Page 20 of Bratva Queen

“Fuuuck!” I shouted, opened my eyes, and threw the chair from my desk across the room. It smashed into pieces against the wall. I looked around, breathing heavily, then approached my bathroom door and punched it. It was solid wood.

I punched it again, again, and again, willing it to break, willing it to absorb all the pain that emanated from my chest. Blood from my knuckles smeared across the door and soaked into the splinters. I turned my back against it and dropped down, burying my head in my hands.

Isabel…

You didn’t deserve that… You deserved so much better…

I was torn apart. This wasn’t just another downtown stripper that caught the eye of the wrong man. This was the woman of my dreams. The one I’d once held in my arms and cherished, for a mere minute. A minute that lasted a lifetime in my memories. I played it back every day, whether I wanted it to or not.

I loved her. That much was clear.

But I knew that he would never let her go. Not now. Not anymore. He was too excited, too proud of his sick achievement. She was stuck in this bratva life now, just like me, and the only way out was death.

* * *

I walkedinto the club the following night, without Stepan. He was meeting with another potential client, a distributor for his precious powder.

Boris saw me, nodded, and turned away to carry on with his business. For the first time since I was assigned to this goddamn club, I took a seat at the bar.

“Vodka,” I said grimly to the bar maiden who’d approached me and leaned over with a smooth smile and her tits spilling from her tiny top. Did she realize her fucking areolas were showing out the top of her bra?

Probably.

I was soured by recent events. I was cynical, and angry. Not even with Stepan, or Isabel, but with myself. What was I? A spineless man doomed to live his life according to some other man’s destiny and desires?

I couldn’t even take what I wanted. No, nottake. That would make me even worse than Stepan. I couldn’t evenfightfor what I wanted. It wasn’t on the cards for me.

The bar maiden slid the glass of clear fiery liquid my way and purred. “It’s on the house, honey.”

Well, at least that’s something.I took the glass of vodka and sipped it, pulling my lips back over my teeth as I felt the burn.

“Aleksei?”

Isabel’s voice sounded next to me, and I clenched my jaw without looking her way.

“Yes?”

“What… Why are you here?” Her voice was softer than usual.

“I’m always here, Isabel.”

“No.” She put her hand on my arm, and I looked down at it. “I mean, why are you sitting at the bar? You never drink.”

I nodded with a sarcastic pull of my lips. “Surprised you noticed that.”

“What—oh my God!” She gripped my wrist and pulled my hand toward her. “What happened to your hand?”

I felt the gentle brush of her fingers over the painful cuts on my knuckles. It was soothing. Comforting.Wrong.

I pulled my hand away and finally turned to look at her. “None of your business,sweetheart.”

I downed the rest of the vodka and stood up to walk to the back of the club. I heard the sound of her heels clicking as she followed me.

“Aleksei!”

I approached a booth and sat down, pushing back with a sigh. She stood in front of me with her hand on her hip. I looked her up and down, not even hiding it. She wore a corset bodice. The sides pulled up high above her sultry hips. Black lace. No pants or skirt. Tits spilling out.

“What happened? Where’s Stepan?” she asked, a worried expression on her face.

---