Page 22 of Broken By the Bratva

Shocked by the sudden noise, I tossed the box up in the air. Turning, I let out a small scream before I saw Vadik standing in the middle of the room. The box was open, cereal flakes came down over us looking like confetti.

I was slightly relieved to see him. But I felt embarrassed that I got caught snooping. The kitchen was so big, I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for a bowl and spoon. But now I could ask.

“Where can I get a bowl and spoon, I was hungry,” I asked softly.

Vadik looked from one cupboard to the next, rubbing his chin. “Not sure,” he mumbled. Walking to the one side he started opening door by door looking for a bowl.

This is why he had people preparing his meals and drinks, I thought as I watched him. I don’t think he even knows where anything is, which was evident by his search. Vadik finally found a bowl, and handed it to me, I wondered why he stopped so abruptly yesterday.

What kind of game was he playing with me? He turned away and continued to search for a spoon. If he wanted to hurt me and my brothers even more, why would he not sleep with me? Taking me would have been his ultimate chess move, but he didn’t.

This was all so confusing. I felt sure he liked women and not men. The way he touched me, his kiss, the emotion was too strong for him to like men. Most men wouldn’t think twice. They wouldn’t miss the opportunity for sex. Maybe he has a thing against virgins I wondered as he strolled over with my spoon.

Vadik grinned holding the spoon up in the air. “I knew I’d find it,” he said bending forward as he gave it to me.

Reluctantly I spoke as I took it. “Thank you.” I poured some cereal into the bowl and added milk. He stood staring as I took my first bite. I could feel my blood boiling. First, he made a fool of me and now she stood gawking at me while I ate. How could he be such a horrible man?

Pushing the bowl away, I got up. “On second thought,” I said walking to the door. “Maybe I wasn’t hungry after all,” I added before leaving and heading upstairs to my room. I will show him, I thought as I closed the bedroom door. He wants to play games. So, can I. I won’t help with their missions anymore. He can battle on his own and see how far they get.

Laying back down, I felt my stomach turning. Everything that had happened was bothering me, including now this morning. How could he just stand there smiling as if everything was fine?

There was a soft knock at the door. Sitting up, I heard Vadik speaking. “Tasha, we are ready to leave. Are you coming?”

Still bubbling with anger, I shot back. “No, I’m staying.”

I heard him sighing before walking away. I wasn’t ready to face him. He could do his jobs alone. He didn’t need me. Laying back down my thoughts wandered back to our training.

Training with him felt so natural. Maybe it was just that he was so good, he made me feel comfortable. On the other hand, I have no skills, but I felt the training came naturally. It was almost easy.

It could be that we move at the same frequency. Sighing deeply, I closed my eyes. Being so close to him ignited warmth inside me. It wasn’t a weird feeling. It was soft, almost a loving kind of feeling. “No,” I breathed out loudly. This couldn’t be love!

Trailing a line up my arm with my fingers I could still feel my skin trembling from his touch. His musky odor was much stronger after a couple of hours of training. Wiggling my nose, I considered his scent a form of drug. I wanted to be close just to absorb the delightful aroma. It sounded weird but something was alluring in it.

Placing two fingers on my lips, I felt his soft tender kiss melting me as his lips touched mine. His body was firmly built but yielding under my touch. Turning to my side, I imagined what else he had in store.

I smiled as I lay there. But my smile dissipated as quickly as it came remembering how he got up and left me hanging. How dare he, who did he think he was?

There was a loud noise coming from downstairs. I hadn’t realized that I had fallen asleep. Sitting up, I checked my watch. Four hours had gone by since they left. Getting up, I quickly went to rinse my face before heading down.

The commotion sounded serious. I needed to see what was happening. I was about halfway down the stairs when I saw him. Makari and Pavel were trying to move towards the small lounge with Vadik hanging between them.

Sprinting down the last couple of steps, I joined them as they got to the lounge door. Opening it, I stepped aside allowing them to enter. “What happened?” I breathed out as they moved past me.

I watched in horror as they laid Vadik down on the couch. Rushing to his side, I spoke harshly, “Get a first aid kit, clean towels, and a bowl with water. We need to clean him up and see if he needs stitches.”

Glancing at them, I saw them nod as each headed in a different direction. Pavel returned first with the first aid kit. “Please tell me what happened?” I demanded.

Makari had just entered carrying the towels in one hand and a bowl in the other. He placed it beside me and said, “This job was out of our depth. We didn’t have the skills needed to safely complete it.”

“How is that? What skills didn’t you have? I’m sure you’ve done many jobs for them, so how was this different?” I huffed cutting his shirt open so I could see the wound better.

Wetting a towel, I cleaned Vadik’s arm and chest. Bending down next to me he whispered, “We needed your skills. Our data intel was off. We couldn’t work around the glitch.”

Pavel placed his hand on Makari’s shoulder. When he spoke, I could hear a mixture of fear, anger, and pain in his tone. “Maraki, Vadik instructed us not to tell her anything!”

Glancing at them, I caught the glare they exchanged as Maraki responded. “She asked and don’t you think she has a right to know?”

Pavel lowered his head as he spoke, “He said he didn’t want her involved in this mess and we are keeping it that way. No more talking about it.”

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