Page 17 of Scarred (Russian Sinners 2)

I studied her petite frame. There was fire in her although life tried to extinguish it. Her softness and demeanor called to me. She was a complimentary contrast to my roughness. I was never much for the gentle stuff, not even in the bedroom. I took what I wanted, made sure it is pleasurable for both of us and then moved on. But this woman called to me on the most basic level. Something about her resonated with me. I wanted to show her own beauty, past all the hurt and fear she endured.

Until now, my niece was the only human being in this world that brought up any tenderness within me. But something about Olivia was drawing me in; it made me want things I never wished for before.

I would have Olivia where I could keep an eye on her. I wanted to explore this desire she evoked in me just by looking at me. Till I brought her fiancé to his knees, she’d be in my world.

Fuck, she was too young! Too young to be so scared, to be wrapped up into all this bullshit.

“You’d be safe,” I finally told her. She might be too young but she was also strong. I could see it shimmering like the sea in her eyes. “Your brother can help here and pay off his debt while we strip Malcome Schmidt of all his power and force him to revoke the agreement he has with your father.”

She blushed realizing I knew her father sold her out. Bastard, I should make him pay for putting his daughter through it. On my flight over, I did detailed research on her background. Olivia studied art and even had several paintings out on the market. Her pieces were very good and sought after by individuals that knew of her work. She was still working on branching out though.

“Olivia,” her brother would be my ticket to her. “You should take it. Otherwise, Malcome will end up killing you and then I’ll kill him.”

Her eyes were those of a hunted animal.

“If we could just all disappear,” she whispered.

“You will disappear. It will be a kidnapping case to the rest of the world.”

“But Mom. He could hurt her worse,” she muttered. “I should just go through with it and get it over with.”

“No,” her brother objected. I instinctively knew not to interrupt. If I tried to convince her, she’d go the opposite way. I noted Ilya carefully observing from my peripheral vision, taking my cue not to interject. “You cannot go through with it. You had broken ribs twice, cuts and-”

My anger burned inside me at the thought of the abuse she suffered.

“Stop it,” she glanced around the room ashamed. “No need to air all the dirty laundry.”

Nervously chewing her lip and her fingers twisting a button on her expensive dress, she didn’t realize I already knew it all. Dirty laundry, as she so eloquently put it, didn’t bother me. The men that caused it would die before all this was over. I would see to it.

“You could start over,” Oliver tried to urge her to make the decision he thought was best for her.

“I have arranged for a secure location for your mother,” I chimed in at the perfect moment. “She would be safe from everyone.” I wasn’t lying. In the last three days of planning and scheming, I had procured a home in Maryland, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, in a secured, gated community and I had top notch surveillance installed along with men strategically positioned so nobody could get in there.

Oliver found it a perfect opportunity to convince his sister. “Leave me to worry about Mom. You could start over, maybe go out and have fun, start dating…”

“No, thank you,” her voice was bitter, too bitter for someone that young. “I had enough to last me a lifetime.”

She turned to me, a resolute determination in her bedroom eyes. “I know very little about kids. If you are okay with that, I’ll be your niece’s nanny.”

“I have no doubt you’ll do great,” I told her and believed it wholeheartedly. I was a good judge of people, otherwise I wouldn’t be where I was. She’d be great with Tasha.

She nodded. “Thank you,” she replied simply. “And thank you for helping Anastasia.”

I nodded.

“Should I go home and pack?” She asked, shifting from one leg to another.

She was fidgety and I couldn’t blame her. She was entrusting her life to a complete stranger. Every so often, she’d eye me nervously. There was no mistaking it; she didn’t want to be around me. I couldn’t blame her after her experiences with her father and fiancé, I’d be hesitant to trust any man too.

I’d give her space… for now. But eventually, I had no doubt she would end up in my arms. It was only a matter of time. She wasn’t even aware but her body instinctively shifted to mine each time I moved. The pull of our bodies was magnetic; like sparks.

“No,” I replied. “We’ll get whatever you need when we get there. If you pack, it won’t be a kidnapping. And you’ll have to leave your purse behind so Ilya and your brother can make the appearance of kidnapping.”

“Right,” she murmured, agreeing. Her pensive eyes watched me with a guard. There were so many questions in them but she kept them all behind her sealed lips.

“Go ahead,” I urged her. “Ask your questions.”

Surprise flashed in her eyes but she quickly got herself together.

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