Page 59 of Secret Bratva Twins

Gianna pulled on black shades, lifted them, and switched them to more transparent pink-hued glasses. She said they were in Vogue and fit more with her white dress and flowing hair. She made a small twirl in front of the mirror, grinning like an excited teenager who was happy that fucking sun came out.

“You like?” She asked me, and the least I could do was offer a smile that appeared more like a grimace.

“As always, Gianna, you look like the fucking queen.” I pulled her to my chest, stroking her arm until I got to her hip—the place I sought the most. “But do we really have to go out and do this—”

“Shopping?” She helped.

“Shopping.” My hands slid higher and higher, eliciting soft sighs from her. “We can just stay in with the boys and watch those silly sitcoms you like. Then, after...” I cupped her ass and squeezed. She shut her eyes but for only a brief moment. “After we can ride into the night however, we want.”

She hummed in pleasure, fisted my shirt in her hands, and rubbed her nose on my neck. “Sounds lovely, but” she pulled away. “I want this. I want us to go out there like a normal family—if we didn’t already have twelve men stationed by the car—and do some shopping with the boys. Even if it’s for a day.”

The plea in her eyes was my undoing. I let go of her dress and took her hands in mine. “I wonder why I find it hard to say no to you.”

The light sound of her chuckle left echoes in the hallway as we went out to meet the boys in the car.

The mall wasn’t as busy as we expected it to be. Though I had a strong feeling that it had something to do with the presence of the six men I’d sent ahead to clear the path. Ryan and Daylan ran into the building happily, dragging Gianna along. I hung back for security reasons.

I didn’t care that she wanted this to be as normal as possible; we couldn’t deny that Paul’s men could lurk in the shadows even now. Someone had to keep an eye out, and I didn’t trust my men to do it the way I would.

The boys pushed a small cart, picking everything and anything from each section we passed. I didn’t even look at the price tags and encouraged Gia not to either. “Let them have their fun,” I whispered in her ear.

Then, they stopped abruptly.

Ryan tugged on the hem of Gianna’s white dress, saying he had to pee. Daylan’s face scrunched up too, and he had to pee, too. She shot me a pleading look before taking both their hands and disappearing around a corner. It was cute watching Gianna being a mother. She was doing such a good job at it, and I hoped to pick up so she didn’t have to do it all alone. Uneasiness rolled in the back of my mind. I felt the tiny, seemingly insignificant shift in the air. My hand hovered over the gun between my belt. I craned my neck, eyeing every corner as diligently as I could.

I looked to the left, right, and left again. Without warning, loud bangs ricocheted in the air. No!

“Gianna...” Her name slipped past my lips in slow motion, and the rest of my body went limp for the briefest moment.

The mall instantly went into a frenzy and a loud ringing like a security alarm blared in my ears. Screams pierced the air, and the bangs grew louder. People dived to take cover, and glass windows busted with each bullet. Shit!

My heart skidded faster than a moving train. I could only think about them in that moment. Shit! Shit! Shit!

“Gianna!”

My promise to them, how I would protect them at all costs, with my life if need be... It all started coming back to me, and I ran through the panicked, through the hysteria, shoving every fucking person as I ran to the bathroom.

I heard my own voice reecho in my head in a fucking loop until I thought I would go mad.

I’ll protect you and the boys with all I have. I swear it to you, Gianna.

I got to the bathroom, busting the doors open one by one until I reached the last. I didn’t need to kick my feet against the wood. It was halved, with wood splinters and damaged hinges everywhere. Gianna was hunched over the toilet seat, her red hair covering most of her face. The sight of her helpless and knocked-out cold made my blood simmer through my veins. And worse, I felt the air leave my lungs when the realization swept me with light speed...

Daylan and Ryan.

The boys were gone.

Chapter 23 - Gianna

After I opened my eyes, I wished I didn’t. It didn’t matter that I lay on soft, familiar black sheets or gazed at a ceiling so high. I knew I hadn’t woken up from a dream. One second, we were joking about aiming right into the toilet and how Daddy would be super proud of them, and the next, we heard the gunshots. The fear on their faces was instant. I’d tried to keep them as quiet as possible, taken them into one of the stalls, and bolted it.

What happened was real. The tall men, dark suits, rifles. It was all real, and so were the screams—theirs and mine.

“Mommy!” Tears ran down their faces, and they thrashed around the man’s arms, struggling to be free and to come to me. But I let them down. “Mommy!”

“Daylan!”

“Don’t let them take us, mommy!”

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