Page 14 of The Bratva King's Auctioned Bride

She couldn’t be mine soon enough. I would have married her right on that stage if she hadn’t been half-naked and shaking with confusion and rage. Sadly, there was probably a man of the cloth or two in that degenerate crowd, and I could have arranged it. This would be better, much more difficult to dispute, even for her crafty brothers. A much sharper knife to twist in their backs when I eventually let them know what had become of their sister.

At least, that was what I was telling myself.

Yes, I was already shocked at how much backbone Mila had. I had expected a completely different woman, but she gave as good as she got. There wasn’t just unbridled desire in those blue eyes of hers. There was also a flash that warned me I’d barely escaped a slap. She wasn’t a simpering, spoiled princess, but far more cunning than I ever gave her credit for. In fact, I’d have bet good money that she was currently searching my villa for a way to escape right now.

Good luck with that. It was locked down tight, with guards at every door and prowling the perimeter.

I couldn’t leave her for long, and I couldn’t keep driving aimlessly while I waited for the bizarre effect she had on me to wear off. Pulling into a bistro, I parked at the far end of the nearly deserted lot and pulled out Mila’s phone. Eldar had given me the belongings she had with her when she’d been grabbed off the street. There had been some contracts having to do with my company, which I meant to go over when I had more time, and more importantly, her phone. The screen was scratched, possibly from being dropped somewhere during the attack, and fresh anger washed over me.

There was no real reason for this sudden burst of rage at Eldar. I hadn’t given him a direct order not to lay a hand on my woman—yes, she was mine now—and Eldar hadn’t said anything other than not to worry. I never would have imagined he’d pull such a stunt. It was lucky I hadn’t arrived a few hours later.

Still, I managed to put a stop to it, and she was with me now, unharmed. She’d get over the little show she had to put on.

But would I? I couldn’t erase the looks in those men’s eyes as they shouted out their bids. The intense hunger, the urgency to consume her. Some of those men were as powerful as I was and wouldn’t easily accept that they’d lost fair and square. Oncethey figured out I was related to Eldar, they might even end up thinking the whole thing was rigged for some reason or another. It went without saying they’d all paid a hefty fee just to take part, so many of them were probably simmering right now.

Pushing those worries aside for the moment, my attention returned to Mila’s phone. Eldar’s men had already hacked into it, so I scrolled straight to the messages, hoping to find useful info. Not much, but I wasn’t surprised. I had mistakenly thought she was flighty, but never stupid. She’d been raised in the Bratva, same as me, and she would know how to keep a low profile.

The messages back and forth with her brothers were few, mostly just updates that she was fine. It was more likely that she actually spoke to them, so there wasn’t much of use there, except for the fact that I now had all their contact numbers. The main person she seemed to message with was some guy named Nat, and an odd, unpleasant feeling gripped me as I slid through the endless conversation. Who was this man who was so dear to her?

I quickly realized it was a woman when I got to some of the pictures they sent back and forth to each other. Another relative I didn’t know about, or just a friend here in town? I honed in on the photos, trying to determine if she looked familiar to me, but I was distracted by the ones of Mila. She clearly loved clothes, constantly sending pictures of herself in carefully put-together outfits. No matter how different the styles were, she looked perfect in each one. I impatiently scrolled through some close-ups of fabric swatches to get to the next one of Mila in all her splendor.

She truly was gorgeous, all sensuous curves and long blonde hair. Her mischievous smile made me wonder what she might have been thinking when she snapped the pic, and her glossy lips made me remember that burning hot kiss that hadnearly knocked me senseless. Just looking at her on that tiny screen had my cock rising and my fingers curling, aching to touch her again.

Damn it, I was getting distracted all over again. This wasn’t like me at all, and I had to regain my laser focus. I had opened her phone to gather intel, not drool over her photos. Back to the messages.

Some of the conversations with Nat were quite cryptic and guarded, which made me wonder about the art scam my brother was currently engaged in. Despite not being in close contact, I kept tabs on Kolya, in case whatever nonsense he was up to might blow back on me.

He’d been ripping off rich tourists here for the last few months, and it was only a matter of time before he fled Milan to one of his other properties to lay low for a year and destroy the reputation of whatever made-up name he was going under there. Then, run and start all over again somewhere new, eventually circling back and starting the cycle all over again when the heat dies down.

My father had never had high hopes for him, especially not after our mother demanded custody of her favored younger child, but he would have been rolling in his grave if he knew his second son had never returned to the fold, only to be a jet-setting con artist. Not that Kolya would have survived long under my father’s harsh tutelage. I barely had. No, Kolya and I were not the same.

If Mila had been about to get involved with that foolishness, it was just one more thing I saved her from, because Kolya was nothing but trouble and couldn’t be trusted.

While I didn’t learn much from her personal messages, it was clear from the most recent text from Nat that she wantedto know where Mila was. They were in contact with each other several times a day, and if I didn’t send an answer back soon, Nat would certainly raise an alarm. A quick search of her recent emails showed she was planning a trip down to Rome tomorrow morning.

I had to leave for the meeting early, I replied.Wish me luck!

Would it pass muster? The answer came almost immediately.You’ll do great, keep me updated!

A picture of a mixed drink held up against the backdrop of a live band and a crowd of blurry people popped up next. Nat seemed to have no suspicions at all. I decided not to push my luck and didn’t answer again, only sending some silly emoji that was in Mila’s frequently used list.

Nat, whoever she was, sent one back, and I closed out the messages with a smile. This was going to be much easier than I thought, now that no one would be looking for Mila for a while.

Chapter 12 - Mila

As soon as I came to terms with the fact that Arkadi had actually really left me all alone, I began to search the sprawling villa. I had been pretending to be out of it, but was taking careful note of where he’d been driving. This place was way outside the city, and if I managed to get out at all, I’d have a hike ahead of me.

I didn’t dare risk stopping at any of the other mansions nearby since there was no knowing who lived in them. They could be Arkadi’s men, or people he knew. I was well aware that I had stepped into a business that had belonged to him not so long ago, and had been warned to be wary of certain people in Milan who might still be loyal to him. But getting out was my first worry. Everything else would fall into place after I was out of Arkadi’s clutches.

After the sparsely decorated living area turned up nothing of interest, I tiptoed over to the front door. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which would have probably let in breathtaking morning sunshine, only showed the dark, shadowy palms that lined the front terrace. I tucked myself beside a column in the entry, watching for any other signs of movement, my ears pricked for any sound. There was nothing but the soft whisper of the trees in the night breeze.

Could I just open the door and run? Looking down at my bare feet, I didn’t relish the idea, but my heart thudded with a burst of adrenaline. I was certain there had been a guard before, but as I crept closer to the window, the terrace was now empty as far as I could see.

I carefully clicked the deadbolt free and turned the knob, silently swinging the huge door inward to slip around it. The balmy breeze ruffled my hair, along with a whiff of smoke.

“Can I help you with anything?”

A giant guard unfolded himself from where he’d been sitting on the steps. He tossed his cigarette to the pebbles and mashed it with his shoe before smiling at me expectantly. Taunting me as he came closer. I hustled back inside and slammed the door in his face, then turned and hurried to the back. Sliding glass doors leading out to a well-lit garden and pool area clearly showed another guard stalking back and forth between two olive trees. Another prowled along the wall behind the pool.

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