Page 71 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

As much as I wanted to shoot and get straight to it, we were in a delicate situation. I couldn’t compromise us or Grace, not while she was still in his grasp.

I had to be careful.

To my relief, that crossroad we found ourselves in was the signal.

As his men rolled in, flanking him from behind, ours did the same. Covering all sides, our manpower outnumbered theirs, and Pietro was completely surrounded.

From those on foot with their pistols raised and the snipers we had hidden nearby, there was no way for him to get out of it.

The moment he realized those extra men weren’t his, fear flashed through Pietro’s eyes. He hadn’t anticipated just how prepared I would be.

For someone who seemed to know a lot about my family, he didn’t know enough.

With a hard swallow, Pietro lined the pistol against her temple.

“I’m warning you!” He shouted, aimed at every man we had on him. “If you shoot me, she goes down with me.”

Securing my grip on the pistol, I wanted to call his bluff, but I couldn’t. It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

“Stand down!” I yelled, putting a hand out to reassure them. When I turned my attention back to him, I wore a hardened mask. “Give her up now, or your sister will be splattered on the concrete. This is your final warning, Pietro.”

Finally letting cracks show through his confident and aloof resolve, Pietro glanced nervously between myself and Alessia. He seemed to realize then that I meant it.

“Please, Pietro,” Alessia cried out as tears ran down her cheeks. “Please don’t do this. Do what he says.”

Her plea revealed more of that uncertainty in him as he moved anxiously on his feet, unsure of his next move.

It seemed he had only planned so far ahead before letting his impatience get the better of him. Letting a show of his apparent foresight outweigh any genuine goals he had.

Even if he wanted to pretend like he didn’t care about his sister, it was evident that he did. His hesitance spoke for that.

Suddenly looking like a madman, going between the idea of ending Grace or giving her up, I didn’t know what to expect from him. All I could do was remain steadfast in the situation and prove to him that I wasn’t leaving without her.

Caving under the pressure, Pietro pulled his gun away from her and dropped to his knees, letting Grace go.

I didn’t believe it at first. That he was prepared to wave that white flag.

“Drop your weapon!” I demanded of him, looking between him and my wife, making sure he wasn’t going to pull a fast one on her.

Even more surprisingly, Pietro clicked the safety on and set the gun to the side, then put his hands in the air.

Relieved, I gestured for Grace to run to me.

At once, she did, trying to cut the space between us.

Just when I went to breathe, thinking it was all over, a click on my left side shattered that false reality. A cold barrel pressed against my temple.

Grace stopped in her tracks, completely freezing in her place as fear glazed her eyes. Absolute shock filtered into her features, gaze locked on me.

I was cornered.

Chapter 26 - Grace

Panic stitched into my heart immediately, and my skin went cold all over.

It was so close to being over. I was so close to being reunited with Yaro and having the chance to go home. But that hopeful moment was clouded by my fear for him.

Sergio stood next to him with a gun pressed against his head, stare fixed on him. Despite the crowd of armed men around us, there was a complete standstill. He had the upper hand.

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