Page 4 of Cruel Russian Pakhan (Safin Bratva #1)

Did. I. Just. Get. Married?

After we left the church, instead of heading back to the van, Mr. Perfect Face—I mean, Lev—led us to a black SUV. Waiting beside it was a guy; tall, maybe six feet, built like he ate baby bulls for breakfast. Lev called him Rocco.

We piled into the SUV. Mentally, I tapped out the moment we drove out of the church’s parking lot.

After a while, I felt the car stop, then heard doors opening and closing. I felt a light tug on my arm, but my brain was still trapped in a fog from this morning’s whirlwind of insanity.

I woke up today ready to land a job, not to be someone’s wife. And definitely not my kidnapper’s.

Reality didn’t snap into place until Lev’s deep voice eased me out of my thoughts.

“You’ll be staying here. I'll be in the room next door.”

We were in a bedroom, which meant we were in his house.

Shit.

I was in the freaking lion’s den. But I wasn't about to show a man like Lev, who thrived off contro,l to see how off-kilter I was.

Play it smooth, Katya. Inhale. Exhale. Show no fear.

I stepped farther into the room, letting my eyes scan every corner as I tried to form a plan. I needed to get out of this house, and out of this ridiculous mail-order bride arrangement.

Wait.

Did he expect me to sleep with him? If I said no…would he force me?

My pulse spiked. I shoved the panic down and forced myself to focus on the room, not the thoughts scrambling my brain.

A massive king-size bed with tall, carved bedposts dominated the space, dressed in deep red sheets and matching throw pillows. On either side were nightstands, each topped with lamps that looked like they cost more than a year’s salary at the diner.

Tall windows stood on each side of the bed, their heavy brown curtains drawn halfway open to reveal sheer white ones beneath.

The cream-colored walls contrasted with the thick, plush patterned rug spread out beneath a three-piece brown leather sofa set, all angled around a flat-screen TV mounted above a stone fireplace.

This bedroom was larger than my entire apartment back home.

I would have admired the room, had I been brought here under different circumstances.

“At least it’s not the dungeon,” I muttered dryly, as I spun to face him.

“Tempting…especially after your attempt on my life in the van.”

I saw the glint of amusement in his eyes before it disappeared just as quickly.

Thoughts of my attempted attack flashed through my mind.

Lev could've easily subdued me in the van, yet he endured my feral behavior. Why? I mean, he was six foot three minimum and had solid muscle beneath his suit.

And God, did it feel good against me.

The way his chest pressed against my back, his arms around my waist, and his hot breath against my ear. Thinking about it sent tiny explosions through me.

You can't be attracted to the man who kidnapped you! Get yourself together, Katya! And find a way to get out of here.

I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled slowly through my mouth. Maybe it wasn’t too late to make the interview.

I could convince him to let me go, make him see this was all a huge mistake. I wasn’t this Vera person he kept going on about.

Unless…

I was the right person, and he just got my name wrong?

But why kidnap me? Why force a marriage?

I needed answers, and he was the only person who could give them.

“Why did you kidnap me? What did my family ever do to you?”

“They owe me big, for trying to betray me.”

“Betray you?” I asked in disbelief.

Daisy and Arnold were the nicest people I had ever met. Unless…they’d been living a double life. Parents by day, fraudsters by night? I shook my head. That didn’t even sound right.

Maybe they borrowed money from him for medical reasons.

A lot of money. My gaze slid across the room again.

It was lavish, elegant, and expensive. Lev was definitely loaded.

And the personal bodyguard who looked like he could take out a SWAT team with one hand?

Yeah…classic Philadelphia loan shark vibes.

That was the only thing that made sense.

He definitely seemed the type to break kneecaps over unpaid debts, or in my case, enforce a marriage.

Was that the arrangement with Daisy and Arnold? That if they weren't able to pay that he'd get me as payment?

They wouldn't do that…would they?

Maybe he’d decided that since they died and couldn't pay them back, he'd take me. That sounded more logical. I wasn't about to taint the memories I had with Daisy and Arnold.

Maybe, this had nothing to do with Daisy and Arnold.

What if he knew who my real parents were?

And they told him where he could find me?

It wouldn't take anything for a guy like Lev to track me down.

It had been six years since Daisy and Arnold passed away, so she had to be behind this.

Rage simmered in my veins. First, they abandoned me, then put me up as collateral for whatever shit storm they had gotten themselves in?

My fists clenched at my side as I exhaled slowly.

Maybe I could cut a deal. Anything that didn’t involve me staying his…wife.

“I'm sure we can work something out, strike a deal,” I said carefully. “Something that doesn’t involve marriage. Doesn't involve me staying here with you .”

Lev's laugh was dry and humorless, but that didn't stop the fire that ignited in the pit of my stomach. Then those orbs of his pinned me in place. I held my breath as he moved towards me.

I took a step back, but he didn't reach for me. He circled, like a black jaguar sizing up his prey. His muscles rippled slowly beneath his suit with every movement, like he was preparing to pounce.

I kept my eyes on him, partly because I didn't trust him not to strike from behind, and partly because I was hypnotized by his movements.

“Your family and I already had a deal. And you tried to get away from me once already. Do you really think I'll let you go now that you're legally mine?”

My heart sank. I wanted to scream, to tell him that whatever deal he had struck with my parents had nothing to do with me. But would he even listen? Would he even care?

A tiny, desperate part of me hoped this was some over-the-top stage prank. Maybe one of those “What Would You Do?” social experiments, and any second now a camera crew would pop out and yell gotcha.

After all these years, not only were my parents alive, but they had betrayed me in the worst way possible. I wished Daisy and Arnold were still alive because I needed them now more than ever.

“Tell me exactly what they did!” I choked out as a lump rose in my throat.

He tilted his head slightly. “They gave you to me. That's the only thing that matters. Now, you’re mine.”

“I’m not yours! You don't own me!” I snapped, trying not to hyperventilate.

He stopped and swiveled to face me, closing the small gap between us, forcing me backwards until my back was pressed against the bureau in the room.

He leaned over me, hands on either side trapping me. His face was just inches from mine as he spoke. “But, Vera, I do.”

“Do I look like a piece of furniture to you?” At least my voice came out steady, not betraying the turmoil that was building in my body from his nearness. “Or one of your stupid fancy cars? In case you haven’t realized, one, I’m not Vera. And two, I’m a human. Not an object!”

He smirked. A goddamn smirk that was so sexy that I pictured myself naked on his bed with him hovering over me, that smirk on his lips as his hand trailing up my inner thigh…

Katya! Focus! Him kidnapper…you kidnappee…

But then I did focus, right into those eyes of his. It didn't help! His eyes dragged over me like a touch, and I felt goosebumps run along my skin.

“You’ll be whoever or whatever I tell you to be. Because you are my wife.” His lips almost touched mine as he spoke and my breathing sped up.

Lev was the typical alpha male—dominating, controlling and possessive. Everything I hated in a man.

And if he thought I'd give up my autonomy for him after everything I went through? After what he did? He had another thing coming. I'd never submit to him. Never!

But you already did. You married him.

“I’ll make you regret the day you set eyes on me. I’ll be the most horrible wife in the history of all time,” I threw back. I didn't want my body responding to him. “You destroyed my future! I hate you.”

And I did! I despised the man standing in front of me.

“You can hate me all you want. But I know women like you, stubborn…defiant…” His finger trailed my cheek, leaving a heated trail. “I’ve been with more of you than I can count, and they always give me what I want in the end. You won’t be any different.”

And I hated that despite my hatred for him, my body responded to him in the most delicious ways possible. Ugh!

“You can kiss my ass!” I spat.

“Soon enough, I’ll do way more than kiss that rounded ass of yours.”

I slid from between him and the bureau, heart thundering, and stalked across the room before he could see the blush that rushed to my cheeks. I yanked open one of the doors on the left, silently begging it not to be a closet.

It wasn’t. It was a bathroom. Thank God!

I slammed it shut behind me, locked it, then slid down until my butt hit the cool tile.

Katya, you’ve really stepped in it this time. Not just stepped into it, but swan-dived and face-planted into a forced marriage to the psycho man who kidnapped you.

Then a darker thought crept into my mind.

What if there's no way out?

Katya, that isn't an option.

I sat there for another ten minutes before finally getting up. I used the bathroom, since I was already in it, and stepped back into the room. It was empty. Thank God. I yanked the wedding band off my finger and tossed it on the bureau.

That was when I saw my handbag on the bed.

Hope sparked in me. I rushed over and emptied its contents: a Chapstick…a few napkins…old grocery bills.

“Where was it?” I mumbled.

I sat on the bed, feeling defeated. My phone was missing.

Did Lev take it so I couldn’t call for help?

Then I remembered. No…it wasn’t Lev. I left it charging in the kitchen this morning while making breakfast, since I forgot to plug it in last night. In my excitement to get to the interview on time, I forgot to pick it up.

Dammit.

But who would I have called anyway? The police? I was married to the guy, and I wasn't injured. And if they knew they were heading to Lev’s house, they might not even bother to come.

We were in an upscale part of Philadelphia where police probably only showed up if there was a theft in the area. It would be Lev’s word against mine, and with my history with the police, I didn’t think I’d win. And with no friends to vouch for me, that only weakened my case.

I pushed myself off the bed, walked to the bedroom door, and turned the knob. I slapped the door. The sting of it made me swear under my breath. Of course, he locked the door.

I made my way to the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Guards dressed in black patrolled outside, cradling massive guns. Even if I picked the lock on the door, I’d still have to get past them.

I had to play it smart.

The next day, when I woke up, the walk-in closet had been stocked with clothes, shoes, and accessories, all with outlandish price tags. Meals were brought in on a tray, but I barely touched them.

Over the next few days, I spent most of my time by the window, watching the guards, memorizing their routines, their shift changes.

Lev hadn’t returned since that first day, and I wasn’t mad about it. The less I saw of him, the better.

Just then, a guard looked up at the window. I closed the curtain and stepped away.

I'd bide my time.

But I would get out of here.