Page 66 of Innocently Imprisoned By the Bratva

"Fine by me," Lenny shrugs. "I don't need her anymore. Never did. The poor girl was innocent all along. Just a cleaner in my house. Take her out of here," he orders his men. “By the time she reaches the Zolotovs, we’ll be out of here to our next hideaway as is.”

My heart races as I realize I'm being offered my freedom. But can I really leave Anoushka behind with this maniac? No! I can't.

"Wait!" I shout just as one of Lenny's goons grabs my arm to escort me away. "If you want to use Anoushka as leverage, you'll need me too."

"Excuse me?" Lenny raises an eyebrow, clearly annoyed by my interruption. "Why the hell would I need you?"

"Because I'm the only one who can convince the Zolotovs to pay up," I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "I know them better than anyone. Without me, your plan is doomed to fail."

"Nice try, Sweetheart," Lenny scoffs. "But I think I can handle it from here."

"Really?" I challenge, stepping closer to Anoushka, placing myself between her and Lenny. "Take a good look at me, Lenny. Do I look like someone who's scared of you? Because I'm not. And neither are the Zolotovs. If you want their money, you're going to have to go through me."

"Are you insane?" he snarls, his anger now directed at me. "You should be grateful I'm letting you go."

"Grateful? For what? Being kidnapped and dragged into your mess?" I retort, my own anger flaring up. "No, Lenny. I won't leave Anoushka behind."

"Enough!" Lenny roars, raising a hand as if to strike me. But I don't flinch; I won't give him the satisfaction.

“I said I won’t go without her!” I say again, through gritted teeth, keeping a leveled voice.

I take a deep breath, planting my feet firmly on the ground, ready to stand my ground against Lenny. I can feel Anoushka's presence behind me, her hand gripping my arm in support. For the first time since this nightmare began, I feel a flicker of hope.

"Is that your final answer?" Lenny sneers, his eyes narrowing as he assesses our united front.

"Absolutely," I reply, my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart.

"Pathetic," Lenny spits, taking a step toward us. Just then, to my horror, Lenny snaps, pulling a gun from his waistband. My breath catches in my throat, but I refuse to let fear control me now. "You want to be a hero so badly, Pippa? Fine. Let's see how brave you are when staring down the barrel of a gun."

"Wait!" Anoushka cries out, but I shake my head, silently urging her to trust me. If we waver now, Lenny wins. There’s no point in both of us dying.

"Goodbye, Pippa," Lenny growls, raising the gun to aim at my head. Just as my vision narrows, focused solely on the cold metal inches from my face, a sudden commotion erupts outside the hideout.

"Boss!" one of Lenny's men shouts, bursting through the door. "They're here!"

"Who's here?" Lenny demands, his grip on the gun faltering. I seize the opportunity to step closer to Anoushka, shielding her as best I can.

"Them," the man pants, eyes wide with fear. "The guys you owe money to. The mafia!"

"Damn it!" Lenny curses, torn between dealing with us and the new threat. For now, it seems we've been granted a temporary reprieve from his wrath, but our situation is far from resolved.

"Get them out of my sight," Lenny barks, gesturing at me and Anoushka. "I'll deal with them later."

"Come on," the man orders, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from Anoushka. I fight against him, unwilling to be separated from her. "You can't do this!" I protest, digging my heels into the ground.

Just then, gunshots echo around us, as the two groups face off. The man holding us lets go, moving positions to defend himself and his people.

I instinctively motion at Anoushka to run behind some crates. Bullets whizz past us, their lethal intent is evident in every metallic whine. We're caught in the crossfire, and it seems our likelihood of survival is dwindling with each passing moment.

We both run and hide behind the crates. Once we’re relatively safe, Anoushka turns to me. "Are you trying to get us killed?" she hisses, her voice barely audible above the din of gunfire. "You should've taken Lenny's offer."

"Really?" I retort, ducking lower against the shipping container. "That's your concern right now? I couldn’t just leave you behind, Anoushka!”

"Is this really the time for your self-righteousness?" she snaps back, her fear transforming into anger.

Just then, a bullet whizzes past my head, leaving a hole in the crate. I turn to Anoushka, wide-eyed. “We need to find better cover,” she hisses, pale in the face.

We both still have our hands tied, but that was a close call. "Fine," I say, swallowing my pride. I can admit when I'm wrong. "Let's go."

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