Page 19 of Chased & Bred by the BRATVA
She shows me the house, introducing me to various staff we pass in the halls and rooms, before finally pulling me into the gardens.
“Other than our suite, this is my most favourite place on the estate.”
“I can see why you love it,” I say, breathing in the scent of the flowers. It’s thick and heady and as we walk through I can see it’s been zoned perfectly. There’s an open space for entertaining, a courtyard for more intimate affairs, the herb and kitchen gardens, a quieter, more secluded area with a small brook running through it. There are fountains and statues and arbours, then the thick line of trees that hides a ten foot stone wall that encircles the estate.
“There are small houses out here, dotted about, mostly the staff use them but Aleksei has the pool house. He keeps unusual hours.”
“Thank you,” I blurt out and she turns towards me.
“What for?” she asks.
“Taking the time to show me around, for making me feel like I’m not going insane.” I laugh, but the sound is wet as I try to control the tears that have come back. What is wrong with me? I’ve never been much of a crier, but here I am reduced to tears whenever I’m with Clara.
“It’s been a pleasure,” she states simply. “Shall we head back? I imagine Nikolai will be back shortly. One thing about these Vasiliev men is once they’ve chosen their woman they can never leave her alone for too long. It’s how I ended up like this.” She lifts her eyebrows and signals to her round belly and I can’t help but smile. What must that feel like? To be loved so much by someone that you create a whole new life between you…
“You look radiant,” I say as something inside me tugs hard.
We walk back to the house in companionable silence. As we enter through the kitchen a man I’ve not met yet is leaning against the countertop.
“Speak of the devil.” Clara grins and walks to the man, kissing him on the corner of his mouth.
“You’re not supposed to be wandering around the estate, wife.” His voice is firm and carries a hint of threat, yet I cannot imagine for one second he would ever hurt Clara.
“This is my husband, and Nikolai’s eldest brother, Maksim,” Clara offers and I reach out to shake his hand.
“Rachel,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He takes my hand firmly in his own, and offers a nod. “Welcome, I hope Nikolai is making you comfortable.” He turns to face Clara. “My wife needs to be on bed rest.”
I catch the underlying meaning of his words. Clara is not to be disturbed and Nikolai needs to stop asking her to help me.
I offer a tight smile and a nod.
“Let me know if you need anything Clara,” I say, before slipping out of the kitchen and heading back to Nikolai’s suite.
Nikolai
Aleksei finds them just after lunch.
He calls it in like it’s nothing. Like dragging two terrified, piss-stained men into our basement is just another Sunday morning on the estate.
And maybe it is.
I take the call in the kitchen. He says they matched the car to a low-rent crew, the kind that hunts drunk women on club nights like sport. Not traffickers. Not professionals. Just predators with too much confidence and not enough brains.
They weren’t expecting someone to jump from their moving car. They weren’t expecting her to have any fight.
And they sure as fuck weren’t expecting the Vailiev’s.
By the time I reach the basement, they’re already chained to opposite walls. Bare-chested. Shaking. One of them has a busted lip from Aleksei’s greeting. The other stinks of fear.
Good.
I stand in the middle of the room and say nothing. Just stare. Let them stew in it.
“You know who I am?” I ask after a minute.
They nod. One of them starts to ramble about their being a mix up.
