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Home / Mafia / Breathe Me, Bratva King / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of Breathe Me, Bratva King: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

41 Chapters

11

AnatoliIf I weren't watching her so closely, I would've missed that tiny reaction of shock. How she just barely glanced down with a coy smirk."I'm not here to excite you."Now she did it.She lost her tight grip of professionalism and actually lowered her gaze toward my lap. Witnessing the spread of pink over her cheeks was the highest reward I'd felt like I'd earned in a long damn time.She'd dropped her focus to where I'd be demonstrating how excited a gorgeous woman like her could make me. In a hospital gown, no less. Fortunately, I was still too sluggish and getting back to the living to be hard. But I bet if she spotted an erection tenting this thin material, she'd lose her cool even more.And I wanted her to."I'm here to orchestrate your recovery and see to the delivery of your care."I nodded, unwilling to speak because I was getting fond of listening to her melodic voice. The tease of her thinking she could tell me what to do was too much to pass up on.She amused me. This

12

Estina"Dr. Hepburn."I stopped mid-step down the hallway. Hearing the registration employee calling out for me—again—gave me pause. It also induced some anxiety to kick back in. But I knew I wasn't in the wrong here.Please, just stop bothering me about any of this.I heaved a deep breath in an attempt to regain my composure, then turned to face the older woman.She pursed her lips, looking out of place among all of us in lab coats and scrubs. Such an office-appropriate outfit like the smart pantsuit she had on didn't exactly fit in. She was too posh, too fancy, too used to doing her job in the confines of an office on some other floor of this mega hospital that I'd never set foot in."I have been trying to get a hold of you," she said wryly as she approached me. "Every day, I call and text and email."I raised my brows, seeing no point to speaking up when she was clearly on a roll here."And now I've got to resort to chasing you down in the hallway?" She flung her arms up, looking e

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EstinaThroughout the rest of the day, like all the other days since he'd come and gone from my orderly life here, he was in my thoughts. And it seemed that everyone wanted to ask me what I thought of the older Mafia man, the sexy boss of the dangerous organization.I didn't have anything to tell them. Gossiping wasn't something I cared to participate in anyway, but where Anatoli mattered, I wanted to, well, keep the mystery to myself."How come Fidelis's not in?" I asked later in the shift when one of his patients coded and passed away. It wasn't his fault, but it was impossible not to consider the other doctor when it happened.Fatima shrugged. "I think he took a few days off." She grinned. "Why? You getting tired of thinking about your hot Mafia man and need to include some fantasies about your sexy doctor?""Oh, please." I rolled my eyes. "My sexy doctor? Nothing's happening between me and Fidelis no matter how flirty he wants to try to be." I would never fall prey to the constant

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AnatoliIt shouldn't have taken a near-death experience to bring Masha out of her room, but that did the trick. Since she was ambushed in the ballroom while she played piano, that night I rushed up to block her and keep her safe, she'd rebelled against me.Being targeted so directly was the trigger to her lashing out and condemning me for being such a horrible person, a terrible father, to warrant her life being endangered like that."Welcome to the real world, Sis," Gunsyn muttered next to me as Masha shouted and cursed me out—again."This isn't my world," she spat, glaring at him. Like this, fiery and pissed off, she proved that she was indeed my child. My flesh and blood. Strong, passionate, and unafraid to speak her mind. She was an Marcelli, all right.It just would've been nice for her to balance it out, half the time as a pouty, moody, teenage brat who'd give the illusion of peace and calm with her silent treatments as a protest to living here. Then half the time acting like a

15

AnatoliShe had to have heard it all.Although I only experienced several minutes in her company, it was plenty to give me the hint that she was sheltered. Prim and proper. Too good to ever belong in my gritty, dark world of power and violence. Too sweet and naïve to disregard the heated words she'd overheard.Setting my hands on the railing to the hallway, I locked my gaze on her and wondered why she'd shown up now. Or at all. When I walked out of the hospital, I figured that'd be the last I'd see of this gorgeous creature, so tall and slender but curvy in just the right places."What are you doing here?" I asked, relishing the fresh curiosity about her that took over the irritation over my daughter.She flinched, as if she were snapped out of staring. "Oh. I–I'll go. I'm not... Sorry. There's no need to interrupt you and..."Before she could settle on trying to finish one sentence, she spun to flee."No," I said, striding down the hallway and then the grand curling staircase to chas

16

EstinaToward the end of my shift, I hung back by the nurses' station and checked over the charts I had to review. So much of my job was bogged down with administrative duties like this. Reviewing charts, updating clinical notes, ordering labs and diagnostics. Technology helped. I couldn't imagine having to use paper or not rely on dictation.Most times, going through the busywork of paperwork kept me preoccupied. I was still focused and on task, but the autopilot of charts gave me a break from being completely on. It gave me a chance to process all the heavier things that tugged at my heartstrings on the clock.Like when I had to tell a young woman that her husband had died from the car accident he was in. Or when I explained to the older couple that their teen had a massive, untreatable tumor we'd found while they were here for another emergency.It almost gave me a spell of downtime to decompress.In the days since I'd stupidly gone over to see Anatoli, though, it was impossible to

17

EstinaWhat was I thinking?Am I even thinking anymore?There is nothing rational about my behavior.Like Anatoli is some force of life to make me disregard the law and propriety.Like he⁠—I stopped short, almost colliding with someone."Whoa."The man who stood in front of me was another one of them. Already, I was becoming too familiar, recognizing them easily.Tensing up, I frowned at him."It's okay."I couldn't help but huff out a laugh.Nothing was okay anymore. Not with my willingness to look the other way when they showed up. Not with how much his boss captivated me and still had me wondering what it'd be like if he'd kissed me that afternoon."Nothing will happen to you," he said. "My uncle has made sure of it."I raised my brows, connecting the dots quickly.Anatoli had looked into me. He'd been thinking about me. My God, he might have even started viewing me and my position here as a doctor as his personal advantage. Like I was a tool to use and count on.Shaking my head,

18

AnatoliInstead of bringing Estina to the backseat of the car waiting nearby, I strode toward the driver’s door.The driver exited, as did the other soldier who rode in the front.One tip of my head toward the dead Giovanni assassin was all they needed for instruction. They were both here to back me up, but I could get Estina to safety on my own.The driver nodded.“Dispose of him,” I ordered. Looking at the other man, I said, “Go help the others secure Sergei’s room.” That was why I’d come. Gunsyn and Roman updated me that Sergei had been taken to surgery, and with him in a vulnerable position like that, I felt it necessary to come and make sure no one tried anything. The Giovannis seemed to have an insider at this hospital. Besides, I was more than eager for an excuse to run into Estina.I hadn’t counted on running into her like this, saving her from one of my fucking enemies.As I got her into the passenger seat, worried about how stiff and shocked she seemed, I fought back the ang

19

Estina"This way, please," the butler said, gesturing for me to follow him up the staircase.I frowned in the direction of where Anatoli had walked away, leaving me to follow his orders, nothing else said.Dragging my withering glare from the way he'd gone, I cast a look at the guards at the door.I wasn't so stupid as to try to get past them. I wasn't so dumb that I could plan on begging them to let me out of here. They wouldn't defy their boss.Defeated, I trudged after the butler until he showed me to a lavishly decorated and elegant guest suite. He gave me a brief, monotone tour of the area, showing me the attached bathroom and adding that clothing and anything I needed would be delivered to the suite.That was it.He showed me in here as if I were a guest and left.The second he closed the door after himself, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it.This was insane. This was wrong. I couldn't just go along with any of this and stay and...Fuck.As I looked at the scre

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EstinaThe asshole only smiled, not making eye contact, and resumed eating. Once we were finished with the awkward—albeit delicious—gourmet meal, Anatoli arranged for me to contact the hospital that I was leaving on my tentatively pre-arranged sabbatical.It felt like a crime, too gregarious of a lie to commit to, but I wouldn't argue with the need to stay alive and safe."If you'll excuse me," Anatoli said afterward, "I have a meeting to attend."He backed up, leaving me standing there in the hallway. I gaped at him, annoyed and frustrated. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"He shrugged, not looking back. "Martin can show you around."I ground my molars together and despised this distance.A guest, my ass."I'm a prisoner," I muttered as I crossed my arms."Oh. You too?" a woman said.I turned, surprised to hear another woman, and with that much snark behind her words. A teenager stood behind me, near the closed doors to another room."Who are you?""Another prisoner," she shot bac

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