Page 54 of Bratva Prisoner
She laughs and waves me off. “Anytime you need someone to scale industrial equipment, I’m your girl.”
“My girl,” I repeat, testing the words. “I like the sound of that.”
“Maksim…”
“I know, I know. But I can’t help how I feel about you.”
“How do you feel about me?”
The question catches me off guard with its directness. Most women dance around feelings, especially early in relationships. But Alyssa has never been most women.
“Like you’re the missing piece I didn’t know I was looking for,” I answer honestly. “Like everything before you was just marking time until you walked into my life.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone you barely know.”
“I know enough,” I reply with a shrug.
“You also know I have terrible taste in men and a tendency to run when things get difficult.”
“You haven’t run from me. Not really.”
She hikes an eyebrow and says, “I tried to.”
“But you came back,” I reply with an index finger in the air. “And you keep coming back, no matter how many reasons I give you to leave.”
She considers this as she absently twists a strand of hair around her finger. “Maybe I keep coming back because you keep giving me reasons to stay.”
“Such as?”
“You catch me when I jump off shipping containers. You show me your world instead of hiding it from me. You stop when I’m not ready, even when we both want more.”
“Those aren’t reasons to stay. Those are just basic human decency.”
“You’d be surprised how rare basic human decency is in my experience.”
The sadness in her voice makes me want to hunt down everyone who’s ever hurt her and show them what real pain looks like. Instead, I reach out and take her hand.
“You deserve better than basic human decency, Alyssa. You deserve everything.”
“Pretty words,” she muses, but she doesn’t pull her hand away.
“True words.”
We stand there for another moment, hands linked, both of us aware that we’re balanced on the edge of something that could either save us or destroy us. The smart thing would be to step back, maintain distance, and let things develop naturally.
But I’ve never been accused of being smart when it comes to women, and this woman in particular seems to short-circuit every rational thought I possess.
I’m a patient man when the prize is worth waiting for, but deep down, I don’t think she wants to wait, either.
Chapter 16 - Alyssa
Living in limbo between two worlds has become my specialty, though I never intended to make it a career.
Two weeks have passed since Maksim first brought me to Barkov Maritime, and what started as a single educational visit has evolved into something resembling a routine. Most mornings find me at the docks, where I watch the chaos of legitimate business mixed with activities I’m learning not to question.
“You’re early today,” Dyrel, one of the supervisors, calls out as I walk through the warehouse entrance. The older man has become something of a protective uncle figure since the container incident, always making sure I have coffee and a hard hat when I arrive.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I admit as I accept the steaming cup he offers. “Figured I might as well be useful.”
