Page 35 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

Elias shook his head, face void of any clue. “We still don’t know. We’re working on it. The bodies are still warm.”

Looking down at the body in front of me, my stomach turned. It was a dangerous game we were playing, and any one of us could end up with that same fate one day. It was a hard pill to swallow.

“Make sure someone looks into the men we lost and compensate their families. Find out if they have any kids or wives and make sure they’re taken care of,” I directed, aware of how many men we tended to lose. It was a game of numbers, turf, and influence, and most of our men were honest people. “Everything needs to be done right.”

Elias nodded. “I already have someone on it.”

“Good,” I mumbled, eyeing up the boat that once had all of our cargo on it. It was docked but visibly missing some of our goods as our men did a check of everything onboard. “This can’t be a coincidence. How in the hell did these people know about trade?”

He sighed. “A rat, maybe? A handful tend to slip under the radar from time to time.”

“We can’t have that anymore. We need better background checks and follow-ups with new hires. No more favors for friends of friends anymore. We might need men, but we need ones that won’t spill every detail they come in contact with,” I muttered, irritated by the thought of anyone thinking they could pull a fast one on us. “If there’s a rat in our ranks, they must be found.”

“If it’s any consolation, we managed to secure a hostage.”

I perked up immediately at the news. “Where?”

Elias hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “Inside the north warehouse. He’s stable enough to be questioned.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” I questioned, pushing past him to make my way over to the building. Several of our men were in and out, surveying the area and picking up on any clues that might have been missed.

Elias followed wordlessly, just as disappointed and angry about the attack as I felt. We made our way inside, and the guys made way for us.

That section of the warehouse was mostly dark and empty, save the single light that hung above the captive’s head. Slumped against the steel wall with his hands and feet bound and gagged by a rag, he wasn’t going anywhere. He heaved in his deep breaths surely away the next while would be less than comfortable for him.

Looking between the two men who flanked him with their guns in hand, I vaguely gestured at the captive. “Get him up.”

Without needing to be told twice, they reached for either arm and yanked him up. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, and his skin was already drenched in sweat.

Before I could even begin, my phone rang again. Forcing out an annoyed breath, I fished it out of my pocket and found Dimitri’s name on the caller ID. My skin went cold, and my stomach dropped, but I did my best to hide it. I didn’t need anyone to know just how anxious my cousin’s phone calls made me.

“Hang tight,” I muttered, turning from them. I glanced at Elias briefly. “Get him warmed up for me.”

He nodded and rolled up his sleeves. At the very least, he could put his anger to good use while I faced Dimitri.

Making my way toward the door, I stepped out from beneath the steel service blocker and answered the call.

I didn’t even have the chance to greet him. To soften him up before breaking the news.

“What the fuck happened?”

I winced at his tone but urged myself to pull it together. It wasn’t the first time I was yelled at by him, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“We’ve been hit again. This time, they somehow got a hold of our trade time and location. They hijacked some of the cargo and ran off with it. It caught our guys by surprise, and we lost some tonight,” I answered, trying to keep my voice as level as possible.

There was a small break before he spoke. “How many?”

“I’d guess between five or ten. The ones they managed to take out were only cannon fodder—a distraction. Their main objective was to take the cargo, but backup arrived before they could take it all, and we snagged a hostage. I’d say they took at least ten thousand worth.”

Dimitri cursed from the other end. “You and I both know that’s far more than we can allow. How did this happen?”

“We’re still working out the details, but I’m inclined to believe we might have another rat,” I admitted, angry that there was a chance one of ours might’ve been leaking information. “At this point, these hits can’t be random. They seem premeditated. They might be half-assed, but you can’t deny there’s intent. That paired with the rumors going around, I’m willing to bet Dominic is working with someone.”

“Whoever it is, they’re toying with you,” Dimitri returned sharply, tone warning me not to trip up. “Exterminate the rat, figure out who these people are, and take care of it. I gave you a break before, but I’m serious, Yaro. I don’t want this spiraling out of control.”

I knew he was right, and there was nothing I could argue. We had more than enough trouble since Dominic decided to screw us over.

“I’m on it,” I said, speaking as confidently as I could muster despite feeling the opposite. The sound of Elias’s fist colliding with the captive’s face traveled through the door. “We won’t stop working this hostage until he talks. I’ll have a name before the end of the night.”

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