Page 16 of Innocent Bratva Hostage
“You just have to trust me.”
“No, I can’t just trust you, Andrei. Not after everything has happened. I need to know why you care enough to try and keep me safe.”
“You’re right. I’m just like them, soulless and cruel, but your father worked for me, and I respected him very much. He was kind and loyal. That isn’t something you find easily in the mafia,” I explained, holding her gaze so she could see that I meant every word. “He died working for me, which makes you my responsibility now.”
She let out another humorless laugh. “Great speech. You expect me to believe that? Like you said, you’re just like the other guys. All of this could be a show just to get information from me.”
I didn’t expect her to believe me, but I meant every word I said. It was true that I approached her to get the information I needed about how to find the missing shipment, and I got her arrested just so I could play Prince Charming and come to her rescue; she’d trust me that way.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
Peter and I might not have been as buddy-buddy as he and Rafayel, but we were damn close, and I knew his daughter was all that mattered to him. I’d be failing him if I allowed her to get hurt. “Trusting me is a choice you have to make.”
“Yeah, right. I don’t trust you, so I guess I’m out of here.” Her hand moved toward the door handle.
I grabbed her wrist to stop her. This time, I was cautious not to hold her too tight.
I didn’t expect her to be so light because, with one pull, I was close enough for our bodies to rub against each other.
She gasped, her wide eyes locking onto mine.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said, my voice low, steady. “Not until this is over. Not until I say so.”
Her breath hitched slightly, but she didn’t look away. “Last time I checked, I’m a grown woman who is capable of making my own decisions. You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I can if the decision you’re about to make will hurt you. I’m not trying to control you. This is just my own way of keeping you safe, Giselle. You don’t have a choice.”
She moved away from me and rolled her head back. The car became silent again, save for the finger I was tapping on the steering wheel as I waited for her to say something.
What felt like an eternity passed before she exhaled, her shoulders sagging with defeat. “If I trust you, then there’s one thing I’ll ask for. It’s not for you to keep me safe or anything else.”
Was she bargaining with me right now? I didn’t mind, as long as she didn’t refuse to be under my protection. “What do you want?”
She peered right into my eyes with her chin high. “I want you to find the people who did that to my dad, and I want them to pay for it. I need them to suffer the same way he did before they stole his life from him.”
A fair request, I must say.
I’d been waiting for that rage, for that need for revenge, and now I had it. “I’ll find them.”
“How do I know you’re not just saying that?”
“If we’re working together, then you must learn to trust me. Peter wasn’t just your father; he worked for the Bratva, and he was loyal. Avenging him and keeping you safe is the least we can do.”
She glanced at me, her lips thinning as she studied me. “I’m choosing to trust you, Andrei. I hope I don’t regret it someday.”
I wanted to assure her that she wouldn’t regret her decision to trust me, but I’d never been a man of too many words. I intended to show her that trusting me would never be a mistake.
Rather than giving her the assurance she needed, I held her gaze, silent for a long moment.
She had fire in her. I could see it now, the same spark Peter had.
But fire could be dangerous.
And right now, she had no idea just how much the need for revenge could consume her. She had no idea how much a deal with a man like me could cost her.
Chapter 7 – Giselle
Andrei’s mansion was nothing short of breathtaking. Its sheer size was overwhelming: a sprawling estate tucked behind iron gates and guarded walls. Every inch of the place screamed wealth.
