When my eyes fluttered open I instantly let out a flustered scream. Before checking for my surroundings I knew where I would be finding myself, another cage, another attempt to break me. I should give this to Mikhailov, he is persistent in his own way to not directly cause me any physical harm.
This time my situation was different, more on the comfortable side. My head was on top of a plush pillow, my body over a double spring mattress, under a warm blanket. When I opened my eyes and rolled to my side completely I saw the wooden flooring. The ceiling above me seemed way too high so I scooted in a sitting position leaning my back to the hard wall behind me. The ceiling was indeed high, more in my eyes as the mattress was placed on the floor, at the corner of the room, the wall beside me felt different, I knocked on my knuckles over it, finding it to be drywall. I was in a room with hard concrete behind me and two possible drywalls. In front of me were metal bars, a few feet from the wall on the other side which had a door.
and also a door that is inside my cage. I stood up on unsteady legs to check if the door opened. Upon opening it I found a big luxurious bathroom it seemed like it was made from gold and upon running my fingers through them my guess was cleared. The decorative mirrors surrounded by golden leaves were made of actual gold. On top of the counter sits a towel, a pair of clothes, and undergarments. The bathroom smelled heavenly, the only odd thing was my odour as I was smelling literally like a pig. There was another door in the bathroom that didn't open. I got rid of my clothes and hopped in the shower. Desperate to feel the water over my body I quickly touched everything, turning both the overhead shower and rain shower heads on.
After cleaning up I changed into a clean pair of undergarments which were exactly my size and overly sexy for my liking and a pair of yellow rompers. I tried to look for a hairdryer but there weren't any hair appliances, and my mood soured thinking back to my real situation.
When I emerged from the bathroom sulking, I shrieked as Mikhailov was standing between the narrow space between the wall and bars. His shoulders were merely an inch away from getting stuck between them.
"There are certain rules you have to follow here." He shot in his rough voice, his gaze following the water droplets trailing down from my face down to my neck, his eyes flickered back to me when the droplets finally disappeared between the valley of my breasts.
My cheeks flushed, crossing my arms across my chest I cock my hip to the side giving him a meaningful glare.
"Oh, I l-love games. I was never a part of the athletic team but I love g-games." I faked the over-enthusiasm in my voice.
"My name is KazimirMikhailov, brigadier of the bratva. We are in New York. In my territory. There will be consequences if you try to defy me. This..." He spoke like he was telling me a weather report.
I rolled my eyes deliberately, I didn't need to know that. The only way I will get out of here is if Valerius bothers to save me or the bratva gets what they want from the Camorra or me in a body bag.
A muscle in Kazimir's concrete jaw ticked but his eyes remained emotionless. Now that I have bathed and feel comfortable in my own skin I am seeing Kazimir more as a human not as my captor with the demonic features. His scruffy beard is now a 5 o'clock shadow or either he had carefully trimmed it.
Wrapping my arms tightly over my chest I take a step closer to him. His jaw had a small swollen spot, I must have got to him when I rammed my knee. His phone buzzed at the same time, interrupting him. He didn't pull the phone out of his pocket and pointed to the table behind him I hadn't noticed. It had three plates covered by silver cloches.
"What, you are sending more captors inside?" I raise my brow, gasping in simulated horror. "I am not sharing the mattress with anyone. I came first." I whine stomping my foot on the ground, frowning at him.
His lips twitched in a smile that lightened his dark features. I had the sudden urge to see him smile and worst of all, be the reason for that smile.
I stomped over the feelings, crushing them into pieces. This is Carina's style, to mend the broken things even those who are beyond repair, including me.
"No. It's your breakfast lunch and dinner. I will be late..." He spoke as his gaze slowly traveled over my length sending shivers down my spine in excitement. No one has ever seen me with that look, with the gleam of curiosity and admiration. Maybe I have really lost my mind and now I am hallucinating.
"And there is some more change of clothes in the bathroom for you." He said, pointing to the camera in the corner of the room.
"Are you hinting me to give you a strip show you can watch after you come back or are you trying to be a gentleman here?" I squinted my eyes, pouting my lips at him.
"You will get my gentle side once you begin to obey me. You will see what else I have to offer you. Once you begin to adapt to this life." I rolled my eyes cattily then regarded him with a scathing look.
"And what did I unintentionally do to deserve this luxury." I demanded. When Kazmir didn't answer I raised my brow prodding for a response. I ran my thumb over my fingertips, checking the damage to my once well-manicured nails as I waited for a response. When I peeked at him, he was giving me a hard look and I found myself blanching in fear. He turned on his feet disappearing down the door. I drop my hand, my shoulders sagging in relief as I remain standing in my place for a long time trying to figure out his purpose for taking me in here.
I have no idea why I took her here. The room she had wreaked with dead rodents has been cleaned up. There are other rooms, basements, and fucking soundproof dungeons. The room she is staying in now could have been hers a long time ago if she hadn't shown her claws.
I checked the temperature of the thermostat in her room before rushing out. Her question has left me off guard but not impuissant. The nasty and rude comments were on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't say them to her. My approach towards her has been wrong from the beginning. Last night when Ruslan saw me panicking when Gaia passed out in the car, he only said that all my life I had been working on becoming a different and a better version of my father. A different man who doesn't cheat on his obedient wife and a better Pakhan for my men. If I don't keep my actions in check the line separating me from becoming like him will thin and eventually fade and I will end up becoming like him.
Gaia is as beautiful as she is sharp and cunning. And I must keep my temper in check with her. I have held her captive, the last thing I should be expecting from her is to have her fall in love with me at first glance as I had.
Reaching my father's mansion I stretch my legs before getting out of my car. Many other cars were lined up in the driveway so I am the last one to reach. Giving a curt nod of acknowledgement to guards stationed outside I walk to the basement where the meeting will be held.
Ruslan was commissioned outside the door, his hands folded behind his back along with the other boyeviks. My chest constricted every time I had to see my brother standing along with the other low-rankers. He should have been one of the four brigadiers of the Bratva.
I released a soft breath in relief as Father hadn't arrived. I would have shot him right here if he had tried to patronize me. The others gave me a sharp nod as I took my seat after them. If It can be called a seat. Whilst my father sits in a cushioned chair we have to put our asses over the stools covered in rust. His crooked ass has somehow gotten a hold of the rusty old stools. The bratva was no less rich than the other organized crime families but my father lacked the style. One day his most loyal men would die of tetanus.
Just when I had seated the door I had come from opened again. My father, Igor Mikhailov entered wearing a grey suit and a wide triumphant grin directed towards me. We all stood up in respect upon his arrival. My father circled the round table and pulled me in a tight hug clapping my back. He pulled back clutching me by my shoulder, he had to crane his neck slightly to meet my gaze.
His hazel eyes gleamed with pride as he glanced at me, eyes crinkling deeper in the corner as he squeezed my shoulder once again before taking his seat.
"My son has attacked the Camorra a week ago." he announced. All the heads snapped to me in shock. I regarded all of them with a calculating gaze. None showed to be faking their shock. That means the men Ruslan and I had chosen were indeed loyal.
"And he took Sergie's daughter from their mansion, under his roof." My father's voice boomed with excitement. The men groaned deeply, like animals getting a whiff of the blood. My hands gripped the knife strapped on my leg.
"When can we have a taste of that bitch." GavrilIvanov growled, his grey eyes looking into the distance imagining my Gaia in his clutches.
I unsheathed the knife before I could lunge forward and slit his throat my father pushed to his feet slamming his fist on the table. He lowered himself coming face level with Gavril slanting him with a murderous glare. He visibly shuddered in fear. As one of the four brigadiers of the bratva, he was the lowest ranked in the room, after the pakhan and his Sovietnik and Obshchak. The other two brigadiers straightened their shoulders like they hadn't been thinking what Gavril had spoken out loud.
My father is a monster, even at the age of 67, he is built like a tank. And his gym routine is similar to mine and Ruslan's. His daily exercises are the only disciplined part of him. I sheathed my knife back, and BoryaLebedev the sovietnik caught my discreet movement. My father's hands turned white as his nails dug on the wooden table.
"Gaia Azzaro is going to be my daughter-in-law. She will be addressed with the same respect as I am." he seethed with his barely restrained anger.
I was shocked at the protectiveness in his voice but my expression didn't betray me as I remained angry over the remark toward Gaia.
"With all due respect, Pakhan. She is the enemy's daughter. Azzaro has betrayed the bratva his daughter should be a means to an end. Kazimir has made his point by dragging his daughter here. Ruslan doesn't have to marry her." BoryaLebedev pointed out.
Both my father and my fury shifted towards him. Though being the sovietnik it was his right to know what we had planned. But he was also aware that my father made things his family affair whenever he pleased.
"Gaia Azzaro will be marrying my son and brigadier of the bratva.." Borya's eyes widened like the others as my father enunciated every word through gritted teeth.
"Kazimir's wedding will be held in four weeks. All of you will receive an invitation a week before." he spoke in a low threatening tone.
Maybe Borya had a death wish or he was so sure that it had been a bad idea from the beginning, he met my father's gaze and spoke.
"Kazimir is the future of bratva. We all know one of your sons will reign after you... Not that he doesn't deserve it." His gaze met mine briefly showing me more respect than he was doing with my father.
My hands reach for my gun and knife. If my father loses his cool and attacks Borya I will handle my father and will attack DimaVasiliev one of the brigadiers sitting beside me. Ruslan who will barge in will handle the fourth brigadier Petrova who is most likely on our side. But my father was alarmingly calm.
"Azzaro was a traitor. He went there as a messenger but stayed to rule over the Camorra. You want the traitor's daughter to marry our Brigadier. What message will it deliver to the families..." Before Borya could get himself killed over his unfiltered opinions I interrupted.
"Gaia will marry me. Willfully. The enemy's daughter will have a bright smile on her face when she will show her father and the entire Camorra a middle finger by marrying me."
Borya looked like he wanted to say a lot of things but the need for self-preservation finally kicked in and he snapped his lips shut. His gaze turned back to my father who was leaning his back on the chair rocking it to the side, like a possessed doll.
Borya had been running his own gang 20 years ago. He found the rank and money bratva was offering more profitable than leading his own gang that could get attacked by the bratva or the other way around for us. The leader inside him is still alive and wouldn't take this lightly.
Other men were quick to lick my father's ass congratulating him and me for the attack. The meeting as expected took hours as we discussed the safest road map for our cargo and other shipments. My thoughts were constantly being fogged by the thoughts of Gaia and the way she would be looked at by the bratva and the Camorra when she would be agreeing to marry me. And the worst was the deadline of 4 weeks to convince a strong-willed girl to marry me willingly.
Namaste. It will be really helpful to me if you share the story link on your Conversation Board or social media. And thank you for reading. Please don't forget to VOTE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐for the chapter and leave your COMMENTS below.
I would love it if you checked out my other stories, 'Aurora's Aura' 'Billion Dollar Wedding' 'Violet Hues' 'Becoming Romeo' & ''Mafia & Miss Honey'. The story link is on my profile