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Using my arms, I pushed myself backward and kicked my leg out to catch Lev in the chest, knocking him backward onto the floor again.
"Bratok has a little crush, how cute." Lev teased with a cheeky little snicker from his position on the floor. "Not that I can blame you, she is quite—"
"Finish that sentence and I'll really lay your ass out." There wasn't a hint of playfulness with how low my voice dropped with my threatening gaze.
At least Lev knew when to back off after all these years of being on the receiving end of many fulfilled threats.
Softly grunting, Lev leaps back up to his feet before straightening himself out with a quick pat down of his hands. "In all seriousness though, we should just hire her. She can kick ass, follow rules like you want, isn't a hot head like me but is as efficient and hardworking like me. Honestly, unless she's a druggie after hours or partakes in very unsavory business, I say we take her on board already. I mean, you haven't found any kind of dirt on her. Sure, her record has some holes in it, but could they be any worse than the men we have employed?"
Unfortunately, I couldn't argue much with Lev because he made valid points, but there was one I could still dig at. "The fact she has so many large holes is holding me back. Yes, our men are probably worse, but at least we know them or have some kind of connection with them. Hanna is a complete stranger to us." Nearly all the men under our employment were connected to our bratva, so they weren't outstanding citizens by any means.
"We should really just give her a chance, I've got a really good feeling about her." Lev's voice lightened almost pleadingly when he stopped sounding like some salesman.
Jokingly, I sneered at him, "Yeah, a good feeling between your legs." I knew what he meant, but I still felt a little pissy.
Maybe I should have let it go and taken the higher road because Lev ran with the inch he got from me. "Well, can you blame me? She's feisty, got a killer body with nice ass tats, knows how to take care of herself, and her ass is something else man."
"And exactly how do you know she's got tattoos?" I couldn't control my apprehension as I jealously narrowed my eyes at Lev.
I only knew she had ink on her body because I happened to run into her at the club the other night. From my knowledge, she and Lev have never interacted outside of the office, and Hanna was always covered up around the place. So, how the hell did he know, or when did he get a chance to take a peek at her?
"Oh, we sparred for a while when you had your meeting the other day and her shirt ended up ripping in the middle of it because we were being too rough with each other. She can really pack a punch and kick by the way, still a little sore from where she landed a solid one on me." Lev's unbothered attitude with his little blip of giddiness pissed me off tremendously.
I shouldn't be feeling a tad bit murderous towards my younger brother for that, but I couldn't help the red-faced monster from making its appearance in me.
I was jealous and angry. Lucky little bastard got to lay his hands on her and see her artful body, things that only I should be doing.
It was so wrong to have all these intense feelings, though, all over some girl I've barely met. I'm fucking enamored with her, and I don't know why.
No, I do know why. The why was because she's a mystery, yeah, that's why. I'm a little obsessed with her because I need to fill in the holes of her life to sate my curiosity. I needed to know everything about Hanna to settle my paranoia.
I was just overly curious about her, which is why I wanted her, not because I desired something more. This morning was a fluke; my stupid hormones and pent-up sexual frustration clouded my mind. I just needed to figure her out. Figure out her background, her past, and her future. I wanted—no needed—to know every aspect of her.
To know her daily routines, frequented places, habits, and quirks. Then, I wanted to know what makes her happy and smile and how to make that happen. And more importantly, I needed to know how Hanna felt—particularly under me.
Unfortunately, all of the pondering in the world had to wait until after my collections run because I couldn't afford to be distracted, not unless I wanted to get injured or lose my life. The wisest option would've been to take Lev up on his offer to do the run for me, but I needed the fresh air to get away from the office, away from her.
Going on a collection run with a muddled mind might bite me in the ass, but I wasn't too worried. Too bad the same couldn't be said toward my older brother—Nikolai—who called me the moment I settled into the car with some of the other men.
With one annoyance off my mind, another quickly filled its spot. "Hey, you don't have to if you don't got the time, I can always send Arseny. Besides, you have that assignment later tonight too, or did you forget?" The brief and lighthearted greeting didn't last long after I picked up Nikolai's phone call. Granted, he wasn't one to sweet talk or beat around the bush.
The buildings outside passed by in a blur as the car sped down the streets. "It's just a quick collection run, I'll be fine. Besides, I've dealt with this idiot before, so it'll be a piece of cake. He won't get violent or gun happy, he's more of a runner than a shooter. His guards won't stand a chance against me or our men either, so don't worry. Besides, I needed this to get some fresh air." I admitted to him with an inaudible sigh. "And no, I didn't forget about tonight, and again, don't worry, we'll be fine."
"You know I'm never going to stop worrying about you all, especially you after hearing shit from Lev." Nikolai's deep and devious chuckle meant no good would come out of his mouth next.
"If this is about my little office crush then go shove it back up Lev's ass because he doesn't know what he's talking about." I groaned and rubbed my temples as I made a mental note to give Lev an ass kicking later for being a little snitch to our older brother.
"There's nothing wrong with liking a girl Stepan, just be smart about it is all I'm going to say. Turn up that charm and get her so Lev can stop coming to me for being a little shit towards you and her." Nikolai soft laugh made my eyes roll.
As if it was that easy. If it were, I'd spend time with Hanna instead of going on this collection assignment with my stewing thoughts. Sure, I probably did need to get my head out of my ass, but Hanna didn't make this any easier than it needed to be.
"Well, like you're the one to talk, you literally crashed into your wife's life then married her on second sight. Not exactly mister smooth yourself. As if you even had to woo your woman to get her." I would never stop giving him shit for the arranged marriage crap he pulled, even if it did work out fine after the fact.
"You make it sound like Angel doesn't give me hell herself or that since we're married I got it easy." Nikolai mused with a chuckle before the faint voice of Angel could be heard in the background, something about how she was a joy and the best thing to ever happen to him.
"Go appease your wife before she stabs you in your sleep." I remarked with a chuckle before we both bid each other farewell for now.
Well, I had to go anyway because I arrived at my destination. The curbside right outside the building doors was reserved for the owner, but I didn't give a shit. I was above him because our bratva supplied him with the means to keep his business running.
