Page 14 of Kept By the Bratva

Nate.I wished to the bottom of my soul that I could have such an Alpha, protective man to count on. But I didn’t. I only had myself, like always, and that would have to be good enough. Somehow, some way, I had to give up the idea of depending on a man to want and love me enough to be there as a symbol of security.

“Couple days,” one replied, scowling at me. “You weren’t drugged?”

I shook my head, trying my best not to cry along with the young girl who’d been kidnapped. She was too young, too innocent for this hell.

“You pregnant?” she asked instead, firmly. “Or sick?”

I opened and closed my mouth, hesitant how to answer. Deep down, I wondered. I shook my head. “No. I’ve got PCOS. I can’t…”

“I can’t imagine bringing a baby into a life like this.” A short woman sniffled.

“They said they’d drug us,” the one said. “That the customers like to see us docile.”

“Customers?” I felt the burn of bile again. The idea of being kidnapped and captive was bad enough. Imagining a future of being sold like a slave was worse.

Before we could whisper any more, the door opened again. As one, we all flinched and reared back from the entrance.

More men filed in. The thugs in their street clothes, none of them masked. They were silent, glowering at us all, but I dismissed them.

The man dressed in an impeccable suit stole my attention. His garments were clean and pressed, not a wrinkle in sight. Tailored to aT, he stepped into this room carefully, as though he didn’t want to risk the filth of blood on his shiny shoes.

The lewd hunger in his eyes scared me, and when he locked his predatory gaze on me, almost immediately, I fought back the urge to puke once more.

He strolled back and forth, inspecting the line up with all the care and patience in the world. Nothing bothered him in his deliberate pacing as he checked us out, one at a time.

When he lingered at the young girl, I gritted my teeth.No. Not her. She’s a child!

But I had no reason to worry about her.

I had to worry about myself.

He’d noticed me as soon as he’d entered. And now, with this godawful silence as he browsed his selections, a quiet that ate at me and had me near erupting with a scream, he returned to stand in front of me.

That instant interest hadn’t been a trick on my mind. He’d singled me out from the first second he saw us.

As he lifted his finger to point at me and smiled cruelly, I shook with the realization my hellish future had been decided.

“This one. I want her,” he dictated with smug authority.

7

NIKOLAI

Alek tried again to come along with us on this mission to steal the women from the Cartel. He’d asked me—since I was delegated as the head of this specific operation, his right-hand man—several times if I thought we could use his help onsite.

My brother wasn’t an idlePakhan. He fought just as much, if not more than, the Bratva soldiers. He’d personally sacrificed and had gone above and beyond to ensure we’d get rid of our uncle and cousin. He wasn’t asking if we needed him on the frontlines because he thought he had to. His devotion to me and our brothers, our men, simply ran that deep. Unlike Pavel, Alek would always step up to take a hit. He’d never let us do his dirty work for him, but he had to accept that his central leadership role changed things.

Hard not to be in control, huh?

I shook my head and patted his back. “No, Brother. We’re set.” And we were. I’d checked each soldier recruited, and I had utmost faith that they’d succeed in this, the first show of power in a long while.

“You’re sure?” he asked again, furrowing his brow as Ivan, Dmitri, and I split up among the vehicles. They were all kitted out and designed for fighting. The lower-lying vans weren’t as fast, but the passenger space in them was necessary for removing the trafficked women.

I glanced over his shoulder, spotting Mila in the darkness of the night. We prepared to leave from one of our buildings, but she lurked and lingered, always nearby. At that second, she caught my eye, and I knew she worried that Alek would come along, thirsty for violence.

Dipping my chin at her once, in acknowledgment, I knew the main reason I had to exclude Alek.

“You need to be here,” I reminded him, then smirked. “Trust me, huh?”