Page 14 of Captivated By the Bratva

Who is he? What doeshewant?That was the story of my life, always having to consider what others—men—wanted from me.Dad expected me to pay for his debt. Lev expected me to be his bride. I was sick of it.

And in that sense, I didn’t want to care about what that other man wanted or who he was.

I licked my lips as I slowed more, giving myself time to really catch my breath. If my hair hung over my shoulders, it’d probably hide the bloody stain on the back of my shirt. With this many pedestrians walking around out here, I risked someone spotting me and calling for help.

Contacting law enforcement seemed like the wrong move. Mr. Avilov could probably track me faster if I were recorded as speaking with the police, and they couldn’t do a damn thing, anyway. What, the local officers here, having a chance to stand up to an international mobster like Mr. Avilov?Ha!They wouldn’t be able to protect me. No one could.

Except that man.Whoever he was, the man in the dark suit, the owner of that gravelly, deep voice, he’d secured me. At the sound of a gunshot, he hadn’t hesitated to put his body between me and the Avilov man. Not only that, but he’d also shoved me to the side to personally defend me from him.

I furrowed my brow, unsure how to comprehend the sequence of events that had just happened. All I knew, without a doubt, was that I could not linger.

No one could protect me. All I could try to do was run and hide—again.

The return trip to my apartment was a blur. Between looking over my shoulder constantly and hustling to the safety of my so-called home away from home, I didn’t pay attention to anythingmore than putting one foot in front of the other and getting there in one piece.

No one jumped out at me. I didn’t spot the two men again.

Passers-by glanced at me and frowned, and I realized I had to be wearing my emotions on my face again. Worry and panic fueled me, and I knew I was looking out at the world with a matching grimace that would incite any stranger to wonder what was wrong with me.

The second I reached my door, I rushed inside, slammed it shut, and locked it.

“What the hell?” Zoe asked, alarmed from her lazy slouch on the couch. She’d come home earlier, bored when I chatted with Professor Owens. It looked like she was reading some paperback about monster romance. Sitting up, her eyes wide open with alarm at my hasty arrival and loud shut of the door, she gawked at me.

“Is thatblood?”

Shit.I didn’t want to explain.

“No.” I exhaled a long breath, hating that I had to lie to her. I loathed what I had to ask her, too. Flicking my hair over my shoulder, I lightened my expression from one offuck, fuck, fuckto a hopefully calmer frown. “Someone spilled something on me at the bar.”

She relaxed. Her shoulders slumped, buying my lie. “Oh. Okay. I mean, you rushed in here all frantic and all and?—”

“I need to borrow some money.” I swallowed hard, knowing I had no other choice. No other option. I couldn’t risk staying inLondon where Mr. Avilov’s lackey was. Nor that other stranger who’d both tried to capture me and protect me.

“What?” Her brows shot up high as she watched me enter the living room.

“I need to borrow money for a flight.” I licked my lips, desperate for her to help me.

“Aflight?” She huffed, incredulous.

I nodded. “Now.”

She gaped at me again. “Now?” she parroted. “You’ve got exams all week and the next.”

Shaking my head, I searched for words, for anything to give as a reason. “I know. But I need to get out of town. Right now.”

She stared at me, stunned. “Girl, what the hell is going on?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” she challenged.

“Trust me. You don’t want to know. The less you know, the better.”

She stood, frowning at me. “That’s bullshit. Are you trying to gaslight me or something? What’s going on?”

“I can’t—won’t—tell you.” It didn’t matter to me which verb was applied. The same result would be waiting for her. She didnotneed to be aware of my problems.

“But you’ll ask me for money?” She crossed her arms. “To leave town in the middle of exams? You’ve always been a little aloof, but not like this.”

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