Chapter 5 - Oleg

I pull up in the driveway of my private home. I am not taking Raisa to our family home as I haven’t actually discussed this plan with anyone else. I want to arrange for us to be married first and I don’t need anyone interfering in the meantime.

When I switch the engine off, Raisa is very quiet. She’s been kicking against the car boot for most of the journey. I had to turn the music up really loud to drown out her noises—and the fact that there isn’t even a single sound coming from the back of the car—I don’t like it one bit.

I climb out and slam the door shut. My stomach is knotted and I’m annoyed that I had to do this. I wish I didn’t have to take her by force. I really hate the fact that I like her. It was probably a bad idea to chat with her for such a long time at the club. It’s messed with my head a bit.

I feel guilty.

But I know it doesn’t matter how I feel.

I have a duty to my family and that is all that matters.

My hand is resting on the button at the back of the car which will release the boot and open it.

I take a deep breath, ready for her start shouting at me again.

Then I click the button and pull the boot open quickly.

But as soon as it unlocks, she is ready and one step ahead of me. She kicks hard against it, causing it to jump up and smack me in the jaw.

I stagger backwards, caught off guard.

She leaps out of the car and starts running.

I bolt after her realizing she doesn’t even have the handcuffs on anymore.

Her brothers taught her well. They must have prepared her for things like this—knowing the life they live and the world they are operating in.

It doesn’t take me long to catch up with her.

I launch myself towards her, grabbing her around the waist as I twist my body and roll onto the grass in front of my property. She rolls with me, still kicking, clawing at my face.

I grab both of her wrists in one hand and pin them above her head as I lay on top of her. She kicks again so I use my legs to spread hers open and then press all of my weight against her body.

She cries out, so I lock my other hand over her mouth.

“Don’t make this harder than it is, Raisa,” I growl against her ear. Having her pinned beneath me like this with her legs spread wide and her dress riding high over her hips—it's making my cock fucking hard again and that’s the last thing I need right now but her body feels too good underneath me.

She is so small in my hands that she doesn’t stand a chance against me. I could do whatever I wanted to her right now.

Fuck.

Get a grip.

Stop this.

Get her inside and lock the fucking doors. You are not a monster. You are a man and you will treat her with respect even if you have been forced to kidnap her against her will.

I push myself off her, but drag her up with me at the same time so that she can’t make another run for it. “Raisa,” I warn her with one utterance of her name. “Walk with me or I will carry you in.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she snaps.

I shake my head. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t give you an option.”

She shouts furiously as I lift her off the ground, throw her over my shoulder and carry her into the house.

Inside, I set her down and lock the front door. She immediately bolts away from me, trying to find a way out.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair.

This is going to be a lot more work than I imagined it would be.

She’s far feistier than I was prepared for.

I pick up my phone and dial Marcus, ignoring the sounds coming from upstairs. I know there is nowhere for her to go. She’s locked in. I made sure everything was secure before I left this evening.

“Marcus,” I say, as he answers the phone.

“Oleg, how are you tonight? Did everything go according to plan? We did run a full sweep of the property after you left—just to double check everything.”

“Yeah, no, that’s great, but listen. I actually want to get a second team on the perimeter of the property. They can patrol inside the garden area. I want to be extra careful.”

“No problem. I’ll have a team put together in the next hour. I’ll bring them over myself and give them the rundown.”

“Perfect. No one is to come inside the house, though.”

“Noted. Also, seeing as you are on track, do you want me to confirm for the priest?”

“Yes, definitely.”

Marcus has been my righthand man for years. He knows the ins and outs of my life better than anyone. He has saved my life more times than I can count.

After my call with him I walk upstairs to find Raisa.

I hear a crashing sound coming from the guest bedroom, so I head in that direction.

Walking in, I lean against the door frame with my arms folded across my chest. I just watch her for a moment. She is picking things up off the dresser and throwing them against the sliding doors that lead out into the balcony.

“Why don’t you try the chair? It’s heavier.” I say, and she jumps around to face me with wide, terrified eyes.

“Just let me go,” she begs.

“I can’t do that,” I say with a sigh. “And listen—I am about to give you another choice. Pay attention because I will only say this once.”

She glares at me, that fiery stare burning into me.

“What?” she snarls. Fuck. She’s sexy when she’s angry.

My jaw clenches tightly. I’m doing the right thing. For my family. That’s all I need to keep reminding myself of.

“Ok, you have a choice. You can behave, stop breaking things, and have free access to the entire house—or—you can carry on behaving exactly as you are now and I will simply lock you in one room and you can create as much havoc as you want in that space. So, what will it be? The entire house or one room?”

“What about if you just—“

“Raisa. Make your choice,” I demand. I am not willing to discuss anything else at this point.

“Please don’t lock me in a room,” She says softly.

“Fine. There’s food in the kitchen. Ask if you need anything. I’ll be around. I have double security so honestly, don’t even bother trying to escape. You won’t make it far and all you’ll end up doing is pissing me off. You don’t want to piss me off.”

I stare at her, waiting for a response, but all she does is nod tightly.

I know she is going to try something else. There is no way she would give up that easily. But I’m not worried. She really has nowhere to go.

I turn away from her, giving her the space she needs to calm down and process the situation she is in. I get it. She’s angry. She is obviously upset. But it is what it is. She will just have to accept it.

I head downstairs with far too many thoughts running through my mind.

Tomorrow afternoon, the priest will be here and we will be married. After that, everything changes. I’ll inform my brothers of my solution to our problems and then we can make contact with her brothers and inform them that they have no choice but to ally and stop their shitstorm before they end up doing any real damage.

It’s their own fault that it came to this. If they had approached us when they first arrived, we could have had a discussion—but they chose a different path—forcing me to choose this.

Downstairs, in the kitchen, the chef has left dinner in the oven for me. I pull the dish out. Lamb shanks on a bed of roasted butternut with creamed spinach. I hope Raisa isn’t vegetarian or some shit like that because then she is going to hate living here.

I dish up two plates. One for myself and one for Raisa. It’s late, I don’t know if she had dinner before she went to the club—but at least if she does come looking for food in the night there will be some ready here for her.

I grab a pen from the kitchen draw and scribble a note on a serviette, leaving it on the glass food dome I place over her plate.

Raisa, this is for you. Otherwise—help yourself to anything in the kitchen.

Again, I feel a heavy pang of guilt. It doesn’t feel right—holding her here against her will. I really like her. She doesn’t deserve this and what’s worse is that I feel a kinship towards her because she is trying so desperately to get out of the mafia world that she is studying behind her brothers' backs. She is fighting for her own life—not one that her family chose for her.

It really sucks that she got stuck with the raw end of this deal.

I eat my food downstairs in the dining room. Outside I see the new guards being shown the property by Marcus. Good. When I go to bed in a bit, I can rest easily knowing that there is no way for her to get out.

She can try.

I just hope she stops breaking things because then I will have to lock her up in the guest bedroom. I don’t want to be forced to do that.

I already feel bad enough as it is.

When my food is finished, I carry my empty plate back through to the kitchen and leave it for the housekeeper to deal with tomorrow.

I head upstairs and check in on Raisa who has actually fallen asleep in the guest room. Thank fuck for that.

She is lying on top of the blankets, curled in a ball, with her short black dress drifting up over her ass.

I don’t want to look, but it’s impossible.

She is gorgeous. Her body is gorgeous and there is nothing about her that I don’t find attractive.

Somehow—she is exactly my type.

I pull a spare blanket out from the closet and gently wrap it over her, trying not to wake her up. I can’t have her sleeping uncomfortably. I don’t know why she didn’t just climb underneath the blankets on the bed. I guess she was reluctant to give in and accept that she is spending the night here—she doesn’t realize yet that she will be here for much longer than one night.

She stirs slightly, rolling over on the pillow and I see evidence of tears on the silk pillow case.

My jaw clenches.

I brush my fingers over her soft, warm cheek.

“I’m sorry, little flower,” I whisper.

Then I turn away, walking to my own bedroom.

I need sleep as well. It’s been a long night and tomorrow is an important day. The day of my marriage.

There will be no fancy show of it, though. We are just going to say our vows and sign the papers. I don’t care about the dresses and flowers and all of that shit.

This is a marriage of business. A necessity.

After a hot shower, I climb beneath the covers of my own bed and sigh as I stretch my arm behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. It's dark and I can hardly see anything, but I’m agitated. I can’t sleep because all I can do is think about the gorgeous girl sleeping in the room across the hall from me.

Oh, and that kiss.

Fuck me. That kiss was insane.

Just thinking about it, my cock is starting to get hard.

I can’t. I have to rest. I need to go to sleep.

I roll over onto my stomach, burying my face against the pillow and letting out a frustrated sigh.

Closing my eyes, I try to force myself to sleep, but it takes ages and when I do finally drift into the darkness—I dream of her.