Page 69 of The Bratva Sinner

“Mike saved my life.” Her eyes meet mine. “George is dead because of me.”

“George?”

“The guard.”

Georgiy.

I sit very carefully on the edge of her bed. I don’t want to jostle her. “He’s dead because the Albanians are animals who don’t respect boundaries. This is not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” Her voice cracks. “He died protecting me. Pavel’s in surgery. Mike got shot. All because you wanted me to go shopping. I could have ordered online.”

“You are not responsible for their actions. You wanted clothes. That’s normal. You shouldn’t be afraid to leave the house. I told you, you are not a prisoner.”

She looks up at me, and I see the fear she’s trying to hide. She’s always fighting. “They aren’t going to stop. They’re going to keep coming until they get what they want.”

I want to tell her she’s wrong, that I promise to protect her.

But she’s not wrong.

“Security’s being doubled,” I say. “No more trips outside the compound without a full detail. Today, it was lax. I was wrong to assume my name would be enough.”

“I can’t leave. I can’t go anywhere without armed guards. I can’t live a normal life. They’ve given me two options: prison, or death at their hands.”

“This is not a prison.”

She sighs. “It is.”

“Prison doesn’t give a fuck if you die! I do!”

She stares at me. “You can’t keep me in a cage,” she says quietly. “Even if it’s for my own good. That’s not living; that’s barely surviving. It feels like I’m putting off the inevitable.”

“Better to exist than to die.”

“Is it?” She meets my eyes. “What kind of life is it if I can’t do anything? If I’m just hiding here, waiting for them to get me anyway? They keep killing people. Your people.”

“They won’t get you.”

“You can’t promise that.”

She’s right; I can’t. But I’ll die trying to make it true.

“When I got the call,” I say quietly, “I thought you were dead. For about thirty seconds, I thought I’d lost you.”

She watches me silently.

“I’ve seen a lot of shit, Lila. I’ve watched people die. I’ve killed people. I’ve been shot at, stabbed, and beaten. Nothing scares me.” I look at her. “But that phone call? Hearing that they’d taken you? That terrified me.”

Her expression softens slightly, and I think there might be tears in her eyes. For me? Or because the stubborn woman is in pain?

“I won’t lose you,” I continue. “I can’t. So please, just listen to me. Stay close. Let security do their job. Don’t fight me on this.”

I’m showing weakness. Letting her see how much she matters. It’s stupid and dangerous, and I can’t seem to stop myself, but I think about what Nikolai said. Make her want me. I have to be a little vulnerable and show her I’m not the man she believes I am. Not completely, anyway.

“Okay,” she says. “I’ll listen.”

I nod, standing before I do something stupid like pulling her into my arms. “Good. Cinder will check on you in a few hours. You need to take the pain meds.”

“No.”