Page 5 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
“Private business. Nothing that concerns you,” the leader scoffs and waves him off.
But the stranger doesn’t move. He slides into the booth, forcing the other guys to move in. Dmitri remains standing where we are, and although I can’t hear too clearly over the chatter, I hear well enough.
“You know who I am?” he asks.
The leader pales but acts tough, spitting on the floor beside him.
“How do you know the girl?” the newcomer asks, flicking his head toward me. I freeze, knowing now that they’re talking about me.
“What’s it to you?”
“All I’m asking for is a conversation,” the well-dressed stranger says.
A conversation? He wants a conversation with me? About what, possibly?
The two men stare at each other, the tension crackling between them. Then, to my shock, the leader makes a crude gesture, as though shuffling for cash in his hands.
What the hell?
Dmitri suddenly grips my arm tighter, as though he realizes I’m more valuable than he thought. My heart begins to crank up like a jackhammer. I realize my plans to escape are falling flat around me.
If this is the kind of place where people can ask for cash for a woman, I doubt anyone is going to come to my rescue. With wide, frightened eyes, I look around the club and, for the first time ever, notice how all the men here look the same: Dangerous.
“How much for the girl?” the stranger asks.
My jaw drops. He’s seriously trying to buy me?
The leader scoffs. “We had other plans for her.”
“Plans change,” the stranger says, pulling out a checkbook and scribbling something. He slides over a check. “That should cover any... inconvenience.”
To my horror, the leader takes one look and nods. “Deal.”
The minute the sale is made, Dmitri lets go of my arm. I stumble back, horrified.
This can’t be happening. I turn on my heels, preparing to run for the door when the stranger, my buyer, is right at my heels. He grips my arm, and I try to pull back, tears rolling down my cheeks, but he leans in and whispers, “Cooperate. These men are dangerous. Trust me.”
Trust him? Is he crazy?
“You don’t know my brothers,” I hiss, meeting his deep caramel eyes. “They’ll go straight to the cops if something happens to me.”
He raises an eyebrow and looks incredulous. “The cops, huh?” he sniggers. “Well, they’re not here, are they? These men can harm you badly. Cooperate, and I’ll get you out of here. I know what I’m doing, Arina.”
I stare into his eyes, shocked at how he knows my name. He could be dangerous, too, but something tells me he’s a safer bet than my earlier kidnappers. At least he’s talking to me, trying to save me—or so he claims.
Maybe he’s an undercover cop, or someone who actually knows my brothers.
Just then, I hear one of the men say, “We could have gotten a better price for her, boss.”
I stop fighting and, with a hand to the small of my back, he guides me out of the door in a rush and up the stairs.
“Who are you?” I whisper.
“Not now,” he says under his breath. “It’s not safe to talk.”
I hear footsteps behind us and look down the stairs, see two of the men following us. We break into a run. They follow.
Looks like they’ve changed their minds about the price I fetched.
