Page 70 of Arranged Bratva Virgin

Beneath the table, my leg starts bouncing in nervous agitation. What could it be? Has something happened at one of his warehouses again?

“What’s wrong?” Paval asks, dragging my attention back towards him.

“Mm?” I don’t know what he was saying. I wasn’t listening.

“What’s wrong? You looked like someone just gave you bad news.”

“Oh, nothing, sorry. I was just distracted. Actually, I really need to pee.” I laugh and stand up, not really wanting them to know anything.

Paval accepts my explanation and carries on talking to my brothers as I rush out of the dining room to find Stefano.

But he’s gone, and so it our car. He left without me, without even telling me what was happening.

Annoyance flares inside me.

I am angry, but worried, because it must mean that it’s really serious for him to rush off like that. I run back inside to grab Paval’s car keys. He won’t mind if I borrow his car, I hope. In the entrance hall I pull open the key cabinet and stand on my tiptoes to grab them. I don’t want to ask right now, because then I will have to explain everything, and Stefano won’t like them knowing his business.

“What are you doing?”

I spin around, caught in the act. Maxim stands in the doorway staring at me with his arms folded across his chest.

“I was just going to borrow Paval’s car—"

“Why?”

“Um, he won’t mind,” I stammer.

“But why? Where is Stefano?”

“Um—he had to go to the warehouse.” I am glancing left and right, feeling one hundred percent uncomfortable.

“Darya, what are you not telling me? Something is going on.”

“I just need to get to the warehouse, okay?” I say, annoyed, with my brows knotted tightly together and my body tense.

I sigh in frustration. I know Stefano will be really upset with me if I tell my brothers that stuff is going wrong lately. He wanted to sort it out himself, but at the same time, this is really stressful, and he just left me here—what am I supposed to do?

“I’ll take you.” Maxim says, taking his own keys out of his pocket. “Come on. Leave Paval’s car. I’m happy to give you a lift.”

I bite my lower lip. I need to get there, and he hasn’t really pushed me for details, so I guess there is no harm in him giving me a lift.

“Thanks, can we leave right now?”

“Yes, let’s go.” He gestures towards the door.

Without saying goodbye to anyone else, Maxim leads me to the car and we start heading towards Stefano’s warehouse. My leg is still bouncing with anxiety, so I press my hands into my lap to try and hide it.

I am so relieved that he doesn’t talk much on the way there, acting causal and relaxed, but Maxim obviously knows something is going on.

When we arrive at the warehouse there is a lot of commotion, but I cannot find Stefano anywhere.

Maxim follows me around, his eyes on everything. I know there is no hiding anything from him at this point. It’s obvious this warehouse has been attacked. The place is a mess, and the workers are looking shocked and scared as they rush around.

Whoever it was got caught in the act and only managed to get half of what they planned done. But one of Stef’s shipments is strewn, damaged, across the warehouse floor. Two workers are injured, and the others are looking worried.

I run over to one of the men I met on the camping weekend.

“Sergio, where is Stef?” I ask in a rush.

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