Page 9 of Surprise Bratva Daddy
Kiro nods. “And where the flash drive is.”
I cringe at his words. I already know it’s been destroyed. Those metal fragments couldn’t have come from anything else, and there was no sign of it in the hallway. I shot it, so the guilt rests on my shoulders.
“I don’t know anything,” the woman says, her eyes welling up with tears. “Please, I really don’t.”
I know that the best way to get someone from blabbering on and on is to ask them questions that are easy to answer. Working up from there proves a lot simpler than trying to get them to admit everything at once.
“What’s your name?” I ask. “Mine is Zane.”
“Zane,” she repeats, looking up at me with a slight frown.
Her brown eyes are so pretty, even when she’s terrified. Her pupils are so big and deep, I feel like I could drown in them. I’m drawn to her, fascinated by her innocence. It’s obvious she has no clue what’s going on, and dare I say I find that attractive?
“Yes, Zane, and what’s your name?”
“Monroe,” she says, pulling her shoulders back. She tries to pull her hand out of mine at the same time, but I won’t allow her to escape. She’s the only witness to what happened today.
“That’s a pretty name, Monroe,” I say calmly, despite the tension in the room. “Kiro and I are part of the Russian Mafia, often referred to as the Bratva. I call the shots, so if I snap my fingers, you die. I don’t care about the law, police, or prison. I operate outside of all that. Do you understand?”
She nods, but I see the defiance in her eyes. There’s a burning ember of fur deep within her, waiting for the opportunity to burst forth and burn this entire place down. I’ll have to keep a very close eye on her. She might not look dangerous, but she most certainly is.
I squeeze my hand a little tighter over hers, looking into her eyes. “You received a package today that belongs to me.”
“That’s what Maksim said, too,” she replies softly.
“He lied.”
“How do I know you’re not the one who’s lying?” she asks, tilting her head to the side and pouting her lips ever so slightly.
“Because the address to my headquarters is frighteningly similar to your address. I will take you there and you can see for yourself,” I explain. “How does that sound?”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I chuckle. “Now, now, darling. You don’t have a choice. You’re caught in a precarious situation, and now that Maksim knows you’re involved, he’ll want to get his hands on you again.”
She shudders, and I know I’m getting through to her. Maksim is worse than I am. People don’t understand that things aren’t all the same in the Bratva. Some men have honor and values, even if they conduct criminal business. Others, like Maksim, will do anything and everything it takes to get rich, stepping on people on his way to the top.
We’re nothing alike, and I think Monroe already understands that from our brief interaction today.
“Can’t you just let me go? I don’t have the flash drive anymore. Maksim took it.” Her words reveal a crucial piece of information about what she knows.
“You’ve seen the flash drive,” I mutter, more to myself than to her. “Did you plug it into your computer?”
She shakes her head vigorously enough for me to know that she’s lying.
“Listen very closely, Monroe,” I growl, yanking her closer to me. I can feel the heat of her body close to mine, and the heightened thump of her pulse as I grip her delicate hand. “That flash drive has some of the most important information you or I will ever witness in our lives, and I have reason to believe it’s been destroyed. If you know something, you had better tell me.”
“Destroyed?” Kiro asks loudly.
I groan, turning to address him. “Yes, a stray bullet hit the package. There are little pieces of it all over the hallway. Go and check for yourself.”
He mutters cruses under his breath in Russian as he leaves the kitchen with his head down. I hope he discovers that it’s still intact, but I doubt it. Monroe is my only hope of getting anything off that flash drive. Even a small fraction of what was on there would still make me rich.
I turn my attention back to Monroe, keeping my expression stern even as I loosen my grip on her hand. I honestly don’t want to hurt her. She seems too pure, too innocent for this wicked world.
I can protect her, but it’s going to come at a cost.
7
