Page 68 of Forced Bratva Hostage

Nico doesn’t give up. “Listen, man, I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but that girl, she has to go back to her brother. He will kill you over this if you don’t let her go home. It’s not worth it. Whatever you have planned, it’snot worth it. It won’t bring Grig back to us.”

Except, Tia is worth it—how can I send her back to her brother knowing what I know now?

She’s not safe there.

How do I explain that to Nico?

In my silence, Nico sighs and says, “I believe in a peaceful life. The mafia is a fucked up place that forces people to do things that aren’t right. But in whatever way I can, I avoid that and put my energy into my loved ones instead. All I care about is protecting them, keeping them safe. Don’t play with fire unless you’re willing to get burned, Andrei. And usually it’s not you who ends up burned—it’s the people you love. Give the girl back to Boris before this gets any worse. If you need help getting her back safely, we can do that for you. I can take her now, and she’ll be home in a few hours.”

I shake my head.

“Andrei, if any harm comes to her, it’ll be over. There’s no going back once you’ve crossed that line.”

My heart clenches.

“She’s completely safe with me, Nico. Absolutely no harm will come to her while she’s in my care,” I say sternly.

Nico stares into my eyes, and I narrow my gaze at him. He sighs and nods. He can see I mean it.

It shocks me just how much I mean it.

I would never hurt her.

My entire plan revolved around using her as a tool, and since I’ve gotten to know her as well as I have, that’s changed.

My heart is involved now, and because of my feelings towards her, my plans are ruined. I didn’t realize just how much this changed things until this moment, right now.

My jaw is clenched again, my mind racing. What am I going to do? I’ve fucked up my own plans.

“Alright, Andrei. But if anything happens, if you change your mind or you find yourself in a difficult situation, call me. You have my number, right? We’ll send the entire force out to support you. You are part of our family. Blood isn’t the only thing that brings people together. Grig thought the world of you, man. You meant a lot to him, and you are welcome in my home anytime.”

His words are so deeply felt that they spike pain in my heart. Emotions bubble over, and I fight to control them.

“Thank you,” I murmur. “That means a lot.”

“Call if you need anything at all. Make sure you call,” he says.

I nod.

Nico nods, smiles, and shrugs his shoulders. “Alright. It was good to see you, man.”

“You too,” I smile.

Standing on the beach, I watch him walk away, disappearing into the darkness. For the longest time, I didn’t move. My eyes are still focused on the direction he left.

There wasn’t a single moment during that conversation where I felt he had any anger towards me. He came all this way to let me know it was the opposite of what I thought. He wantsto support me, be there for me. He offered his help. He isn’t blaming me. I’m the one who is blaming myself.

I let out a slow, long breath. The air is cool, and the waves lapping against the sand are soothing.

Fuck.

Everything just got thrown into chaos. A quiet, uncertain chaos.

Tia is no longer a stepping stone in a plan. She’s become more than that. Getting to know her has derailed everything.

Nico made me see things differently.

But I can’t push aside my guilt as easily as he expects me to. I still blame myself for what happened to Grig, and I still want revenge. I just don’t know how to make that happen anymore.

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