Chapter 18: Bratva Prince: Chapter 18

Damn him. Damn him and that sexy voice. That rugged, handsome face. That hard, chiselled body. Damn every goddamn inch of him.

I glared at his muscular back, trailing behind him, seriously debating making a run for it. But my goal wouldn’t be to get away, it would be to make him chase me. The thought was exhilarating. It made shivers dance down my spine.

He was just so…freaking…big. So unequivocally male. When he surrounded me, towered over me, I felt helpless. He could do anything he wanted to me and I wouldn’t have the power to stop him. Why that turned me on, I had no idea (probably my size kink at play).

I’d tried so hard to hold onto my will, my anger. To not let our burning sexual chemistry get in the way of my escape. That all went flying out the fucking window the moment he got in my personal space.

All I wanted, all I could think about, was that deep husky voice taunting me as he chased me down. Telling me I would never escape him, never outrun him. I would kick, fight him, but he would just pin me down with little effort and rut into me like a man possessed.

Wetness pooled between my legs and I held in my groan. At least, I thought I did.

Aleksandr turned around, one eyebrow hiked up and a deadly, sinful look on his face.

Yeah yeah, yeah. You got me all worked up, get over it.

I smiled innocently and gave him the finger. He chuckled softly, turning around again. He walked up the back deck and opened the glass sliding door, poking his head inside.

My eyes darted to the two men standing either side of the door, their hard eyes watching my every move. I glimpsed two handguns at each of their waists, wondering if I could pull a little sleight of hand and try to take one.

Aleksandr seemed to read my mind, to sense my intent. He narrowed his eyes, marched over to me, gripped me by the back of my neck and herded me inside.

I ignored the clench of my stomach, the lust exploding in my body at his manhandling ways and slapped his hand. “Let go of me, you brute. I don’t need help walking.”

He steered me in the direction he wanted me to go and released me. I walked down the hallway, my eyes darting in every direction, trying to memorise every inch of the house. Another two guards were posted at the front door in the foyer and my hope of escape plummeted.

The interior of the house was beautiful, which I expected. There was a dazzling crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Brightly lit sconces. Mahogany walls with ornate carvings. Expensive furniture and exotic rugs. The whole place screamed grandeur.

Aleksandr led me up a large winding circular staircase, stopping at the second floor. He turned right, walked past two bedrooms and stopped in front of the third. He twisted the handle and opened the door, sweeping an arm through the air to beckon me forward.

Such a gentlemanly gesture from such an asshole of a man. Go figure.

I walked in, taking a good look around. I turned back to face him, crossing my arms over my chest and spreading my legs to strengthen my stance. I wasn’t falling for it. It was a beautiful room. A massive improvement from my previous accommodation—but it came with a catch. I fucking knew it did.

“You might as well take me back, because whatever I need to do to stay here isn’t going to happen.”

Aleksandr strolled in, his body brushing past mine. He took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure?”

The suggestive hint in his voice made me stiffen. I scowled. “I’m not fucking you for a better room,” I hissed.

He rolled his eyes, getting back on his feet. “Calm down, malyshka. That’s not why I brought you here.”

It wasn’t? Why was I disappointed?

“I’m willing to offer you a deal. You tell me what I want to know, and you can stay here.”

“I told you already—”

“Yes. You’re not a snitch. I know. I’m not asking you to snitch. I’m asking you to fill in the blanks. We’ve figured out most of it on our own. We know Nero kidnapped you when you went to a meet with him. He used your life as leverage to get the cartel under his thumb. I know this because he tried to do the same thing to us. With the help of your men, he kidnapped my sister and would have used her the same way he used you if we hadn’t found her first. What I want to know is how Nero found out who you were, how the events unfolded.”

I narrowed my eyes in frustration. When he put it like that, it didn’t sound like snitching. If I was going to strike some sort of deal for my release, I had to start cooperating. I knew that, and out of all the information I had, he was asking for something that didn’t even matter. Something I didn’t even really know.

What harm could it do answering his question?

I blew out a breath. “I don’t know, and that’s God’s honest truth. One of my men came to me and told me the leader of the Outfit wanted a sit down. I’d never met the man before. Usually the answer would be a flatout no, but my brother convinced me to meet with him. Before my dad died, he told me to steer clear of you guys. All you mafia guys. That you were all crazy and we didn’t need to get involved with you. That our little corner in Columbus was all we needed. But Juan always felt like we could do better, expand into other places and earn even more cash. I shouldn’t have listened to him. I should have trusted my instincts, but—”

I cut myself off before I could say more. My family drama wasn’t information he needed to know.

Aleksandr stayed silent, his eyes studying me critically.

“Anyway, I eventually agreed and met with Nero on what I thought was neutral ground. Turns out he owned the building. We had barely sat down when he double-crossed me and one of his men held a knife to my throat. I have no idea how he found out who I was. I spent years cultivating myself as just one of the cartel’s lieutenants to anyone on the outside. He shouldn’t have known I was Don. It was privileged information only someone within the cartel would know.”

“So, you have a rat.” There was no judgement, nothing scrutinising in his tone. Just understanding.

“Yes. I still haven’t found out who it is, but I have my suspicions. And I’ll deal with it when I get back.”

“Why conceal yourself?” he asked, a slight frown on his face. “Why keep your identity a secret?”

It was a good question. One I didn’t technically have to answer, but I wanted to. My brother often asked me the same thing and he never seemed to understand. I wondered if Aleksandr would. Would he see the cunning behind it, or think it was stupid like Juan did?

“Have you ever seen The 100?”

His frown intensified. He looked completely confused. “What?”

“The 100. It’s a TV show on Netflix.”

He stared at me for a few seconds as if I’d gone crazy. He waited for me to elaborate. “No,” he grunted when he realised I wasn’t going to say anything else until he answered.

“Oh, you should. It’s really good. Well, the first few seasons are. It gets a bit weird towards the end, but anyway. There’s this character, her name is Lexa. She’s this badass woman leader of the grounders. I’ll explain who they are later—”

“Please don’t.”

“Anyway,” I dragged out, not happy with his interruption and ignoring it completely, “she holds two people from a rival clan captive in a cell. To find out their true intentions, she pretends she’s nothing more than a lowly servant locked in the cell with them. She listens to them, studies them. And because they think she’s a nobody, they talk as if she’s not even there. She’s able to gauge what kind of people they are, whether they can be trusted. All because they assume she’s no one of importance.”

Aleksandr’s head tilted slightly, understanding flashing in his eyes.

“People act differently when they’re in the presence of a leader. They tell you what you want to hear. Stroke your ego. Kiss your ass. I didn’t want that. I wanted to see people for who they really were, and the best way to do that wasn’t by being Don. It was by being a nobody. You have no idea how much shit I’ve overheard from people who wanted to make a deal with the cartel. All the insults they made about us. About me. Shit they’d never say to my fucking face.” I smirked, a memory flashing in my mind of the last time someone did that. I rammed my knife into their eye. “They all paid the price in the end.”

Bright blue eyes studied me with such focus it made me want to squirm. His gaze swept me from head to toe, something flashing across his face that I couldn’t place.

Did he understand? Did he think it was a good idea? A smart plan? Fucking what?

He was a bloody hard man to read. He was very good at hiding his emotions, what he was thinking in that big head of his. It was incredibly frustrating.

Based on the fact that he hadn’t said a damn word, I was pretty sure I knew what he thought of it. He agreed with Juan.

I blew out a breath. “You think it’s stupid too.”

“I think it’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever heard of.”

My head snapped to him in shock.

He what?

“You’re right,” he nodded, sincerity lacing his voice. “People do act differently in the presence of someone with authority, power. They put on their best behaviour, their most dazzling smiles and tell you whatever they think will win them your favour. I see it every day with my father. The amount of people that kiss his ass—” he snorted, shaking his head. “It’s ridiculous. Especially when you know behind closed doors they’re saying something completely different.”

“Y-yes,” I stuttered, taken aback by his words. “Yes! Exactly!”

I couldn’t believe he actually understood. Juan always made me feel like I was an idiot for doing it that way, for not just coming out and letting people know I was the one in the charge.

“It was a smart move to play,” Aleksandr continued, and I couldn’t help but beam in the presence of his praise.

Then I remembered I was pissed off with him and that feeling vanished so fast I stumbled back. How could he make me forget everything so fucking quickly? Why was it that when I was around him, the rational side of me just seemed to disappear? Along with everything else he’d fucking done to me. Kidnapping me. Deceiving me. Playing me. It was like my brain just forgot it all when I was with him.

“Yeah, well, I’m a smart cookie. If there’s nothing else, I wanna get some sleep. I answered your questions. So I’d appreciate it if you’d honour your end of the deal.”

His eyes narrowed. “I always honour my deals, malyshka. I’m a man of my word.”

I didn’t say anything and his glare intensified. He stared at me, as if willing me to react, to respond. But I didn’t. He’d managed to pull enough out of me for one night. I refused to give anything else.

But Aleksandr wanted a rise out of me, and he refused to leave without getting it. “Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?”

His eyes darted down to my pussy and back up again.

For fuck saaaaake. He was talking about my clit piercing. Dozens of inappropriate responses flashed through my mind. ‘Yes, but it was worth it because now it makes me come like a rocket.’ ‘No, why don’t you pull it with your teeth and make it hurt?’ ‘Yes, wanna see it?’

I didn’t say anything though. I knew he was trying to pull me in with our overwhelming sexual chemistry, and I wasn’t having it. I didn’t touch anyone who had a partner. Yes, I still wanted to fuck him silly, but knowing what I did now I would never act on it.

Ever.

“Goodnight, Aleksandr.” I turned my back on him and walked into the adjoining room, hoping and praying that when I came out he would be gone.