Page 22 of Used By the Bratva

Hearing her screams, now clear as day, sent rage through me. Breaking through the door, I saw her on the floor next to the couch. She was kicking and screaming while Pedro sat on top of her with her hands pinned above her head. His one hand was up in the air as if he was about to hit her. He glanced around as we barged in. I saw fear settling on his face as he realized what was happening.

Storming at him, I grabbed him behind the neck, lifting him off her. “You have no right touching my wife,” I screamed.

“Ashan, I was going to call,” he mumbled as I held him up against the wall.

The last thing I remember doing was flipping him over and smashing him to the ground as I started raining down blows. A deep, dark blackness took over after the first two or three hits.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard Jamie crying and pleading with me to stop. Through the daze of fury, I saw blood splattering the couch and carpet around his head. Feeling his scull cracking with each blow, I knew deep down inside I had to stop but it was like I was no longer in charge. Then I felt big, strong hands taking hold of my arms and pulling me backward.

“Low-life piece of crap,” I heard myself saying as I tried to find my feet and push my rage down. “Let me go,” I shouted, shaking my head, and pulling at my arms. Looking to my left and then right, I saw Leo and Luder. I forced myself out of the darkness that had taken hold. Leo was on one side holding my arm, and Luder on the other; they wouldn’t let go.

“Ashan,” Luder said harshly. “You have to calm down, get a grip, man.”

Looking down before us on the floor, I saw Pedro. His face was covered in blood, his one eye purple and swollen. He lay there lifeless. Did I kill him, I wondered as my racing heart started to slow down. The skin on one side of his jaw was torn or ripped, exposing his jawbone, and it appeared he had some hair missing where the white bone of his skull was visible.

There was blood splatter all around him on the carpet and furniture. I shook my head, trying to get a grip on what had happened. Pulling free from Leo and Luder’s grip, I staggered back. Two of Leo’s guards rushed over and tried to stop the bleeding. Glancing around, I saw Jamie standing by the door with one of my guards. She was sobbing terribly into her hands.

Standing there, I stared at my blood-covered hands. How could I have been so insensitive, how could I lose control like that? This wasn’t like me. Luder tapped me on the shoulder as he handed me a cloth and lightly pushed me toward the door. “I think you should move out, brother,” he said.

Walking to the door, I reached out for Jamie, but she pulled back from me and walked out before me. Leaving the room, I heard Leo on the phone asking for a clean-up. I watched Jamie walking ahead with Frank; everything still felt like a bad dream. I shook my head but couldn’t clear it.

Luder came up behind me, making me jump as he spoke. “Let’s go,” Still dazed, I went with Luder, following Jamie and my guards as they exited the warehouse. We drove back to the den in silence. The guards took Jamie up to the suite while Luder and I went to my office. Once my hands were washed, I ordered a strong pot of coffee as we waited for Leo.

Standing by the window, I tried to make sense of what happened. Turning, I looked Luder in the eye as I spoke. “I, I, don’t know what I thought, I don’t know,” but Luder interrupted me before I could complete my sentence.

“You weren’t thinking, were you?” he said sternly. “You always taunted me for making rash choices, but this, this is messed up.”

I turned back to face the window and the world outside. “He was going to rape her,” I uttered, still a little shaken up. “I had to stop him, you understand,”

“Even so, Ashan, you know he doesn't only work for us,” Luder shot back at me. “You could have handled it better.” Luder came to stand beside me. “Killing Pedro will not look good for us. There will be a lot of blowbacks, Ashan.”

Hearing the door open, we turned together to see Leo coming in. He didn’t look too pleased with me. “What in the name of hell were you thinking? You made a royal mess of things.”

I nodded my head. I knew he was right. But hearing her scream, seeing her like that, it drove me blind with anger. “It’s just, well, I couldn’t just stand there,” I responded, even though I knew there was no excuse.

“You could have called us before going there. If your guard didn’t let us know, you might have killed him, and then there would have been more than doctor’s bills to pay.” Leo growled. As they continued to reprimand me, I couldn’t focus. My mind was filled with Jamie, and I only wanted to get her out.

Standing here in my office was the last place I wanted to be at that moment. I wanted to leave and check on Jamie. I had to explain to her that what she saw wasn’t the real me. She also had to understand that I was trying to protect her. Then I heard Leo saying something about Roman taking care of things, and that I could thank my stars that Pedro wasn’t dead.

Shaking my head, I tried to focus on the situation at hand. “So, he’s going to be fine then,” I said, looking at the two of them.

“Fine,” Luder spat at me. “Eventually, but if we were a couple of seconds slower, nothing would have been fine.” He pointed a finger at me as he continued. “Do you understand what you have done?”

Leo was furious. I had only seen him like this twice before. I stared blankly at them as my mind kept going back to Jamie. He pinned her and she was kicking and screaming. “I would do it again,” I blurted out.

Leo and Luder glanced at each other and back at me. “What?” Leo asked, lifting his hands in the air.

“You heard me. He was sitting on top of her, she was screaming and kicking, he was going to rape her.” Taking a deep breath, I turned back to the window before continuing. “If I didn’t get there when I did, I don’t even want to think what would have happened. He’s not worth the trouble.” I lowered my head and wished they would just leave so I could go to Jamie.

“Let’s talk in the morning,” I hear Luder respond as if he had heard my thoughts.

Glancing back, I watched as the two of them left my office. After taking a deep breath, I swallowed the last of my coffee, then left my office and headed to the suite. Entering, I paused, holding my breath. The suite was empty, but then I noticed the bathroom door was slightly ajar. Walking closer, I pushed the door slowly open.

There she was, sitting in the corner of the shower with her eyes shut. The water poured over her like rain. She looked delicate and vulnerable; my heart ached seeing her this way. I fought the urge to pick her up and hold her forever, never letting go again.

Walking closer, I swore to protect her no matter what. I would face any consequences for her. Kneeling by the shower door, I spoke softly, “Jamie, are you okay?”

She glanced up at me, “I’ll be fine.” She replied. Her tone was flat, and the sparkle in her eyes was gone.

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