Page 34 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

I hoped that touch would entice her to make the first move. To take that leap of faith and lean in. My finger slowly moved down her cheek, and I could’ve sworn I watched her shiver.

Grace swallowed hard, barely breathing under my gaze. Whether it was my pent-up frustration talking or a sincere thought of mine, I contemplated leaning in myself. I tossed that idea aside to feel her lips on mine again.

She was so close it wouldn’t take much effort. A few inches, and I’d get to be reacquainted with that addictive mouth.

A trilling noise from within my pocket startled me, shaking me out of that stupor. Sighing, I pulled away from Grace and fished my phone out of my trousers. Vik’s name popped up on the screen, and I already knew it couldn’t be good news he had to offer me.

I answered the call and put the phone up to my ear while Grace continued to eat, looking happier than she had before. “Yes, what is it?”

“We’ve been hit, Yaro,” my brother said from the other end, sounding strained.

My brows furrowed immediately.

I had been enjoying my peaceful time with my wife, but it seemed that moment was short-lived.

The rush of anger immediately squashed what shred of joy I got from it.

“How bad is it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

“Bad. We need you here before Dimitri hears about it.”

“Damn it!” I exclaimed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Vik, get to Coney Island as soon as you can. I need you to take Grace home while I check it out. And hurry your ass here.”

“Coney Island?”

“Just get here!” I snapped before ending the call.

Standing, I managed to catch a glimpse of Grace’s visible disappointment. “What’s wrong?”

While I wanted to answer her, I didn’t have time. If it was as bad as Vik said, I needed to do damage control as soon as possible.

“It’s business,” I mumbled, dropping the book on the lounge chair as I reached for my keys and slipped them along with my cell in my pocket. “I’ll be back home as soon as I can be. Just sit here and wait until Vik picks you up. I have to go.”

I missed the eagerness and gratitude that had been on her face not long ago, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I had to take care of business, regardless of what that entailed.

The day shifted in a way I didn’t want it to, and what effort I put in suddenly felt like it had been for nothing. It wasn’t what I planned.

But either way, I walked out of the cabana and made my way to the hit site, only thinking about Grace and how excited she had been for even a shred of kindness from me. The smallest favor I could give her that seemed to mean the entire world in her eyes.

Chapter 13 - Yaro

Vik had been right. It was bad. That influx of anger that came over me at the beach hit me tenfold when I arrived.

The dock was located on the outskirts of the city, tucked away in an old industrial complex, and it was the place where we handled a lot of deals. The warehouses were usually heavily guarded, and the product was constantly in and out of there to make it nearly impossible for anyone else to track our whereabouts.

Being located by the water helped us bring products in and make those under-the-table exchanges. But that evidently exposed us to some vulnerabilities.

The moment I stepped foot on the property, I found countless bodies on the concrete, either dead or dying. There was a mixture of our men and some I’d never seen before.

It had been a sizeable bloodbath from what I could tell, with a near-even exchange of downed men.

I clenched a gloved hand at the sight of one of our guards downed by the edge of the water. Blood was smeared on his cheek.

“What the hell happened?” I asked, glancing up at Elias.

He ran a hand over his head in disbelief, somewhat shaken up by the aftermath, even if he hadn’t been there himself when it happened. “A trade was scheduled tonight, but right as the cargo docked, another boat came in. Something quick and almost silent. The trade was intercepted, and they managed to lift some of the product when our guys were distracted. We took down most of their decoys, but they got away with some of it. As you can see, they got a few of our own.”

My blood felt like fire running through my veins. “Who did this?”

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