The other man follows behind with a scowl on his face.
Bardil. Do I know a Bardil?
“Come on, Marlen, it was dark, man, give me a break,” Bardil groans, shoving his hand through his hair and looking distressed.
Marlen and Bardil.
Popov brothers. Talia’s brothers. She doesn’t talk about them much, but I’ve heard Jaroslav and my brothers talking about them.
Marlen is the older one, the leader. He’s the one in power here. My eyes trace over him as he stands in front of the sofa and glares at me with knitted brows.
Holy fuck, he’s gorgeous.His eyes are bright green, flecked with gold and brown. He has a strong, chiseled jaw shadowed by stubble that is darker than his blonde hair. Broad shoulders push up against his black shirt, and as he folds his arms, I notice the snake tattoo winding around his forearm where he’s rolled up his sleeves.
My heart is stammering like butterflies in my chest as I stare at him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful man in my life.
It’s hard to be afraid of someone as gorgeous as he is.
Leaning back on the sofa, I cross one leg over the other and tilt my head to the side as I glare back at him. He’s still staring.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” I snap. “Is this really how you treat a lady? These ropes are too tight. Your brother tore my dress when he manhandled me, and you messed up my white sneakers.” I gesture over the torn seam of my dress along my thigh and then down to my shoes. Marlen’s eyes roam slowly down my leg. He scoffs and pulls his mouth tight. The scar on the left side of his jaw becomes more pronounced when he does this.
How come guys look more sexy with scars?I wonder briefly.
I really like Talia. I’ve always been curious to meet her family, but not like this.
“You aren’t scared?” Marlen asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Do you want me to be scared? Should I cry? Would that make you feel like more of a man? You know you assholes are all the same. You don’t have the right to discriminate against me for being a woman. You don’t get to target me because you think I’m weaker than my brothers. That’s why you took me, right? You thought this would be an easier option?” I stand up, taking him by surprise and causing him to take a step back. He folds his arms across his chest and studies me with an expression I can’t quite work out.
“Nothing to say?” I blurt out, getting angrier. “I have a life, you know. Over and above being a pawn in this Bratva business bullshit, I keep getting dragged into.”
He’s watching me with those gorgeous eyes as though he’s trying to make up his mind about something. Marlen cocks his head to the side and bites at his lower lip. He takes a step toward me and reaches out to grab my jaw in his long, strong fingers. Horrified that he’s touching me, I tug my face to the side, but he’s got such a firm grip that it’s no use. He pulls my face closerto his and studies my features, stopping when his eyes lock with mine. There’s a coldness in his gaze that sends a shiver down my spine. I refuse to let him see it through. Pursing my lips together, I push him with my bound hands.
“Keep your hands to yourself, asshole,” I snap. “You don’t get to touch me. Make whatever call you need to make. Demand whatever you need from my brothers, and let’s get this over with. The sooner I can stop looking at your stupid face, the happier I’ll be. In fact, if you can speed this up, I might still be able to meetTaliafor a cocktail.”
His eyes change when I mention his sister. Anger flickers across his face, dark and full of warning. I ignore the warning and push him again.
“Come on,Marlen, does it make you feel powerful to tie girls up and bully them?”
He snarls.
My confidence is agitating him. But I’m certain he won’t hurt me. He can’t. This is going to drag out a bit and be annoying, then I’ll be back home before I know it. By being a bitch to him, I might earn a less pleasant stay here, but who the hell cares? It’s temporary discomfort. I’m determined to let him know he pissed me off. I have a right to.
Marlen sighs, dropping his hand away and shaking his head. “This is not exactly what I had planned,” he mutters to his brother.
Bardil shrugs. “What do you want to do?” he asks.
Marlen paces around the living room while I stand watching them, wondering what the hell he meant by that.
What part of this isn’t what he planned? It’s not like you can accidentally kidnap someone. It was a pretty purposefulevent that they carried out with force. Bardil was there waiting for me. He shoved me in the trunk of the car.
I lift my wrists to my mouth, tired of whatever the hell this is, and I start biting at the ropes around my wrists, trying to get the knots undone.
Bardil is watching me, but he doesn’t move to stop me. I glare at him, and Marlen continues to pace.
“Marlen, I can go back at get the right girl,” Bardil says.
The right girl?
