into a parking. I get out and walk with him to an elevator, which we take to the fifth floor. We step out of it and I look around at the neat offices. There's a hallway with offices coming off each side. The hallway light is on, but all the offices are dark except one. It's right at the end, a corner office, and looks larger than the others.

“Is it your cousin's law firm?” I ask curiously.

“In name,” Viktor says. “But everything belongs to Kervyn or Rigor.”

“That's your cousin and brother?” I ask quietly as we move along the hallway.

“Yes, you'll probably meet Rigor sooner or later,” Viktor explains before he stops outside the office. He knocks on the door and leads her in. “Hello Manny,” he says. “This is Riley.”

“What took you so long?” Manny says angrily. “I've been waiting forever. I have a family too, Viktor.”

“Sorry, we had some traffic delays,” Viktor lies smoothly.

I know the delay was because of me, so I feel bad. They start to discuss the paperwork and I simply sit down in a chair and fidget, picking at my cuticles. Manny starts shuffling through papers and I don't know what to think. My mind is all a jumble. A huge part of me thinks this is a dream, but I know it's reality. I've had enough nightmares to tell the difference, and although I don't think Viktor would hurt me per se, he's forcing me into a commitment that feels like another form of captivity. I don't even pay attention to what they're saying. I simply sit there fidgeting. I don't know what to say or do. I wish Gwen was here to help me decide. She would know what to do.

I do trust that Viktor is telling the truth, though. There's a sincerity about him that I can't help but trust. He seems to honestly care that I'm safe and now that I think about it, he's checked up on me a few times since I was rescued. Those weren't just random coincidences. He was making sure I was okay. That's sweet in a weird mobster kind of way.

What other choice do I have, though? Viktor is right. If I marry him, I'll be aligning myself with a powerful family that strikes fear into the hearts of their enemies. It may just be enough to get the kidnappers off my back. I can't be vulnerable again to the Vultures and their gang. I'd rather die than be kidnapped by them again.

The night I was taken was terrifying. I had no idea what was happening. One minute, I was with Gwen and Roman, and the next, I found myself in the back of a van. It didn't unfold exactly as my nightmare portrays. I was thrown into the van, yes, but they didn't cover my head with a bag. They also didn't tape my mouth shut. I was so scared, pleading with them to let me go as they restrained my wrists and legs. Then they started asking about my connection to the Milov family. I insisted I didn't know them and had nothing to do with any family by that name, butthey didn't believe me. They mocked and threatened me, and when we arrived at their house, they locked me in the basement with nothing but a guard for company.

That guard had said I would never go free. That I would be their prisoner until my last breath. It had terrified me so much. I had begged him to let me go, that there was a mistake. I begged him to call Gwen and arrange a ransom. I didn't know where Gwen would get the money from, but I knew she wouldn't let me die. She's my best friend. I knew she would be looking for me.

I assumed she'd called the police. It wasn't until after we were rescued that she admitted she let Roman handle everything, so no police were involved. It was probably better that way because I have a feeling if the police had been involved, I wouldn't have made it out there alive.

“Riley?” Viktor says, bringing me out of my thoughts.

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