Page 3 of Secret Bratva Baby (Dubrov Bratva #16)

She is as beautiful as the day I first met her.

Her eyes are bright blue, tinged with green, as though they were created as a tribute to the crystal clear ocean waters.

I’m staring at her when I notice her eyes drift down to the knife I just used on our rival. The rival that was sent here to take her, for unknown reasons.

The child in her arms is crying softly, her face nuzzled against Rose’s chest. She pulls the little girl tighter against her.

She’s edgy, and I can tell she’s about to run.

Just as she spins away from me, I grab both her and the child and pin them against my chest.

She opens her mouth to scream.

I didn’t want to do it this way, but I have no choice.

Pressing the barrel of my Glock against her ribs, I growl against her ear. “Quiet. Not a sound.”

She gulps back her scream and presses her lips together.

“You and I are going to walk quietly to that SUV parked across the street. You are going to climb inside. You are not going to try anything. Do I make myself clear?”

She nods.

“Good. Move.”

The little girl in her arms lets out a quiet whimper, and Rose whispers something to her that I can’t hear.

I tug the back door open and wave my gun, using it to gesture for her to climb inside.

The little girl curls up on her lap on the back seat. Rose reaches over to lock the seatbelt in place across her legs.

I never wanted to have to force her. But what choice do I have? This is for her own good. She has no idea how evil the people are who have decided to come after her.

From the front seat, I tilt the rearview mirror so that I can keep an eye on her.

She glares at me through the reflection, her eyes filled with anger.

Dammit, she’s gorgeous. Breathtakingly gorgeous.

It’s hard to keep my eyes on the road as I drive away from the scene, trying to focus on getting us somewhere safe, but constantly drawn back to her.

My heart is wrenched in several different directions.

Is she with someone now? Did she meet someone new? Fall in love? Has she moved on from what we had?

Of course, she would have. It’s been almost four years.

Memories fill my thoughts. The first time I set eyes on her, I knew I had to have her. There was no chance I was letting her get away from me, and I pursued her relentlessly.

Back then, my family was just breaking ground in the bratva world, and while we weren’t dangerously entangled in it, I knew better than to let her know who I really was.

I introduced myself with a fake surname.

It was for her own safety. I kept her a secret, my special secret, from my brothers for months.

Eventually, when they found out, I told them they had to stay quiet about it.

But over time, my family became more and more entangled with the darkest side of the mafia—and I loved Rose enough to know that if anyone caught on to the fact that we were dating, they would use her against me.

That’s why I forced her to leave. I pushed her away. It broke me. And I could see how much it hurt her, and I’ve never really forgiven myself for that.

I wonder if Rose ever forgave me. She doesn’t know the real reason I made her leave. But I was ruthless enough that she would never come and look for me again. And then I forced myself to stay as far away from her as possible, to keep her safe.

I never even knew she had a daughter. I have no idea if she’s married. But there is no ring on her finger.

The only reason I knew where she lived was because I found out by accident a few months ago—and then forced myself not to drive past the place.

I still love her.

Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t even know her anymore.

Then why is my heart going so wild in my chest?

I drag my eyes away from the mirror and force myself to watch the road and nothing else. None of that matters. It’s all in the past.

She’s met someone new. She has a child.

She’s moved on, and that’s what I wanted, isn’t it? I wanted her to move on with her life and stay as far away from me as possible.

My loud sigh draws Rose’s attention.

“Where are we going?” she asks nervously from the back seat.

“Somewhere safe,” I reply, not wanting to get dragged into a conversation with her. I don’t know why they want her— if maybe they linked her to my past, or if something else is going on here. But the less she knows, the better.

“Luka, just tell me what’s going on,” she hisses.

I realize she’s whispering because her little girl is asleep again.

I lower my voice as well when I reply, “All that matters is that you are safe. I will keep you safe until all of this blows over.”

“Until what blows over?” she says, losing her patience.

I shake my head, not answering.

We’re almost at the safe house. I’m still worried someone might have followed us, and I need to pay attention now.

Rose gives up questioning me and gently strokes her fingers over her daughter’s soft, blonde curls.

I have to fight the surge of jealously building in my chest. Whoever the man is who got to have a family with her, I secretly hate him. I wanted to be him once. I wish I’d ever pushed her away, that I’d found a way to keep her and protect her instead. But those days are over.

There is no point in dwelling on what I’ve already lost.

When we pull into the underground parking beneath my family’s safe house, I am one hundred percent satisfied that we weren’t followed.

In the garage, I shut the engine off and climb out of the car, my gun still strapped to my leg.

“Come on,” I say, tugging the back door open. “Let’s go inside.”

She glares at me, heated anger tainted with fear.

“You’ll be safe here, Rose. I assure you.”

“That might mean something if I trusted you,” she huffs, walking past me towards the door that leads into the house.

I punch in a code on the screen next to the door. I don’t hide it from her. I know she sees it. It doesn’t matter. Even if she makes it into the garage, there is no way to escape after that.

Inside the living room, the lights come on automatically, detecting our movement.

The little girl cradled in her arms stirs but remains sleeping.

I let my eyes wander over Rose’s face, her body, her hair.

Haunting memories tease me—running my fingers down the naked skin of her back, the smooth warmth of her body pressed against mine.

Her scent: strawberries and vanilla cream.

If I close my eyes, I can almost smell it now.

I take a step towards her, distracted by my thoughts, and she quickly steps back, her eyes widening.

“What do you want from me?” she asks, her voice tight.

“There are men after you, and I came to find you in order to keep you safe.”

“How do I know you aren’t the one I need to be kept safe from?” she challenges me.

“Maybe I am,” I shrug, turning my back on her to pour myself a whiskey at the bar. “Do you want one?”

“No, I have work in the morning. Please, just take me home, Luka. I don’t understand what’s going on. But I have a life. I have a job I can’t take days off from. I have rent to pay and things to do. Whatever is going on here, it’s got nothing to do with me, and I need to go home.”

I sip the whiskey, letting the gold liquid gently heat my mouth before I swallow it.

Sighing, I turn towards her again, instantly struck by her beauty all over again.

“You aren’t going anywhere, Rose. You are going to stay here with me, because if I let you leave, they will find you—and hurt you.”

“So, I’m a prisoner here?” she snaps.

I walk past her, purposefully letting my body brush against hers.

Strawberries and warm vanilla. The sweetest, most intoxicating scent I’ve ever experienced.

I set my drink down on the small glass coffee table and sit on the sofa with one leg folded over the other, my ankle resting on my knee.

I’m exhausted. I’ve been working non-stop for so many days in a row to cover for Niko and still get my own stuff done.

I can’t ask Ark for help, because—hey, I love him, he’s my brother, but he’s chaotic and unreliable, and I’d rather just do things myself than walk him step by step through everything.

Closing my eyes, I lean back on the sofa and rest my head on the back, pressing my fingers into my eyes to massage them.

Suddenly, I feel her kick my foot.

“I asked you a question. Don’t ignore me,” she huffs.

“What was the question?” I groan, leaning forward to grab my drink again.

“Am I prisoner here?” she asks, a little louder than before.

My eyes trace over the body-hugging dress she’s wearing. Every curve is accentuated. She looks professional and elegant, apart from the mermaid backpack slung over her shoulder.

I chuckle.

“You can put that down and make yourself comfortable, Rose.”

She gasps in disbelief. “I am not letting go of my child for a second.”

I laugh again. “I meant the backpack, not the kid.”

She bites her lip and lets the backpack slide off her shoulder and onto the floor.

“Sit.” I gesture towards the sofa.

“No,” she snaps.

“Suit yourself.”

“Answer me.”

I roll my eyes, brushing my hands over the thighs of my dark blue jeans.

“Yes, Rose,” I exhale. “You are a prisoner here. I have kidnapped you because it is the only way that I can properly protect you. You will not be allowed to leave this property without me until I can figure out what is going on.”

“You kidnapped me?” she gasps.

“Yes,” I say, leaning back on the sofa again.

“But I have a life, a job—"

“I know. You said so. Look, Rose, you need to accept that this is for the best. When it’s over, you’ll be free to go and carry on with your life and your job and your…boyfriend, or whoever is waiting for you.” I swallow hard, the last few words tasting horrible in my mouth.

She glares at me, and I glare at her, waiting for an answer of some sort, even though I haven’t asked a question.

I’m hoping she will tell me there is no boyfriend.

But of course there is.

She’s young, beautiful, and the little girl in her arms is kind of a dead giveaway that she’s not single.

“I won’t have a job if you don’t let me go to work tomorrow,” she snaps.

“You won’t have a life if I let you leave this house,” I say angrily, still heated by the idea of her loving someone else.

Rose purses her lips tightly, her eyes glittering as tears threaten to spill from them.

In her arms, her daughter stirs. “It’s okay, Lily,” she whispers.

Lily. Lily and Rose. Two flowers in a garden.

I turn my head, not wanting to look at her anymore.

I’m struggling in unexpected ways. Seeing her again after all these years is a lot harder than I imagined it would be, although I’ve been careful not to think about her as much as I am able to avoid it.

So, maybe this is all just my mind going into shock.

I need sleep.

I need to figure out how I’m going to juggle keeping her safe and everything else running.

Dammit. What have I gotten myself into?