Page 11 of The Bratva's Bounty

I'd thought about calling Angel to figure out exactly what the hell was going on, but I simmered down enough by the time I got back home. Lev wouldn't be a problem anymore, so no point in bitching to Angel about something that will literally be nothing. Seriously, she didn't need this on her plate, and I handled the problem.

Or so I thought.

Yeah, Lev wasn't too happy the next day, not that I blamed him. Actually, I was surprised at the lack of outward fury when he trudged up to me in the café and dragged me out to the alleyway again. His eyes, though, were a much different story. Those bright blue eyes of his stormed over to stark ice the moment he searched for me in the café. Such a lovely pair of gems that used to melt me now pierced me like daggers to the chest.

"How much?" The question quickly slipped from between my lips the moment I recovered from being slammed and caged against the wall.

"What?" The rigidity in his eyes melted to confusion as his head tilted.

"How much are they paying you? Whatever it is, I'll triple it for you to leave me the fuck alone. Just tell them you lost me or never found me, or tell them I'm dead, I don't care, just quit going after me to drag me back to them. This really will be your final warning. If you don't quit it after today, I'll do so much worse than blow up your car." Surprisingly, I didn't waver in the slightest with the fear that coursed through my body.

Sure, I maybe formidable, but I paled against Lev. The only way I'd win against him was either behind a screen paired with a remote-controlled drone or him at enough of a distance for me to chuck a bomb at him. Up close, I stood no chance, not even a hair of one.

Seriously, my short ass stood at 5'4" while he stood at a whooping 6'2". No way in hell would I win in a physical fight against him unless his hands and feet were tied—actually, that kind of sounded fun. Not gonna lie, the brief thought of a powerful man like him bound by my feet. Damn it, stupid brain, this wasn't the time for such thoughts.

The damn man would literally maul me over like a bear charging over a child. Honestly, this was a funny scene in my mind before I shoved it aside to remain serious.

Anticipating a fight, I held onto the adrenaline pumping through my body. I needed to run at the first opening because, again, fighting Lev would be the worst idea ever. So, I was shocked when Lev's tense shoulders dropped with a slow exhale. I didn't relax, though, not fully, at least because what if this was some kind of trick to get me to lower my guard?

Warily, I narrowed my eyes at him. "I just want to be left alone."

"No." With how short and pointed his replies were to me, I started to wonder if he had a fully functioning brain at this point. "Did you really have to go and blow up my damn car for not listening to you? What the fuck is wrong with you, woman? You could have killed me. I was right next to the fucking thing."

"Oh, so the brute does speak English and can string on more than five words in a sentence at a time," I teased with a coo and smirk as if I was praising some child. "But you only got yourself to blame for the tragedy of your car. I don't play around, and I damn well warned you."

Okay, blowing up his car probably wasn't warranted, but it's not like I could un-blow up his car now. "And it wouldn't have killed you unless you were directly on top of the bombs. Besides, I knew a skilled man like you would be able to dodge out of the way fast enough." They were small-scale bombs meant for distractions, not real damage. The car only blew up because of the gas component in it and the fact I threw so many down there.

Giving hima once over, I could see that he was unscathed. Literally, there wasn't even a tiny scratch on him. The only thing hurt was probably his feelings.

Honestly, dude, walk it off.

"You couldn't have tried to buy me off before you blew my car up? What kind of backward ass logic is going on in that crazy-ass mind of yours? You proposition first and then act, or at the very least, go from least harm to most harmful. Fucking crazy ass woman," Lev retorted with a roll of his eyes and a scowl.

Mocking him under my breath, I rolled my eyes in return before jabbing at his—holy shit, his pecs are fucking hard and nice as fuck. I felt like an idiot for slowly flattening my hand out against his chest while openly ogling him like a tantalizing piece of candy, but god, damn, he felt sturdy as fuck. Well, if he had any objections or complaints, then he would have pulled away or said something, but he didn't. Lev surprisingly puffed his chest out a little with his deep inhale as he looked down at me.

Taking in a deep breath, I recollected myself and reluctantly pulled my hands back to my side. Clenching my hands up into tight fists, I averted my eyes from his hypnotic ones to get my words out. "None of this would have happened if you had just come clean to me in the first place as to why you were following me." As in, I would have dropped-kicked his ass twenty miles two weeks ago.

Breathing deeply, Lev ran a hand down his face before pushing off the wall and stepping back from me. "Don't get your cute little ass killed or snatched out there."

Then he left me to my own confusion without as much as a small glance at me.

Like, what the fuck, literally.

Great, what the hell was I supposed to do with this lingering adrenaline?

Something stupid is what.

"Wait!" Yeah, I took off after him before I even realized my legs had moved. "That'sit?"

Lev's body paused and went rigid briefly before his shoulders relaxed, and he looked back at me with a mysteriously playful smirk.

"No. I'll see you tomorrow, Nicole."

Chapter 7

Nicole

~1 week later~