Page 9 of Captivated By the Bratva

“Well, if you’re interested…”

“I’m not.” On a good day, I just barely managed to suffer fools, and every day, pushy men would always annoy me.

“How come?” He didn’t get the memo that my blunt sarcasm and irritation were signs ofno thanks. Spinning in his seat, he faced my profile directly.

I had plenty of reasons to reject him. He had short blond hair that suggested he was a preppy loser who cared more about looks than what was underneath the surface of a person. He stank like too much cologne. He was lanky and too slim, showing no masculine strength that I preferred in eye candy. And he was trying way,waytoo damn hard.

But most of all… I’m already “claimed” by a Mafia lord, you dumbass.

I mused about that detail, wryly wondering what this skinny, over-eager punk would do if he knew I belonged to a lethal, dangerous, and well-connected criminal. If he had any common sense, he’d back off now.

“I’m engaged.” I kept my left hand in a tight fist in my lap so he wouldn’t be able to see whether I sported the telltale ring that would signify my taken status.

“You’re engaged.” He repeated it as an incredulous statement when it should’ve been a question.

“Yes.”Technically. According to Lev Avilov, I am.I resisted the idea of it, but if it could be a cheap lie and a way to evade this idiot, I’d use it.

“I don’t believe it.” He shook his head and gave me a skeptical look.

I rolled my eyes at his smirk. “Why?”

“Because you’re too… you look too young, for starters.”

I shrugged.Well, FYI, I’ve been “engaged” since the day I was born.

“I think you’re just saying that to get rid of me.” His brow furrowed and his expression turned closer to a pout.

Dammit.He’d called my bluff, all right, but I wasn’t about to give in and backtrack on what I said. This was getting ridiculous. “Iamtrying to get rid of you. I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“So, you admit you lied about being engaged? Just to make me stop talking to you?” His almost pouty expression shifted into a full-out frown.

“No.” But it was a lie, or it felt like one to me. I wouldn’t tell anyone that I was arranged to marry a creep three times my age. I’d spent too many years of my life fighting the mere concept of it for it to ever be a truth falling from my lips.

“But I told you already that I’m not interested.” That was the crux of it. “Why can’t that be enough to make you back off?”

He huffed a smug laugh, like I was being silly. “Because that only means you’re playing hard to get.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying him. “You might be the stupidest man I’ve ever met.”

He graduated to a scowl. It didn’t hold my attention. Behind him, I spotted another man. I hadn’t come here to hook up. I never did. While I didn’t intend to marry Mr. Avilov and plan to stay a virginal bride for him, I wasn’t experienced with picking up men. I lacked the desire to do so, too antisocial. My curiosity about dating had been stunted because of that engagement always hanging over my head.

I’d come here to getonedrink with my roommate. Then I had the pleasure of chatting with one of my favorite professors. ThenI had the annoyance of dealing with this loser who couldn’t take a hint.

Now, the man standing behind him could only be here for one reason—to get me.

I hadn’t spotted any Avilov men since the day Lev came to collect me. Six years ago, he’d shown up to get me. Yet, I knew without a doubt that the muscled thug in the corner was one of his men. He had that look. I knew the type. The dark, beady stare. The lethal aura of being someone who could inflict pain and enjoy it. All killers had that air about them. Every Mafia man stood out like that, looking like a villain, ready to punish or torture.

Holding in a gasp, I kept the air locked in my lungs at the first glimpse of him.

He was here for me. And I recognized the surety of it in the way he stared right back at me. I hadn’t caught him unaware. I hadn’t surprised him and happened to glance upon him.

He’d been watching me. Stalking me. No doubt, sent here to find me and drag me back to his boss.

Fuck.

I couldn’t look away, staring into the brutish man’s cold stare. He kept me trapped, and under the promise of capture, he rendered me paralyzed on the spot. For almost four blissful years, I’d had freedom here. Studying. Pretending I was a normal person like any other student. Living without a relative, spouse, or supervisor to dictate what I could and couldn’t do or say.

One look at this man, this enforcer, and I knew my time was running out. Lev was coming for me.

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