Page 45 of Hostage of the Bratva

“Agreed,” the men replied in one voice.

“Right,” Sergei said, speaking up. “The other matter you asked about,” he continued, looking at me. “We have found a place. It’s been vetted, and restorations are on the way. Later, we can sit down, and I can show you the plans, layout, and progress.”

“Thanks,” I said, nodding. “You are all truly the best.”

“There are two warehouses with stock that require care. I think we should visit both and assess the situation.” Roman added to the discussion. “The buyers will be in town next week.”

“Yes, we can go do that now,” Ivan stated placing down his glass. We left the club all in good spirits, even with all that had been going on.

I rode with Ashan as we left. I knew Skyler was safe now and could get back to tending to business. We needed to get the shipments moving again. This deal was vital and to ensure things went as planned we had scheduled the meet for the early morning hours.

These clients have been with us for many years, and they did not take kindly to problems. I hoped we could get this Domique war settled before they came through. Once the crates were counted, the wares checked, and double-checked, we knew things were ready.

Heading back to the club, we had another couple of drinks, making sure our schedules met before each went their way.

I was excited to get home and share the news with Skyler. I could only hope her brother wouldn’t pull another stunt on us. The family was going out of their way for him. It made me a bit uneasy as I still felt he was a loyal soldier and might stick it out with Domique.

But you never knew what the future held, and he may end up surprising me. For Skyler’s sake, I hoped he would walk straight.

Chapter 26 - Skyler

The pictures they showed me surely didn’t do the house justice, I thought as we drove through the big steel gates and up the driveway. The place was surrounded by guards inside and out, it seemed. Karine pulled up and parked in front of the first garage door. There were three, and there was enough space for about ten vehicles if you asked me.

Stepping out of the car, I looked up in awe at the white double-story house before me. Every room appeared to have large wooden windows. Toward the side and the back of the garages, I could see the bright green lawn running around. There were trees and flower beds, and it stretched out far.

Turning to our left, was a thin pathway running around the side of the house to the back. It looked like it led you to a forest as the ground around it was covered in grass, flowers displaying all the colors of the rainbow, and giant trees. The trees formed a canopy over the pathway, which was glorious to see. Karine walked out ahead with the keys.

The front door sat almost at the corner of the house. The front area wasn’t as elegant as Roman and Karine’s house, but the pure beauty of the place was more than I expected. Following Karine, we stepped through the front door into a dream.

The inside was also white, but everything appeared to be sparkling. The pure whiteness of the place was almost blinding. Around the middle of the wall was a thin gold stripe running right around. There was a small gold-colored table by the entrance door. Plus, there were two more doors leading further into the house.

From the smile on Karine’s face, I knew she could see the amazement on my face as I tried to take in everything. Walking to the door on the left, Karine spoke as she pushed it open.

“This door leads to the kitchen, dining hall, lounge, and back yard.” Walking to the door on the right, she opened it as she continued. “This door leads upstairs to the three rooms, library, study, and office. There is also an entertainment room.”

Grinning widely, I skipped to the left, entering the open-plan kitchen, dining hall, and lounge. The rooms were huge and covered the entire bottom floor. To my right, the kitchen looked like it was suited for a restaurant. It was fitted with an in-house BBQ, eye-level oven, stove, dishwasher, fridge, freezer and so much more.

On the left lay the dining hall with a long table and seating able to seat the entire family. Against the back wall were what looked like hot trays and a serving station.

Walking forward into the lounge and towards the glass doors leading to the back, I felt like a princess. I twirled in circles with my hands up in the air. Karine, Sam, and Irina all stood smiling in the doorway. I had never before seen such beauty, never mind living in it. My heart fluttered with delight.

The living area had a bar, a wall-sized television, and a variety of different chairs and couches.

We explored the second floor, visiting each room as Irina and Sam made us some tea. Karine assured me they would arrange for all our stuff to be moved here over the next few days. Once I had seen the entire house, we joined the other two back in the kitchen.

“You want to sit outside?” Karine asked, picking up her cup.

Nodding enthusiastically, she led the way out to the backyard. The visiting area had a BBQ built in, a bar, and what looked like a serving area with ten tables and chairs. In the corner between the fields of grass was a swimming pool. The yard itself was green, with trees and flowers all around.

We visited outside for more than an hour, chatting about babies, the men, the family, and more. Afterward, the three of them left, and I could start to settle. Soon enough, Sergei had his guards bring Bunny and my belongings from the yacht.

Bunny was just as excited as I was to be there. He ran in and out, from room to room, and sniffed the place up before settling on the dog bed outside. After exploring the house once again, I decided to take a swim before starting supper. I didn’t even know if there was food, but if there wasn't, Luder could always order in. He was good at that, I thought walking to the pool.

I had just gotten into the pool when I heard rustling in the bushes. Bunny’s ears lifted, but he didn’t growl, so I felt no need to call for help. I swam a couple of lengths and then sat on the side next to Bunny.

Bunny jumped up and ran to the bushed. “Bunny,” I called. “Bunny, come back boy.” I knew the place was closed properly and he couldn’t get out. But who knew what was in those thick bushes?

Rising, I wrapped a towel around me before strolling over to where Bunny had entered the brush. Standing there, I called out to him. “Bunny, here Bunny, come boy.”

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