Page 28 of His Forced Bride
Alexei shifts in his chair.
"You're certain about this? It's not too late to find alternatives."
"I'm certain," I say, because I am.
What I can't tell them is that certainty has nothing to do with business strategy.
When I saw Inessa in her apartment last night, standing with fire in her eyes, something awakened in me that I thought had died with Yelena.
The dark urge to claim something beautiful and bend it to my will.
She'll learn to submit, eventually. They all do.
When my phone rings, the men fall silent as I slip it out of my pocket and see a number I recognize.
My men were sent to retrieve Inessa and bring her to my home for what she thinks is dinner.
I plan to make very clear to her tonight that she has no other choice but to do as I say or be tossed to the wolves.
"Boss, it's Pavel." The voice is tense, urgent. "We have a situation with the girl."
Every muscle in my body coils tight. "Explain."
"Security footage shows her trying to leave through the service entrance of her building. She was heading for the parking garage when we intercepted her. She's demanding to call her mother."
A slow smile spreads across my face.
The other men at the table watch my expression change, recognizing the look of a predator who's just scented prey.
"Where is she now?"
"Secured in the car. She's… not happy about it."
"I imagine not."
I check my watch. Six thirty.
She was supposed to come willingly at seven, to sit across from me and discuss wedding arrangements with the pretense of choice.
Instead, she tried to run—and to reach out to that bitch Viktoria to boot.
"Bring her to the compound immediately."
"Boss, she's asking to call her lawyer?—"
"She doesn't have a lawyer anymore. And Pavel? Make sure she understands that running was a mistake. Not through violence," I add quickly. "But she needs to comprehend her new reality."
The line goes dead, and I set the phone on the table and return to my meal, appetite suddenly renewed.
"Problem?" Oleg asks.
"Opportunity."
I take a long swallow of wine, savoring the warmth that spreads through my chest.
"My bride-to-be just demonstrated exactly why she needs closer supervision."
"She tried to run?"
