Page 54 of Devil's Bride

I’m about to pull the trigger but someone beats me to it, and the fucker falls to the ground next to Irina, whimpering with pain.

Dimitri is standing behind me when I turn back to see who it is. “Sorry, Pakhan. A bullet to the chest would be no punishment for this asshole.”

I tuck my gun back in my holster and hurry to Irina. She’s soaked with her own blood, she’s pale and barely conscious. “Irina,” I pat her cheeks softly, “can you hear me?”

She rolls her eyes and musters a weak smile. “Alexei,” she whispers. “I thought I wouldn’t see you before I died.”

“You’re not dying today, malyshka. Not on my watch.” I lift her up from the ground and carry her to the car. “Call Dr. Petrov. Tell him to meet us at home right now.”

Illya pulls out his phone while Viktor climbs into the driver’s seat and gets the car moving.

I’d been busy trying to figure out who’d taken the video which put this latest string of events in motion, when Mikhail called me. He’d received a report that a strange car had been following Irina from her father’s mansion. No one had any idea who they were or why they would be following her, and I didn’t have time to find out.

I’d dressed, grabbed two guns and left the house with some of my men. I struggled to fight the horror that whiplashed through me when I arrived and couldn’t find her. Her bodyguards had been outnumbered, and Tinky shot.

Even now, my body pulsed with adrenaline, my heart beating so fast it boomed in my ears. I don’t think I would survive it if anything happened to her.

The moment Viktor stops the car at the entrance of my mansion, I lift Irina out of the car and take her upstairs to our room. Dr. Petrov is already here. He tends to her wounds and inserts an I.V.

“Luckily, she was smart enough to control the bleeding,” he says, adjusting the I.V. “She’s weak, but she’ll come around soon enough.”

“If she doesn’t?” I’m trying not to show how afraid I am something might go wrong, but it’s impossible.

Dr. Petrov gives me a knowing smile. “Nothing will happen, trust me.”

When he leaves, I pull a recliner next to the bed and watch Irina sleep. I check her pulse every ten minutes, and I don’t take my eyes off her until Nikolai comes into the room an hour later.

“Brother, are you okay?” he asks cautiously, which is unusual for him.

“Damn it, Niko. No, I’m not fucking okay.” I snap at him even though none of this is his fault. It’s all my fault, I should’ve done more to protect her. I should have gone with her.

“I have something to make you feel better.” He glances at Irina who’s lying helplessly on the bed. “The bastard is awake, and he’s in pain. Now will be a good time to torture some answers out of him.”

Anger roars in me. I’m seeing red, and I’m thirsty for blood. Torturing that asshole won’t be enough, and I’ll make sure he begs for death. I kiss the back of Irina’s hand and whisper I’ll be back soon, then I follow my brother down to the basement.

The fucker from the restaurant is tied to a chair with his hands behind him. His gunshot wound is still bleeding, and he looks like he’s been slipping in and out of consciousness from blood loss.

Dimitri and Mikhail move away from him, making space for me to play with him.

“Has he said anything?” I ask.

They both shake their heads. “The fucker’s lips are as tight as a virgin’s cunt,” Dimitri says.

A mirthless smile plays on my lips. It won’t be for long. I roll up my sleeves and squat in front of my prisoner. “You dared to touch my woman. Do you know the price you’ll have to pay for that?”

The man has the nerve to smile at me. He has such an ugly smile. He’s missing at least two teeth, and his mouth is bloody. “Apologies, Alexei. I didn’t know the bitch was yours.”

“Bitch? Are you asking to be killed?”

“We both know I won’t be getting out of here alive,” he sneers. “Do it and get it over with.”

I tsk. So much nerve for a man who will soon be dead. “Trust me, you’re not getting out of here alive. But how painful and slow your death will be, depends on how useful I find whatever information you’ll give me.”

He spits at my feet. His eyes are mad with fury. “Go fuck yourself, Vadim. You’re not getting anything out of me.”

“You seem determined to be a loyal dog.” I smile, slowly unwrapping the bandage around his wound. Dr. Petrov stitched him up pretty well, it’s a shame I’ll have to make a mess of it.

He trembles. “What the hell are you doing?”

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