Page 55 of Captivated By the Bratva

“Do you not believe me?”

He raised his brows, confused at my blurted question. “What?”

“Do you not believe me that I want someone like you? A Mafia man?” I licked my lips, hating how I could have set him up to know he was the opposite of what I would naturally want. That night when we stayed up talking, I expressed how much I disliked the Mafia life. I went on and on about how I didn’t wantto associate with criminals and thugs but acknowledged that my father had always been an affiliate with men like Maxim.

“I’m lost.”

I winced. “So am I.”

He furrowed his brow. “Is your head bothering you? The concussion…?”

“No.” I sighed. “My head is fine. As fine as it ever was. But I’m…” I pulled my lower lip between my teeth. “I’m nervous.”

“Why?” He had the gall to smile as he poured me coffee.

I shook my head at his offer of creamer. “Because you said you just had a call with your brother.”

He sipped his hot beverage, then nodded. “I often do. We’re close.”

I pressed my teeth harder on my lip. “And that sounds great. Having brothers and all.” I envied him for having an actual family. “But if you were talking to your oldest brother, your boss, then he probably had something to say about the fact that you haven’t brought me home to my dad yet.”

“I did speak with Alek,” he confirmed.

I tensed, grimacing as I pulled my legs up until I had my feet tucked under me on the chair. “And?”

“And it’s probably a good idea if we leave this area and get going.”

My heart sank. To get going back to the States. All hope faded as I realized he wouldstilltake me home to marry Lev.

“It wouldn’t be wise to stay in one location.” He split the eggs and other breakfast foods between our two plates as if he didn’t have a problem with what he said. Nonchalant. Indifferent, like we were discussing the weather.

Huh?

At my stunned expression, he smiled again. “It makes us far too vulnerable to stay in place. Too easy to be followed or tracked.”

“It makesustoo vulnerable?” I flicked my finger between us. “You and me?”

“Yeah. Us. Staying on the move is advisable.”

I narrowed my eyes, daring to let hope bloom again. “But not you moving me back home…?”

He shook his head. “As it stands, I don’t want to take any chances that Lev’s people could find us. Like Erik, that asshole I fought in the alley in London.”

I blinked. “Wait. So I was right? That was an Avilov man?”

“Yes. Lev’s nephew.”

I winced. “Oh, shit. You kicked his ass, which means…”

“Which means that the Avilovs are already suspicious of the Valkov power. It looked like I was stopping him from getting you for his uncle, his boss.”

I licked my lips. “But you didn’t know who he was.”

“True. I assumed he was just someone who wanted to snatch you out of the bar. And I had tunnel vision to track you down again, so I didn’t linger and ask him who the hell he was.”

I let his words play back through my mind. I picked at them, testing to see if they stood up and still made sense the way they seemed to. “You don’t want to take chances of the Avilovs finding me now?”

“No fucking way.” He smiled that arrogant grin. “Now, they need to know that Iwillstand in their way.”

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