Page 49 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

But that relief I felt lifted the burden from my chest. Sighing, I stepped back as Grace got out.

Reaching for her, I pulled her aside and put a gentle hand against her face. She had dust in her hair and on her clothes, but other than her shaken expression, she seemed fine.

“Thank god you’re alright,” I mumbled, letting my thumb stroke her cheek.

“That was terrifying.”

“I know, but you’re going home now. You’ll have to wait for me there,” I said, hoping to have her protected at the condo with the doors locked and several guards posted outside.

I expected her to deflate with relief, but her brows furrowed. “Where are you going?”

“We got a hostage, and I have to interrogate him to find out how all of this is being orchestrated and what their next moves are.”

“Let me go with you, then.”

“What?” I asked in complete disbelief. I couldn’t understand why she wanted to be so involved. “I could’ve lost you back there. You’ll be safer at home.”

“But I can’t go back. I survived that explosion and the gunshots, and I need to see what happens. I need to know,” Grace said, silently pleading. “I never felt like I had a real family before—not until we married and I started learning more about the business. I want to help in whatever way I can one day, but until then, I need to understand what goes on. Please, Yaro.”

Sighing, her reasoning hit me hard after knowing her upbringing and just how neglectful her father had been. I didn’t want to take that away, even if she would be safer at home.

I sighed. “Interrogations aren’t pretty. I need you to understand that you won’t be the same walking out of there. You won’t look at me the same either.”

The latter had my heart in stitches.

“I don’t care,” she said, lifting her chin with confidence. “I need to see it all, even the gruesome parts.”

Taking in her innocent face, that apprehension wouldn’t leave my system. By letting her tag along, what had been otherwise unknown to her would be clear as day and more brutal than she had ever known.

To his credit, Dominic had shielded her from that underbelly, and it was hard to know if she was truly ready for that.

Yet, on the other hand, it was what she wanted. Grace was willingly asking to be taken to an interrogation—an integral part of what we did when times were tough. When we had no other choice but to pull information out of our enemies.

I had told her I wasn’t her jailor numerous times, and I meant it. I couldn’t take that choice away from her, not after I already had when it came to our marriage.

Giving her waist a small squeeze, I let go of a decisive breath. “Fine. Follow me.”

Chapter 19 - Grace

I didn’t think Yaro would actually let me tag along, but I was grateful he did. I took it as a sign of trust, and it meant a lot to me.

Things felt different between us, and I wanted to lean into it. I didn’t want that chance of becoming closer to get away from us.

I moved through that hall with a newfound purpose, following Yaro through a different warehouse from the one we had been at before. We walked beneath fluorescent lights as we moved, passing huge rooms full of stock. All the inventory was wrapped up, concealing their contents. It made me wonder how the assailants at the other warehouse knew what they were looking for or what they were taking.

It struck me immediately how serious the issue was becoming. There had been two hits within twenty-four hours, and their men seemed to be on high alert and spread thin. Between guarding and cleaning up after the attacks, the overall operation had many moving parts. Some I hadn’t even seen yet.

It helped me see the bigger picture, even if there were aspects of the business I was still unfamiliar with.

As we went through another hall and moved down a set of stairs that led to a basement, equally as lit up as the upper floor, there were men all around us. Some flanked us, while others nodded their heads in acknowledgment as Yaro walked by.

He seemed to lead them with ease—a quick reminder that he wasn’t just some grunt. He had his place in the family ranks, and he had a considerable number of people beneath him. They all respected him, and I couldn’t deny how impressive that was.

By proxy, I felt regarded in the same way. I was his wife, following in his footsteps to some degree.

It instilled in me a sense of pride that felt entirely new to me.

While my hands had trembled all the way there after the explosion at the club, it almost felt like my duty to see what came next. To understand the ins and outs.

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