Page 48 of Trapped By the Bratva
I shrugged. “Just walking around. Wanted to check on my sister.”
He furrowed his brow. “The one who Becca said is a user and a manipulative bitch?”
I nodded, sheepish about it. “She’s still family, though.”
He grunted. “Sometimes, the family you find is stronger than blood.”
I was beginning to comprehend that all too well.
“If you’re heading out, you need to take security.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “But I’m… I’m a nobody. That’s silly.”
“No. It’s not silly at all. You’re an employee of the Valkov Bratva. And you will be protected.”
Security wasn’t a bad thing. I never had it to count on before I came here, and now that I knew all these strong men would keep me safe, I couldn’t say that I didn’t like it. “Okay.”
“Hang on a minute and I’ll get someone.”
“Thanks, Ivan.” And I meant it. I appreciated all that the Valkovs did for me.
Even Dmitri. He was a hard man to work with. He was a messy man to get involved with. The guy had all sorts of baggage weighing him down.
But I still cared enough that I would try to be the bigger person and approach him after I saw my sister. Taking a day off from working with his recovery would give us both some space, but I didn’t want to get too distanced from him.
Actually, I didn’t want any distance between us at all.
16
DMITRI
Idid my best with the exercises, but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t have an option to not do them. My goal was to get stronger, and that meant putting my body through the moves and making it work.
Without Hannah here to guide me along, I felt stuck. The exercises and stretches weren’t that complex. I knew how to work out, and I’d maintained my physique with workouts since I was a teenager.
Not having her near and watching me, I felt lost. Even though I knew how to do all of this, I valued her feedback. I like that she seemed to care.
After I showered following the lengthier session of exercises, I wondered if she’d left. If shouting at her the day after I fucked her was too much for her to bear.
I wasn’t going to sit around and think about it. I set out to find her. An apology wasn’t waiting on my lips. I wouldn’t take it back. We’d fucked, and I wanted to again.
I went to her room, knocked once, then let myself in. She was a guest here, anyway, but she wasn’t in the room. Her things were still present. A single bag lay opened in the closet, a few clothes were hung up and folded in drawers. She didn’t have much, but it looked like she hadn’t taken her things and run off.
Is that all she has?
I didn’t like the possibility that this was all she had to her name. That Hannah had such few things to fill a closet or dresser.
How would I know, anyway?I hadn’t taken the time to get to familiarize myself with her past the obvious. The few times I tried to learn more about her, she clammed up and gave me short, bald answers that painted a vague picture.
Because getting to know her would indicate more. It would make this far more than a fling or a casual hookup while she works here.
Neither of those scenarios should be happening. However, the longer I went without seeing her, the more I felt like shit for lashing out at her.
I was stuck missing her and wanting her more than I should have, and not finding her in her room didn’t help. It left me confused. Annoyed. And curious.
“What are you doing?” Amy asked me later when I went to the kitchen for a snack. Reaching up high wasn’t an easy feat with my shoulder still so limited in its range of motion, and reaching up with my opposite arm wasn’t any better.
She patted baby Pyotr as she came through the room. “Need help?”
