Page 11 of Captivated By the Bratva

Fuck me.Her voice. It was just as—if not more—potent than her beauty. I wasn’t this weak around women, especially not at a first glance. Something about this woman hit me. Swift and sure. Hard. I couldn’t look away. Holding her against my chest felt like embracing a bolt of flames, and still, I remained stuck in place staring at her.

“Planning on running?” I taunted.

She would. If I released her, she’d dash away. I felt the simmering tension beneath her skin. This touch felt like I was grasping a live wire that would sizzle and spark any second now. The anxiety in her guarded expression didn’t lie either.

A flicker of alarm showed when I referred to her by her name, but I got the impression that she was in too much of a hurry to reply to it or demand an explanation.

She was upset and eager to leave this bar, and crashing into me had startled her.

But I wasn’t any better, dammit. I had to break out of the trance this instant attraction had pushed me into.

“Let mego.” She paired her order with a harder wrench of her arm. It only motivated me to hold on harder.

This exquisite woman wasn’t leaving my side. I’d found her, fucking finally, and I wouldn’t let her out of my sight until this job was done.

After several days of hitting dead ends and not finding her in this big city, I was not in any mood to release her.

She furrowed her brow at the tightening of my fingers on her arm. Glancing down at my grip on her, she gave me an opportunity to step even closer. Flush to her, I lowered my head until I could whisper in her ear.

“You’re coming with me.”

I couldn’t be sure if she shivered, but her body stiffened after my words.

“The hell I am.” Again, she wrestled to get free.

I didn’t relent. Keeping her within my reach, I began to step back toward the exit. “Let’s go.”

“No. You can’t just…” She growled, yanking to get free without success. “You can’t barge in here and just tell me what to?—”

At her gasp, I paused in pulling her out of the bar. Turning back to her, I caught the tail end of her movement. She’d looked back, and something alarmed her.

“Let go of me!” She doubled down, flinging her arm and garnering the attention of the people near us. Concerned drinkers and guests at the pub followed our progress through the bar. Brows were raised. Some women frowned, as though they’d intervene. I hardly gave a shit who saw and what they thought. If they called the cops, I’d figure out a way to evade them. All that mattered was keeping Nadia with me now that I’d found her.

“No.” I looked past her, curious about why she was fighting harder all of a sudden.

That was when I spotted him.

One man wove through the crowd, his focus centered on the sexy rebel I was struggling to keep with me. His dark eyes considered no one but her, and I realized his intention straightaway.

Competition.

He had his sights set on her, and with the steady, confident speed with which he crossed the room, he intended to grab her for himself.

Not on my fucking watch.

A streak of strange possessiveness shot through me, emboldening me to hustle Nadia out of there faster.

I had a room nearby, and I’d tie her up there until I could arrange for transportation back to the States. A plane would be made available shortly, and we would be out of here before she could protest.

But this fucker… He didn’t look like anyone I saw before. His appearance suggested that he was muscled help, a grunt worker or lackey, for someone more influential. I’d seen plenty of men just like him to know the type. Yet, I had no clue who the fuck he might be employed by.

It hardly mattered. If he intended to capture the woman I was sent here to retrieve, he would soon see that he was out of luck.

“That man’s coming for me,” Nadia insisted as we reached the door.

“I can see that,” I replied dryly.

“Oh, and what, you’re determined to rescue me or something?” She growled, fighting to escape me outside.

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