Page 4

Pavel

I’m rolling a glass of vodka between my hands, ice-clinking as I wait for my crew. The door bangs open. Mikhail, Roman, and Victor stomp in.

“Gentlemen,” I say, voice slicing the silence, “we’ve got a new piece in play.”

Mikhail folds his arms, scar pulling tight on his jaw. “The girl? We already know about her,” he asks, low and skeptical. I can tell he’s already counting the risks.

Roman smirks, snagging a drink. “What’s her name? Tell us, Pavel, is she hot enough to justify this mess? Why didn’t you kill her like Dmitri ordered? Don’t you know that there is a bounty on her head by Dmitri? And you are keeping her alive? Do you want a war with his Bratva?”

Victor’s fingers twitch with his gun. “Yes, Pavel. Are you out of your mind? She’s a hacker, and she is Dmitri’s target. Why’s she still breathing?”

“First of all, her name is Anya,” I say, letting her name drip slow and heavy. “Let’s make something clear first. I have known you for a long time now, and Anya is off-limits for you. No touching, no talking, no looking without my say-so.”

Roman whistles, grinning wide. “Off-limits? Damn, Pavel, she must be a hell of a lay.” He’s pushing, testing if I’ll bite.

Victor cuts in, voice sharp. “Why keep her? Dmitri ordered her months ago. Now you have found her, drag her here, and she is alive. Are you screwing her instead and thinking with your cock?”

Mikhail stays quiet, watching me hard. “I’m sure you have a good reason, Pavel.” he finally asks, voice steady, digging for the angle.

Roman laughs, sipping his drink. “Well, shit. What’s she got, a magic pussy? Is it worth starting a war with Dmitri? Tell us, Pavel. What’s the game plan here? We, for sure, do not see one.”

Victor’s voice bites again. I have known all of them since we were children. At the end of the day, they are loyal to me, like dogs, as I am to them. I must tell them about the plan.

“Whoever finds her – kills her and gets a bounty. That was Dmitri’s order: clean and done.”

“You think I grabbed her just to fuck her?” I say, smirking, leaning forward. They’re missing the bigger picture. “You’re not seeing it.”

Mikhail’s eyes narrow. “Then spell it out. We are all brothers here. I’m sure you can let us in on your plan.”

I sip again, letting the alcohol sear my temper down, keeping it cool. “She’s not some random girl,” I say, voice low and steady. “She’s someone who managed to get past Dmitri’s cyber security. The feds couldn’t do that, and she could. Do you know what that means for us? Besides, I know she was talking to the feds a bit, and now I need to know what it is that they know. Nevertheless, fuck the feds. I don’t care about that. There is a big brain inside that beautiful head of hers. If you don’t see it, then I don’t know what to tell you. Ok, bratya?”

“With the feds? Did you just say that that bitch was talking to the feds? Are you out of your mind? Give her to me now, and we will know what she knows in a few minutes!” Mikhail demands, visibly shaking from anger.

Mikhail and I have been through everything together since we were boys. We worked parallel to Dmitri’s Bratva and made sure that our empire remained intact all these years.

“No,” I say, smirk sharpening. “She’s gold, our gold.” They’re catching on now. I can see it. “She can crack his empire, every account, every secret, every dime. Do you not see it, Mikhail? Are you so blinded by rage? She’s the key to everything, and I’ve got her.”

Victor snorts. “Pavel, stop with circling around. What’s the plan? Do you think she’ll just give it up and start handing you over everything? After you’ve got her tied up?”

“I have my ways of breaking her,” I say, leaning back. I’m picturing her on her knees, begging, spilling it all, and my cock’s already stirring.

Roman grins, shaking his head. “Make sure she does not get you twisted.”

“She’s a risk,” Victor snaps. “Dmitri finds out – it’s a war.”

Mikhail cuts in, voice hard. “What happens when he knows you kept her alive?”

I smirk, eyeing the ice in my glass. “By then, he’s fucked,” I say, calm and final. “This isn’t just keeping her. She’s the match, and I’m lighting the fire. Don’t you remember how Dmitri betrayed her brother? Do you remember Leo? He was one of us. Well, he worked for Dmitri. Remember that? And the next day, he was gone. Mikhail, I shouldn’t tell you about what Dmitri is capable of. You know exactly what he does. What he did to you.”

“And then what?” Mikhail leans towards me with a question in his eyes.

“Then we are free. Don’t you want to be free?”

They go quiet. Mikhail’s jaw ticks, Roman’s still grinning, Victor’s glaring. The truth is Mikhail knows the plan; he is my most trusted man. He and I need to play it safe in front of others. They don’t need to know everything, not just yet.

“Exactly. Your silence is my answer. The meeting’s done,” I say, standing, voice sharp. “And a kind reminder. Hands off her; she’s mine. That’s it.”

Roman calls out, “No front-row seats to the action?” His laugh chases me as I head out, boots hitting the floor hard. I don’t care what they think; I’ve got her, and that’s the game.

“Fuck you,” I call over my shoulder.

***

I’m pacing Pavel’s penthouse, barefoot, his black shirt flapping around my thighs. My wrists are raw from those damn zip-ties he cut off. He’s gone now, took my laptop with him—bastard—and that door’s cracked open.

“There is no way in hell I’m staying,” I’m at least 50 floors in the sky, and not even Superman himself would make this jump.

“Door it is,” I say, wiping my mouth, and bolt for it, slipping through the crack. The hall’s dim, concrete stretching ahead, and I’m off. I’ve got no plan, no laptop, but I’ll improvise—find a phone, a wire, anything. I’m Anya Sokolov—I’ve dealt with Bratva before, and I slipped through Dmitri’s traps ever since Leo died. I am not about to stay in a cage.

I am resourceful, and I will make it out of here alive. I creep out of the door and make my way out into the hallway. It’s just as extravagant as the penthouse.

“Shit, I’ve got to be quick,” I hiss, hitting the stairs, metal cold under my feet. I walk fast—down, down—heart pounding. I need to get to the elevator.

“Fucking Bratva,” I think to myself. “You can never trust men like them. They only care for one thing and one thing alone—themselves.”

I try to make it to the lower elevator, but I pause when I hear sounds. Boots thump —sharp, heavy—and voices hit me.

“Dmitri went to Spain, but he should be back within the next few weeks,” one grunt, rough and low. I freeze mid-step, my breath locked in my chest. There is only a concrete wall for cover and not enough time to turn back. Flattening my body against the wall, I listen, gulping breaths and praying they won’t echo. Maybe they’ll pass me by. Perhaps I can get out before anyone knows.

“Still weeks away,” another voice replies, deeper and annoyed.

“What about the girl?” My gut twists. They are talking about me.

“Pavel’s got her locked up,” the first one snaps. “You heard the man. His rules, she is off-limits. Didn’t you hear of his plan?”

“Bullshit,” the one with the hoarse, deep voice spits, a harsh edge in his voice that cuts like a knife. “She’s trouble. He should’ve killed her.”

“Were you deaf just now at our meeting? When Pavel said that she was not to be touched? Pavel found a key out, and she is that key. He needs her. She needs him, too.”

Each word slams into me, jarring loose the reality of my situation. My stomach turns, twisting around the fear that’s clawing up my throat. Pavel needs me. This demon of an asshole needs me. This changes everything. I am not the weak link here. I hold the power.

“Nothing we can do about it, man. Besides, she is needed alive, and you can’t get information out of a dead body. Pavel said she has a beautiful brain. He probably got it confused with her pussy. She probably pussy-whipped him already.” The first one’s voice drips with frustration as he shrugs off the other’s anger.

“We don’t need her. We both know that we don’t.” a deep, hoarse voice says quietly.

“Yes, we do! We do need her! Shut up and do as Pavel says!”

“It’s not fucking right,” the one with the deep voice snaps back, a hint of challenge edging his complaints. They’re arguing now, a murmur of discontent I might be able to exploit. Maybe they’re not as loyal as Pavel thinks; maybe Pavel’s hold isn’t as tight.

“You are going to tell him that?”

“Not today,”

"Besides, Dmitri is away on business," the first one says, boots louder. "I really don’t fucking care about some hacker bitch. Let Pavel do what he wants with her. Let’s see what comes out of this."

"Unless she runs," the deep one growls.

"Then we’re stuck with the mess."

“Yeah, if she runs, she’s our problem,” the first one grumbles. “And we’re not getting paid enough to deal with a mess like that.”

So, they think they have me penned, think I’m a sure thing. Familiar anger flares up, driving me up the stairs.

“Pavel better keep her on a short fucking leash,” the hoarse voice mutters, voice fading as I gain distance.

“He knows how to handle her.” the first one says with a snort.

“We’ll see,” the other one replies, unconvinced, a tinge of malice still there. “Not like she started working with him already. She didn’t prove herself useful yet.”

I pant, diving back through the door, easing it shut—quiet, careful. I press my ear to it, chest heaving, listening.

“Pavel’s playing house,” the first one laughs, muffled now. “Let him deal with her.”

“Let’s go, Vitaly.”

I slump against the wall, breathing hard. Their voices faded away. Now I understand more. Pavel needs me more than I need him. There is a plan, but what is it? In other words, Pavel needs me. This changes everything.

God. I remember how I was fucking myself with the fingers, my pussy wide-open right in front of his face. Why didn’t he join me at that moment? I imagine him plunging his fingers deep inside me, then unzipping his pants and taking out his cock. I wonder what his cock looks like. It’s probably a good girth and strong as a stick, with a vein running from the bottom of the shaft straight to the head. I have never felt a strong dick inside of me. No one was strong enough for me. Now that I know Pavel needs me, I can use him for my needs, too. To satisfy my pleasure. I will join his game; perhaps there is a benefit there. I am inside the Bratva already, so I either die or avenge my brother. On top of that, I can get pleasure. I think it’s a win-win.

“Fucking Pavel,” I growl, punching the wall.

I bite down on my lip and let my mind drift to the sweet eyes of my brother, Leo. He was part of the Bratva. They lured him in, and he couldn’t get out. Then, he didn’t play his cards the way he was meant to. I know Dmitri killed him and that Pavel is no different from him. It’s too early to tell, though.

I made it my life's mission to expose the truth and burn everything that Dmitri owns down to the fucking ground. Dmitri and his Bratva dogs are going down. It was not part of the plan for me to become “part of the crew,” yet here I am. I am not part of his crew, but I am definitely closer to the inside than I ever was after Leo was gone.

The only problem is I would like to use Pavel just for fun. Nothing excites me more than exploiting this chance, allowing him to ravage me until I am utterly spent, unable to walk. The mere thought of his powerful arms on me and his fingers in me and what he can unleash upon me sends throbbing waves through my body.

He thinks I am scared, and I will let him believe that. I would love nothing more than to take advantage of this situation and let him fuck me senseless. Until I can’t walk anymore. I am dripping wet just from the thought of him fucking me, and I will use my “captivity” for my pleasure.Let him think that I am the weak link here. It will work out to my advantage if he underestimates me. I have seen where his room is; I will go straight there. I need that itch satisfied. Right now.