I sigh and fidget with his shirt. “My dad made me.” Before he can ask me anything else, I beat him by asking, “So you’re a Bratva boss? What’s that like?”
He gives a soft, deep laugh, and I smile when I feel the vibrations against my face. “It’s never boring.”
“How long have you been in America?”
“Just a few weeks.”
I don’t know much about mafias, and I have no clue how a Bratva is run, but there’s one thing I have to know. “Do you own places like Ruby’s? Are you a part of that kind of thing?”
He waits a few seconds, and when he answers me, his voice is calm and slow, like he’s choosing his words very carefully. “A lot of Bratvas are involved in sex trafficking. I saw it all the time in Russia, but I’ve never been a part of it. I can turn a blind eye to many things, Nina. I’m not what most people would consider a good man, but I despise rape. I do own a couple of strip clubs in town because it’s a very easy way to make a shit ton of money, but I can promise you those dancers want to be there. They’re free to leave at any time.”
I think about what he’s said, and although I’m not crazy about strip clubs, I realize there’s a huge difference between women choosing to take their clothes off and being forced to.
“How’s your arm feeling?” he asks, gently changing the subject.
“It’s okay, just a little sore.”
“I’m sorry I had to make you get it. If it wasn’t so important, I wouldn’t have done it. I hope you know that.”
“I understand. It is kind of funny, though. I’ve always been such a rule follower, and now I’m an honorary member of a dangerous Bratva.”
Vasily laughs again, still stroking my hair, and it’s quickly become my new favorite thing. “Don’t worry, your honorary status won’t require you to do anything.”
“That’s good. These last ten days have proven that I’m not very tough.”
“I disagree,” he murmurs against my head. “The woman I met in that shitty hallway showed tremendous strength.”
“I nearly passed out and then begged you for help. That’s hardly heroic.”
“It took a lot of courage to do that, Nina. Don’t downplay what you did.”
I fist his shirt, feeling my throat start to tighten as unwanted memories come rushing in. “I didn’t fight hard enough,” I whisper too low for him to hear.
“What?” he asks, leaning his head closer to mine so he can hear me.
“I didn’t fight hard enough,” I repeat, feeling my body start to shake. “I should’ve fought harder, should’ve begged more, anything.”
“No, Nina.”
The pain in his voice surprises me enough to make me lift my head so I can see him. He gently cups my face, brushing aside the tears with his thumbs. It’s too dark for me to see the sharp blue of his eyes, but the intensity in them is easy to see.
“You did nothing wrong. I know you’re thinking up a million different things that you should’ve or could’ve done, but I’m telling you there isn’t a damn thing you could’ve done to stop what happened to you. You couldn’t have fought them off, and if you had managed it, they would’ve just tied you to the damn bed. You were never going to win, Nina. It’s designed so you lose every time.”
Deep down I know he’s right, but what-ifs still run through my head. “He did tie me to the bed,” I whisper, clutching his wrists.
“Who did?”
“The first man, he came back again. He’s the one I was leaving when I saw you.”
“He did this to your lip, too?”
“Yes.”
“And the bruises on your thighs?”
I start to pull away, but he keeps his hands on my face and quickly says, “I just saw them as I was putting you into the bed to sleep. Your skirt rode up a bit. I didn’t undress you, Nina. I would never do that to you.”
I soften into his touch again. “He did some of them, but they’re all rough there. They’re monsters. I had no idea people could be so cruel.”
