Page 38 of Innocent Prey of the Bratva

Still nothing. Just silence—and the weight of what I’ve done hanging in the air between us.

I sit on the ground beside her and wrap an arm around her, gently pulling her into my lap. She doesn’t resist, but she doesn’t melt into me either. Her body stays tense, like every muscle in her frame is begging her to stay strong.

“I didn’t want to break you,” I say, quieter this time.

She lifts her head, eyes red, her voice trembling with fury and hurt. “It’s too late,” she whispers. “You already did.”

Her words punch straight through my chest.

She shoves at my chest, not hard enough to push me away, just enough to punctuate her pain. “Why do you even care, Kaz? Why? I’m just some girl, right? A stupid girl who stumbled in the wrong place. So why the hell do you care this much?”

I stare at her, because I don’t have an easy answer. Only the truth.

“I saw you,” I say simply. “Before you even knew my name.”

She blinks, confused.

There’s no need to get into details. Today isn’t the day, but I say this, “I care,” I tell her, eyes locked on hers. “Even if you don’t believe it. Even if I’m doing everything wrong, I care. And I’m going to keep you safe. Whether you hate me for it or not.”

I gently ease her off my lap and stand. Her eyes are still on me, filled with a storm I can’t read.

I don’t say anything else. Because if I stay, I might do something I can’t take back.

So I turn, walk to the door, and leave her there—half-broken, wholly furious, and still the most dangerous person I’ve ever let into my world.

Chapter 9 – Violet

“I saw you before you even knew my name.”

“I care.”

I haven’t moved from the corner since Kaz left.

His words still echo through my mind like they’re stitched into the silence.

I replay every word, every glance, every restrained touch. I shouldn’t believe him. He’s the reason I’m here, locked away in a mansion like a prized antique he’s too afraid to break. But when he looked at me tonight—when he said those things—he didn’t sound like a captor.

He sounded like a man losing control.

And maybe that’s what scares me the most.

Because a part of me—God help me—wants to believe him.

A part of me aches at the thought of him caring…aches in places I’ve tried to ignore.

But that same part wonders what it even means to be cared for by a man like Kazimir.

Is it protection? Possession? Obsession?

And what if it’s all of them?

I’m still on the floor, knees drawn to my chest, when the door clicks open. I expect one of the silent guards or another tray of untouched food. But when I look up, it’s Arina.

Colorful, chaotic, unbothered Arina.

Only…not today.

They step in quietly, locking the door behind them. Their usual sleeveless top is bright pink with orange flames down the front, but the energy doesn’t match. Their shoulders are tense. Their mouth drawn tight.