Page 61 of The Bratva King's Claimed Bride

“You say she was sneaking, but on the phone, it sounded like she was just walking out, going to the store like a normal person. She isn’t a prisoner.” I slam my hand on the desk. “And I want to know where she is now.”

Matvey leaves the office, and Yvonne comes in. “Do your people know anything?” I ask.

“They’re looking. They will send over the video footage from the pharmacy shortly.” She puts a hand on my arm. “She’ll be fine. She’s a tough cookie.”

“She wasn’t feeling well. I should have stayed with her.” I pour myself a whiskey and drain the glass.

“You couldn’t have known someone would take her,” Yvonne tries to comfort me. “You couldn’t have predicted this would happen.”

“Of course, I could have. In our line of business, this is always a possibility.”

“So what?” Yvonne asks. “We live in fear? We worry that at every turn, someone is going to hurt us. Arina will be fine. She’s got a brain and a smart mouth to boot.”

I sit down and tap my leg at what feels like a hundred miles per hour. I clench and unclench my hands.

Yvonne’s phone rings, and she answers it. “Hello?”

There’s a brief pause before. “Okay, thanks for organizing it.”

She comes to my desk after she hangs up and turns my computer on to log into her emails. She pulls up the video file she’s been sent, and hits play.

“This is where she is scanning the aisle, and this is when someone approaches her from behind.”

We watch. The man has his back to the camera, but he’s clearly got a gun jammed into Arina’s back.

“I told Matvey she didn’t run,” I murmur. “Who is that?”

We watch for a few seconds before the man turns his face.

Luka Milov.

That fucking dirty rat. Matvey tipped him off that they were going to be at the mall.

“Igor,” Yvonne says as I stand up suddenly and walk out of the office. Matvey is on the phone downstairs, pacing around the entrance hall.

“You fucking traitor,” I roar. As he turns, my fist connects with his jaw. His phone goes flying, but he doesn’t back down. He instantly throws a punch back at me. I block it and punch him in the stomach. “You tipped off the Milovs again and then acted like you were so innocent.”

He knees me in the leg, just missing my groin. Then he punches me on the side of my head.

“Stop!” Yvonne yells, hurrying downstairs to get between us.

“I will never forgive you, Matvey,” I roar, grabbing him by his shirt. I hear it tear as he tries to pull away, his mouth full of blood.

Yvonne forces herself between us, and I let him go, stepping back.

“Igor, what is wrong with you? That is your brother.”

“Because this isn’t the first time he’s tipped off the Milovs. I should have known he would do it again.”

Matvey spits out the blood and glares at me. “I didn’t tip off anyone. I didn’t even know it was the Milovs who took her.”

“Liar!” I roar.

Matvey stands straight. “I’m not lying. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. That’s why I went with her.”

“Then why did you let her go to the pharmacy alone?” I ask as Yvonne pushes against me as I approach him.

“Because she wanted girly shit, and I don’t do that,” Matvey admits, looking defeated. “I feel fucking terrible that I didn’t go in with her, but I didn’t think anyone was going to take her. I was right outside.”

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