Page 57 of The Bratva King's Twins

“It’s tough knowing they should sound good together. Maybe the shorter the better since we’ll have two to keep track of?” I suggested, amused by the thought of getting the names confused or swapped while trying to get their attention.

Ari chuckled at that and nodded his agreement. “That’s good thinking. We’ll have to keep that in mind.”

Even if we had fully established our intentions of being committed and raising the twins together, it still felt strange to be discussing the future so openly. Before, there was too much tension and resentment between us to have even remotely similar conversations.

But it was nice, and everything about the dinner was perfect.

While he didn’t flaunt his wealth in a flashy, arrogant way, Ari knew how to flex it in the right way to make me feel like royalty. Between his plans and every thoughtful action like opening doors and pulling chairs out for me, I couldn’t ignore his constant efforts.

As we ate and laughed together, I was more than happy to be there with him and appreciative of his idea to have one-on-one time out of the house.

The meal was incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time with the man I loved.

“Will you excuse me for a moment? I’ll be right back,” I said, feeling the need to visit the washroom before continuing.

Ari nodded as he reached for one of the menus. “Of course. I’ll see about getting some dessert over here.”

With a smile, I leaned over and pressed a grateful kiss against his cheek before shuffling out of the booth, catching the tender expression on his face. It made my heart squeeze to even think about it.

Making my way out of the main dining area, I followed the subtle bathroom sign and went down the indicated hall. I let go of a satisfied breath, finding myself smiling still.

Just before I could reach for the door handle, a rush of air behind me made my brows furrow.

Something clamped over my mouth as a pair of arms wrapped around me tightly, forcing the air right out of my lungs.

I had no choice but to breathe in, desperately searching for another gulp of air as panic spread through my system.

I tried to scream against the cloth covering my mouth and nose, thrashing and kicking as best as I could, but without proper oxygen coming in, I was immediately weakened and didn’t stand a chance against the assailant. The cloth muffled my sounds, and nobody could hear me.

Even if it was useless, I fought anyway, hoping to give myself a chance at getting away—at running to Ari for help.

But that safety seemed so far away as my vision went bleary, and my pulse roared in my ears. I wanted to keep going, but that faint chemical smell was overpowering, and I could feel it burning within my senses.

As everything around me seemed to shift and lose all stability, I could feel myself slipping in and out like I hadn’t slept in days, my eyelids refusing to stay open.

“Easy,” the assailant muttered, gripping what was left of my consciousness with a cold hand.

That ever-fading awareness left behind only one thought for me to mull over as the hallway began to fade away, and I gave in to that seemingly endless darkness.

It sounds like Dante.

***

Pain roared in my head as pieces returned to me, building the scene before me brick by brick. As my eyes opened, those fragments became clearer, even as I blinked through that discomfort.

But while I worked through that grogginess, the aching slowly subsided, making way for the discomfort and fear that followed.

It was dark all around me, save the lit-up dash in the front, and the street lights that passed overhead. Music played quietly in an almost haunting way as I became more aware of my surroundings.

I shuffled in the back seat to sit up, only to find my hands were bound by thick ropes. Dizziness hit me hard, forcing me to blink through the discomfort until it cleared.

But when I opened my eyes again, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I felt like I was dreaming—or, more accurately, having a nightmare.

My brothers were in the front seat, Elio driving, talking to each other.

More confused than when I first woke up, I couldn’t understand what was happening, or how I got there. It had been months since the last time I saw them, and there they were, like nothing had changed.

The memories hit me at once: the restaurant, kissing Ari on the cheek before I left for the washroom, and never reaching it. Fighting to get away.

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