Page 48 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

Their name was never removed from the article, and because of it, they were forced into hiding. They had to be just as fired up about it as the day they confronted her. Even considering that they likely had my wife in their possession was enough to shift that panic into raw, unavoidable anger.

The twins thought they could move on our turf, steal our payload, and finish it off by killing my driver and taking my wife. They thought it was well within their rights, and that they would be able to get away with it.

But I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Pulling myself together, it was like a switch had been flipped in my mind, and I knew I couldn’t stop until I had her back. No matter the manpower, gunpowder, or the relentlessness required to get it done, I was going to find her.

“If it was them, then they’ve likely taken her as leverage,” I said, hands clenched hard as I looked at Ari. “We have to locate the street where the killing happened, see where Gemma went, and hunt down whoever did this. Should it be the Ivanovs, this will be the last thing they ever do.”

As Ari met my gaze, visibly registering the serious determination in my voice, he nodded. “She is your wife, Benedikt. Take the lead on this one, and we will back you up.”

Feeling the silent trust and faith he had in me to see to it, I pushed away a slight flicker of gratitude and nodded. As disappointed as he had been in me for causing problems, I knew Ari felt I was capable. I knew he was aware of my competence even if I forgot about it myself.

With urgent steps, Kir and Luk re-entered the room, the latter carrying a tablet and hurrying over to us.

“The recovery team sent me the coordinates where the incident took place,” he said, tapping away until he pulled up a map, then switched to street view. “The engine had barely been turned off before it happened.”

Taking a closer look at the map, the location immediately registered in my mind. “That’s right outside Gemma’s old apartment building. She probably didn’t make it inside before it happened.”

Luk nodded and tapped on the screen again to pull up the surveillance footage. “Take a look at this. It should show us if someone took her and what direction they went. We’ll be able to move from there.”

“Kir, send some units out to that area now and have them on standby as we get updated on the footage,” I directed, watching the tablet as Luk pressed play.

Doing as instructed, Kir pulled his phone out and immediately started calling our drivers, alerting them of the situation and what their objectives were. At the same time, he was accessing the live camera feeds from his laptop.

Zeroing in on the footage as it played, my heart was in my throat. I knew I had to watch for Gemma’s sake, but the idea of anything happening to her made my heart ache. There was no telling what I might see, and that was terrifying.

But she needed me. She needed me to be unwavering in that moment, and even if she wasn’t there to see it, I was determined to show her just how prepared I was to get her back home.

The clip began with the usual movement of traffic before Mikhail pulled up to the curb in the SUV. The engine turned off, there was a brief pause with no movement, and then both doors popped open. Mikhail and Gemma both stepped out and made their way to the sidewalk.

Even seeing her in the footage made my heart squeeze. While I was afraid of what would happen next, we had eyes on her for at least a moment—long enough for us to know she made it to the building.

As Gemma looked up at the building, the pedestrians around her immediately parted, and a single shot was fired. It hit Mikhail’s chest, and he remained standing for a moment before he succumbed and hit the ground.

There was chaos and movement, but Gemma could only stand there as she watched in complete shock. It almost looked like she was about to approach Mikhail's side before several men ran up, and one of them slammed the butt of their pistol against her head.

My stomach dropped as I watched her go down, caught by the masked figures as they snatched her unconscious body up and dragged her away. At once, a vehicle pulled up to the curb, and they put her inside before piling in and driving off.

The rage was coiling within me and wrapping around every organ as I watched it all unfold, aware that my suspicions had been confirmed, and my worst nightmare had come to fruition.

My voice, while lower and quieter than one might expect, held the true depth of my fury within it. “It has to be the Ivanovs…those bastards have done it now.”

They had done the unthinkable.

They targeted one of the most important people in my life in broad daylight, and for whatever reason, they believed it would help them somehow. As if I would surrender everything, and they would manage to get what they wanted.

The Ivanovs likely thought we would simply lie back and take it, but they were wrong.

While I would give my life for Gemma at that point, that didn’t mean I’d roll over and let it happen. We had the manpower to wipe them out, and after witnessing what they had done to my wife, I was more than willing to see it through.

Blood boiling, I had to fight back the urge to hit something. To let that anger come out.

As tempting as it was, I had to save it for when it counted.

“They were heading west,” I said to no one in particular, feeling the immediate need to jump into action. “If we scan the cameras and manage to find that vehicle, then we’ll have a better idea of where they’re going.”

They already had a lead on us while we were putting the pieces together, and I knew we couldn’t waste any time. We had to get as close to her as possible, as soon as possible. The less time I allowed them to have with her, the better.

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