Page 42 of Hunted By the Bratva
Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I think it’s time that I went home for a while. This is best for you and me. Please, I beg you not to seek me out. This is what I want. I do not want to be with you. I am sorry, but I know you will respect my wishes. Please leave me be.
Regards, Clara
Crumpling up the letter, I felt my anger rising sharply. She had betrayed me, hurt me, and used me. How dare she leave this way? After everything I had done for her, all that I had gone through. I’ve done my best to care for her. I have given her space, time, and everything she could want.
It made no sense. I didn’t understand what changed. Where did these words come from? This wasn’t like her. Yesterday, all was fine. These questions were going to drive me insane. I had to know what had changed, what had happened. How could she betray me? Did her brother, Kolya, have a finger in this pie?
No one had the power to hurt me until Clara came along. I sank to my knees. My lungs felt like they were about to explode as I heaved, trying to breathe in. My heart was splintering into a million pieces. I had no idea how I was going to fix this.
Chapter 22 - Clara
After a long day of running, hiding in bushes, and dodging any suspicious cars, I had finally arrived. I casually walked up to the front door of my brother’s home. The guards nodded in passing but acted as if I had never left. I wondered if they even knew I had been kidnapped. How hard did Kolya look for me?
I was tired and dirty. But somehow felt relieved to be home.
Entering, I saw Kolya talking to his right-hand man. I slammed the door closed, intentionally making a noise. Both men stopped talking and looked at me. Their heads turned so abruptly. If they weren’t attached to their bodies, they would have gone flying.
Shock streaked across their faces. Before I knew it, Kolya was on top of me. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly as he spoke. “Where have you been?”
Before I could even formulate a response, his next question came. He spoke so loudly that his voice echoed through the foyer. “What did Iosif do to you?” I didn’t like his tone, as it sounded more like a demand than a question.
Frowning, I flung my arms around him and hugged him tightly. As I stood on my toes, I whispered into his ear. “Iosif did nothing bad to me. He saved my life. There were other people after me, and he saved me.”
My brother pulled my arms from his neck and stepped back. He stared blankly at me for a moment. I could see he didn’t believe me. Meeting his gaze, I spoke in a calm tone. “Was that you talking with him on the phone? If so, what is your beef with each other?”
Kolya was silent. I could see he was mulling over my questions. “Yes, I did speak to him,” he said. Turning, he raised his hand, showing the stairs. “Come, let’s get you in a warm bath and clean clothes. We can talk more in the morning. Now, all you need to focus on is getting some rest.”
I smiled as I walked out before him. I knew my way around his home, and the spare room was always at my disposal. To the point that I even had some of my belongings stored in it. One could say it was my room and not the spare room.
Kolya went into the adjoining bathroom and started running the water. I gathered my belongings and went inside. I tried my best to hide my feelings. I didn’t want him to know how miserable I was.
“Take a long relaxing bath,” he mumbled as he handed me the bath salts. “Once you’re done, get some sleep. We can talk in the morning. I’m happy you’re home safe.” He smiled, kissed my forehead, and left.
Turning, I closed the bathroom door before dropping my clothes on the floor. I sat on the tub's edge and added some salt, oil, and bubbles. I watched as they mingled with the flowing water.
My heart was heavy. It felt like I was staring into a deep pit. I missed Iosif. I knew I shouldn’t, but there was suddenly a hole inside me. Closing the taps, I undressed and sank into the warm water.
Maybe Kolya was right; perhaps I would feel better in the morning. I lay for a long time before bathing and getting out. I pulled on my tracksuit and crawled into bed. Sleep came quickly; my body was tired, and so was my mind.
I woke up early with an intense need to go to the bathroom. My bladder felt like it wanted to explode. Once I hadwashed, I headed to Kolya’s office. He wanted to talk, and I needed to know why Iosif was so angry and abrupt with him.
I knocked and waited. “Come in,” I heard Kolya call out. Opening the door, I entered to find him behind his desk. He smiled as he got up and moved to the couch. “Come sit with me,” he said.
Walking over, I wondered what he was up to. I had barely sat down when he started bombarding me with questions.
“So,” Kolya said. “What can you tell me about Iosif, his family, his business, and what you went through?”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to organize my thoughts. I knew he wouldn’t believe me if I told him nothing happened. I took his hand as I stared into his eyes. “Brother,” I said in a gentle tone. “After our last meeting, I was taken by Iosif. He told me that some shady-looking characters were after me, and he was trying to keep me safe.”
Kolya pulled away and sprang up. It looked like he was a firecracker about to go off. “Calm down,” I said, getting up as well. “You asked, now, please listen.”
He nodded as he moved back to his desk. He stopped behind it, turned to face me as he spoke. “Okay, continue.” I could hear the aggression in his tone, but I ignored it.
“I didn’t believe him at first. That was until I tried running away and got caught.” Lifting my hand, I silenced him as he was about to speak. “Iosif was there; he saved me from them. He saved my life; he didn’t do anything bad to me. He protected me.”
Kolya stood staring at me blankly for a second. He nodded his head slowly as if he were in a trance. When he spoke, I could hear his softer side coming back. “I see. But I find ithard to believe. Yet, I will accept it for now. Tell me about his operations, then?”
Sighing, I lowered my head. I knew nothing about his business or even that much about his family. Looking up at Kolya, I could see the disappointment in his eyes. He placed his hands on his desk, leaning forward as he waited for me to speak.
