Page 24 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
Taking the stairs two at a time, I move down the hall and eventually reach her room, throwing the door open.
Admittedly, the faintest hint of worry streaks through me when I don’t hear from her, but it immediately fades the moment I find her lying out on the bed, curled up on her side.
“I said…we’re leaving,” I mutter, feeling as my expression hardens again. More irritation creeps into my tone. “Get up.”
“No…I’m not going anywhere.”
While her voice is calm, that spark still manages to come through anyway. That fire of hers is both intriguing and inconvenient.
“Did I say you have a choice? Get up…don’t make me repeat myself,” I demand of her, losing even more threads of patience.
“I’m not your prisoner.”
“And that’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you want to get out of here so badly, then walk out with me.”
Regardless of it being a perfectly reasonable request, Victoria doesn’t move.
And now, she’s truly grating against my nerves.
Be calm…don’t add fuel to the fire…
Taking a breath, I try to level myself out again.
“Victoria…you can be angry with me, you can hate me. Whatever you want. But we’re leaving, with or without your cooperation,” I say slowly, not giving her the chance to say I didn’t warn her.
A scoff leaves her lips. “What, you’re going to force me to do that too?”
“I don’t want to…I’d prefer it if you just did what I asked. But if you force my hand, then so be it.”
Keeping her back to me, she doesn’t move. “I don’t care who you are; you can’t control me.”
My brows furrow, and I take a few steps towards her, well aware that my self-control is slipping and that her constant refusal is only making matters worse.
“You’re only making this worse for yourself, Victoria,” I tell her, trying so hard to keep my composure despite how she continues to push. “I’ll only say this one last time…get up. We need to go.”
Silence again.
As my remaining patience slips, I take up that last bit of distance and reach for her.
Fast enough not to give her the chance to slip away, I wrap my arms around her legs, hoisting her up before resting her over my shoulder.
A sharp breath leaves her as the sudden shift seems to settle in, and then Victoria grounds out an irritated sound.
Her voice comes out shrill and loud as she tries to squirm. “Put me down!”
Despite pinning her against me and not allowing for any wiggle room, I keep my grip light enough, as if I’m carrying something fragile.
She pounds her fists against my chest and tries to swing her legs, but I leave the room and continue down the hall anyway, undeterred.
She might be feisty and willing to put up a fight, but I’m still bigger and stronger.
“No,” I mutter, carrying her down the stairs and through the foyer. “I warned you. Now you have to face the consequences.”
Regardless of her struggle, I continue, choosing to ignore her shouting and grumbling.
As I take us both outside with my arm firmly wrapped around her back, able to feel her warmth, several of my men linger in the area and watch.
But even with her noise, they don’t move a muscle to intervene. Instead, they carry on with whatever they’re doing. They’ve seen worse, after all.
