Page 11 of Mistaken
Ella’s mouth opened and she growled out, “Oh, you have to be-” before apparently, the power of speech deserted her. This was progress.
Her face was concerningly pale, so my hand slid to the back of her neck, making her look at me. “You’re about to hyperventilate, take slow, deep breaths. Come on. Do it with me.” I pulled in a slow inhale of air, watching her follow me, shaky but trying.
Finally, between her gritted teeth, “Could I have a bottle of water, please?”
Like the day before, she greedily gulped the whole thing down before squaring her shoulders and looking at me again.
“I’m a New York City girl, and chivalry in this town is so dead. So ironically, this is probably the most romantic proposal I’ve ever had, and that includes the one from my cheating ex-fiancé.”
“Would you like me to kill him as a wedding present?”
“What? No!” Ella was horrified, “He’s a cheating weasel of a man, but that’s no reason to kill him! His punishment is that he has to be…himfor the rest of his life. You can’t just go around killing people!”
I shrugged, “I initially intended on killing you.”
“You know, coming out with that offer - right after this deeply troubling proposal that I am certain is a joke - is disturbing, Maksim.”
“I’m not joking about either thing, Ella.” I enjoyed her appalled expression. Not exactly what a man pictures when he proposes, but this was unconventional, even for me.
She was moving backward on the bed, crab-like, attempting to ease away from me. I calmly grabbed her ankle, pulling her back. “You mistook me for someone else. I got roofied, kidnapped, chased through your forest, nearly drowned… Some people might call you a terrible host. But let’s just… put this behind us and you send me home. I know just enough that obviously, running to the police would be ridiculous. Let me go home.”
Sweet little Ella’s voice trembled on the last word. I’d seen her weep tears of frustration and outright terror, but this sounded exhausted. It was endearing. It also would not work.
I strolled over to the desk, opened my laptop and brought it back to the bed, turning it to face her.
“Ella Givens, Ph.D. in pharmaceutical research, very impressive. Over a quarter million dollars in student loan debt. Parents are deceased… one older brother, Charles Sean Givens. It looks like your brother made off with your parent’s entire inheritance. That must be painful, with such high debt.” I looked up to see her lips pressed tightly together, furious and with those red cheeks, embarrassed.
“You ran a background check on me?”
“Of course, I need to know who I’m marrying, darling. Your closest friend is Tania Hernandez. It will comfort you to know that she was pounding on the club door the next morning after your disappearance, demanding to know what happened to you. You sent her a text this morning, telling her you’re deeply infatuated with me.”
“You have my phone?” Ella screeched.
My gaze rose from the computer screen, and she quieted immediately. Ah. More progress. “Of course I do, darling. And I’ve already sent your resignation in to Adalen Labs-”
“Who the hell do you think you are!” She leaped at me, knocking the laptop to the floor and slapping at my chest and arms.
Within seconds, I had her immobilized on the floor. “You do not touch me,” I hissed.
“I don’t care-” her voice was muffled, but she kicked and bucked with all her strength. “How dare you think you can destroy my life because it’s convenient for you? How dare you-”
My tone was no longer genial. “You stupid girl. I am Maksim Morozov, Pakhan to my Bratva, and one of the most powerful men in organized crime in America… and Russia. This is not a choice. I require a bride. Immediately. You will suit the role quite well. We will marry next week with much pomp and circumstance.” I pressed my mouth against her ear, “If you make any attempt to disobey me or disrupt my plans, I will kill your brother. And your best friend, Tania.” Ella was no longer struggling, holding still in my grip, her chest heaving.
Rolling her over, I impassively watched her horrified expression. “Do you understand me, darling?”
It took her a couple of tries to get the words out. “Why? Why me?”
Settling more comfortably on top of her, I answered her honestly. “You fit my requirements. You’ve certainly proven your intelligence and will to survive since I drugged you with that Mojito. You’re beautiful,” I ran one of her glossy curls between my fingers. “And I want to fuck you.” This enraged her enough to start struggling again, and I gripped her tighter. “I don’t want to hurt you, Ella. But I will.”
“You evil…” her fury sputtered to a halt, head dropping back on the floor in defeat.
I kissed her again, enjoying her flinch. “Good girl. We’ll return to Manhattan tomorrow, and you’ll meet with the wedding planner.” She made a choked, furious sound but didn’t move. “I’ve got some work to do. You will go to bed; we’ll be leaving early.”
The door had barely shut behind me before I heard her scream and something shattering against the wall. Shrugging, I continued to my study.
My staff was used to cleaning up broken glass.
Chapter 6 - Meet the Pakhan
