Page 51 of Captured Obsession

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NIKOLAI

Isip on a glass of vodka in silence, gazing at Sienna where she sleeps across from me. She refused to sleep on the flight to Russia, and she fought it once again when we boarded the jet bound for New York. But her exhaustion eventually won.

I’d been cruel—intentionally so. Sienna is too delicate for this world, and that’s only become more evident in the last twenty-four hours. She went from fleeing men in Croatia who were more than willing to kill her just because she was a nuisance to them, to being dragged to Russia and paraded in front of one of the most vile and vicious bratva leaders in the world.

I took satisfaction in killing the men at the manor in Croatia. When I saw two of them circling her with evil intent, I felt something I’d only known as a boy.Fear.But it wasn’t for me this time; it was for her. And then that fear turned to a protective type of rage.

I killed the other eight men for thinking they were above my orders. It served as a reminder that no one will survive my wrath if they dare consider laying a finger on her.

Mikhail is playing puppeteer, advising his father to be reckless when he thinks he’s being clever. This is a suicide mission. There’s no way the Armanis will gleefully let us walk in and shake hands for business after we fucking kidnapped Sienna.

But I knew in that moment I had no choice but to accept it, relinquishing my usual control. Because if not me, someone else will handle her, and I refuse to let anyone else touch her. I’ll return her as I promised, even if it costs me my life.

I’ll never tell her any of this. But this obsession has turned into something far more reckless. Something I don’t dare admit because I know I’m incapable of such things as caring for another living person. Not in the way someone like Sienna needs or deserves. But I can’t look away, let alone walk away.

It’s fitting that I’ll find myself in New York, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet Dmitri Volkov, who is rumored to be the one who killed The Lion. Dmitri is The Lion’s outcast son. The one who got away from the bratva as an infant, escaping with his mother and building his own empire with his grandfather’s influence, until of course, The Lion tracked him down.

“Would you like more, Nikolai?” Agata asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

When I told her she wasn’t coming on this leg of the trip, she’d reminded me that she’s a sixty-six-year-old woman who does whatever the fuck she wants.

I look down at the almost-empty glass of vodka. “Yes, please, Agata.”

She pours the liquor silently and then returns to her seat across from Andrei, who seems engrossed by whatever he’s reading.

Andrei simply nodded obediently when I told him where we were going and what we were ordered to do when we get there. I’m certain his lack of argument has more to do with the fact that it’ll endanger his wife and daughter if he were to refuse. So it’s better to return in a body bag than to jeopardize their safety. Because that is the only way anyone escapes the bratva. Loyalty is expected, but if you’re not high-ranking, you’re disposable.

I might be high-ranking, but I’m still expendable because I’m an outsider. I took this specific role only because it offered an opportunity to learn more about Dmitri Volkov and his involvement with The Lion’s fall. It’s one of few times I’ve let my curiosity guide me, and now I’m doing the same thing with Sienna.

I know this is a setup, and yet I’ve chosen to willingly go along with it just to ensure she arrives safely. What happens after that is anyone’s guess since I don’t particularly have an advantage. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make it out of this alive.

I take another sip and then rest my head on my fistas I continue to watch her sleep. There are dark circles under her eyes and scratches marring her once unblemished skin. My jaw tics when I spot two broken nails on her right hand. She jumped out of a fucking second-story window to get away. And where was I?

It was an oversight. Something I’ll ensure never happens again. Though, part of me is impressed by her capability of escaping in the first place.

“I can assure you, the goods are not up to your standard.”

I’d noticed her subtle flinch when I’d said that to The Wolf. She has no idea how dangerous it would be for her if he has even the slightest suspicion that she’s a weakness for me. And I also have to be cautious about what Mikhail may see. His shrewd gaze misses almost nothing.

The Wolf is shifting his angle where the Armanis are concerned. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a completely different game plan that he hasn’t disclosed. And he’s sending me as a test of how safe it is for him to seek a partnership with them. Give me a fucking break. It’s a risky way to create an ally.

The Wolf wants to exploit what The Lion was silently building in New York. The only ways to do that are by either overthrowing the Armani family or becoming allies with them.

Sienna stirs, kicking off the blanket that covers her. I lean over and pick it up, then stand to drape it back over her. She looks so small right now.

I give her credit for holding her own in front of The Wolf, but she never should’ve been put in that situation in the first place. And how will she act now, when she’s reintroduced into her own world?

She’ll be a part of it but still caged. Unless, of course, Luca Armani has me killed. My gaze softens slightly as I look down at her. But perhaps that isn’t so bad of an outcome for her. I don’t particularly want to die, but I certainly know someone with so much light and spark within her deserves to live more than I do.

I’ve come to appreciate the peace of her naivety. The way she wastes time by watching reality TV or clumsily throws knives. Her world is the opposite of mine, and I find myself curious by it.

I was watching her from a distance in London as she tried to rebuild there. But New York is where her family and friends are. When I was offered this task, it was my interest in Luca Armani and Dmitri Volkov that drew me in. But when I saw her photo, I knew what other men would do to her if in this position.

But the truth is, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Our lives couldn’t be any more different, and since it was only meant to be watching from the shadows, I thought it wasn’t such a bad way to pass the time.

The moment I place the blanket back over her, her eyes spring open, and she flinches. My stomach sinks at her reaction. Her gaze hardens as she grabs the edge of the blanket and tears it off, as if it’s on fire.