Page 11 of Hostage of the Bratva

“This is bad, this is very bad,” I said out loud as I swung forward and back, bending down and up while still holding the windowsill. I felt my heart racing as my mind whirled through the information I had uncovered.

“You dumb woman,” I spat at my reflection, slapping the window. “You should have known better, he is Bratva!” I yelled. Turning, I faced Bunny; leaning back against the window, I steadied myself. My skin got cold, and then sweat started breaking out as my mind shuffled through the details.

The nausea had returned with the rapid onset of fear upon fear. “In what normal life do things like this happen, Bunny?” I whispered as I lowered myself to the ground and pulled Bunny into my arms.

Seated on the floor against the wall with my legs spread out, holding onto my dog for life, I felt my eyes stinging as the tears started again. My breathing was labored, and I gasped at the air in the room. “Maybe I should just leave this alone. Who knows what will happen if I tell him.”

Bunny was licking my leg and pawing at me as if trying to comfort me. “I know, Bunny, I know.” I wiped the tears with the back of my hand. “These people are dangerous,” I added, taking a deep breath. “But, you know,” I said, looking down at his furry face. “They are people.”

Taking Bunny’s head in my hands, I swallow my tears. “This is not me, no, I am in control of my life,” I said as I kissed his head. “Wallowing is for babies, not for me.” After I gave Bunny a big hug, he licked my arm. Rising, I was ready to face whatever life threw at me.

I decided, and my mind was made up, I would at least let him know. I took a quick shower, pulled on a pantsuit, and put on some make-up to hide the bags under my eyes, before doing my hair. Stepping out of the bathroom I felt a little more at ease. What was the name of that club, I wondered as I headed to the kitchen.

Pulling the laptop closer I was glad I didn’t close it all. I wrote down the club's name, owner, and address. Looking around I made sure I had my phone, wallet, and my handbag. “I’ll be back shortly, Bunny,” I said, rubbing his head before heading for the door.

Once outside I noticed the day had passed quickly while I wallowed on my kitchen floor. The evening had started crawling in, but it was still light out. The Uber was already waiting at thecurb. I told the driver where I wanted to go, and we drove off. I still felt a bit nervous but determined.

As the driver stopped in front of the club, I wondered if I was making a mistake. The door flung open, and a handsome young man held out his hand for me. Well, I thought, it was too late now to turn around. I took his hand and got out.

Walking up to the doors, I noticed the place was quiet. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing. Stopping at the door, I looked around. There were only a handful of people inside. Most were the cleaners and servers. I walked up to the bar where two young men were packing glasses on a shelve.

“Excuse me,” I said as I sat down.

“Yes, mam,” the one said as he turned and approached me. “We are not quite open, but how can I assist?” he asked in a friendly tone.

“It’s fine, I’m not here to drink. I’m looking for Luder Morozov?” I stated, glancing around. I expected the people to all stop what they were doing and look at me. But no one did. I smiled, wondering if I watched too many movies.

“Luder, mam?” the bartender asked.

“Yes, you do know him, don’t you?”

The man looked back at the other barman, who had stopped shelving the glasses. “It’s fine,” he said as he came over. “You finish putting the glasses back. I got this.” He appeared older than the first man. He had an aura of authority, and I suspected he might be in charge.

“Hi, I’m Mike,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Hi, Mike,” I replied as I shook his hand. “Can you tell me where I can find Luder?”

He pushed his hand through his scruffy black hair as he leaned onto the counter. “He’s not in right now, but you can wait, or I can give him a message?” he said, grinning.

Turning slightly away from him, I noticed some of the staff whispering. “No, it’s fine. I’ll wait. Can I sit at the table close to the door?” I asked, pointing to a table in the corner.

“Sure thing, can I get you anything while you wait?” he inquired as I rose.

“No, thanks,” I said over my shoulder as I briskly walked to the table. I felt out of place, and the way he was looking at me made my stomach turn.

The table was bolted to the floor, made from what looked like a good solid oak. I wondered why they would bolt them down as I sat in the chair facing the door. I had to admit the place was lovely inside. I would never have thought it to be a Mafia club had I come here before. Not that I knew what a Mafia club would have that a normal club wouldn’t.

Even the chairs were bolted down. But I had to admit, they were comfortable. Most of the people had returned to what they were doing, and I felt better not having so many eyes on me. I held my purse in my lap as I studied the décor.

As time started passing, and people started coming in, I wondered how long I would have to wait. After an hour, I walked back to the bar and ordered fruit juice. I had hoped the bartender would be able to give me a time frame, but he couldn’t say.

I returned to the table with my juice, hoping it wouldn’t take too much longer as I felt a bit hungry. Plus, I had to get back to Bunny, who was alone at home. But I waited as I knew if I left now, I wouldn’t be back.

Chapter 7 - Luder

We had monitored and planned everything for the last six weeks. Now, it was time to get the purchase agreement signed. We had made sure that the Anchony Family would be very busy so we could get in and out without any issues.

After tracing some of their shipments, we managed to cause a couple of delays. So, they ought to be busy clearing the mess for the next day or two. Hopefully, this would allow us to move forward with our own business plans.

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