Page 57 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

“You make it sound simple.”

“It won’t be,” he acknowledges. “I’m just saying… it may not be the hell you’re imagining.”

He brings up a good point. Is “hell” what I’m imagining?

Before I can figure it out, one of my guys ducks in from the cockpit and informs us that we’re landing soon.

We buckle in. Half an hour later, we touch down.

I feel a small bubble of relief now that we’re back on familiar territory.

The mission went as smoothly as it could have.

But now comes the hard bit.

I walk over to Esme, who’s still sleeping soundly. Her breathing is soft and measured.

“Shall I take her in?” Igor asks, gesturing at her.

My immediate instinct is possessiveness.

No one’s carrying her out of here but me.

I catch myself before the unexpected anger spills out of me. Instead of saying what I’m really feeling, I just shake my head calmly.

“Go unload the weapons,” I order. “I’ll take the girl.”

Igor nods and disappears to do as instructed. Once he’s gone, I turn to Esme.

Bending down, I lift her up into my arms, as gently as I can so that I don’t wake her. It’s the closest I’ve been to a woman since…

Since the last time I held her.

Her scent fills my nose. Just the faintest hint of perfume. Sweet, floral, fragrant.

One more thing that getting close to me will destroy.

She doesn’t wake as I carefully step down the plane and onto the stairs. But when the first ray of dawn sunlight hits her eyes, she stirs.

Slowly and timidly, her eyes open. She shields her face against the sun and whimpers.

Perhaps Cillian was right. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I first feared. Maybe she’ll come softly into her new life and I won’t have to do terrible things to force her compliance.

I watch as Esme tries to make sense of her surroundings. We’re on a private airstrip outside of Los Angeles. California sun shining from a clear blue sky.

I wonder how long it will take her to realize she’s never going home again.

Right as my foot hits the tarmac, recognition strikes Esme.

She pales.

“Let me go!” she gasps. “Don’t touch me, motherfucker.”

She starts struggling immediately, thrashing around in my arms.

So much for coming softly.

But the sedative is still in her system. Weakening her muscles, slowing her reactions.

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