Page 33 of Escaping the Bratva

Sasha

The sound of whining on the other side of the door brings a smile to my face as I stick my key in the lock and turn the handle. I expect Teddy to greet me, but instead, I’m greeted with a destroyed condo. The couch that I waited three months for is flipped over. Glass from what looks like dishes cover the floors. The paintings that were once on my wall are thrown across the floor. The smell of smoke lingers in the air as if someone had been smoking a cigar. My heartbeat thuds my ear. The sound of Teddy whining again has me rushing into the apartment even though my brain tells me not to. I follow the sound until I come to the bathroom door. That’s when I see a small trail of blood.

Oh fuck. No no no. I open the door to see Teddy standing by the sink wagging his tail. I sag with relief. He trots over to me and rubs his head against my legs. Something wet covers my bare leg, and I look down to see a red streak. Is that…? I turn back to Teddy and look at his mouth. Sure enough, the fur around his mouth is stained red. What the fuck happened?

A logical person would call the police, but I scroll to V’s name in my phone and press it against my ear. He answers on the first ring as if waiting for my call.

“Hey, kit—”

“Someone broke into my condo,” I blurt out in a rush, hating how I choke on my words at the end. I’m suddenly aware that a stranger was just inside my place. How long ago did they leave? A chill runs down my spine, and I turn around fast, as if expecting someone to be standing behind me.

“Stay there. I’m five minutes out. Where Teddy?”

“He’s next to me, but he has blood around his mouth. Do you think they hurt him?” I don’t see any injuries on him.

“I don’t know, kitten. It’s going to be okay.”

“Can you stay on the phone with me?” I ask.

“Yes.”

With V’s voice in my ear, I feel a little less alone. I creep out of the bathroom with Teddy on my heels. The front door is still open, but I’m terrified to close it. Being boxed in feels like a mistake. Instead, I head to my bedroom to see the damage. Surprisingly, the bedroom was left untouched. I look around to see if anything is missing. If someone was trying to rob me, they did a terrible job, considering my nice jewelry is exactly where I left it in the box on my dresser.

“You alright?” V asks.

“Yeah, I’m just seeing what they stole.”

I walk room to room, trying to see if anything has been taken. The rest of the condo is untouched. It looks like whoever did this only went as far as the living room and kitchen. I circle back around to the blood trail in the hallway.

“Shit.” I jump at the sound of V’s voice because it doesn’t come from the phone I’m holding against my ear. He stands in the front doorway, wearing the same clothes he had on earlier today. Unable to control myself, I run to him and wrap my arms around his waist. I nuzzle my head into his hard chest and let myself sob.

He holds me tight and runs a hand over my head. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Now I believe his words. I’ve never felt such a need to be protected, but with V, I know I am. I don’t want to know the details of what he’s done over the last twelve years, but I have no doubt in my mind that he can go up against any opponent.

He pulls back and puts both of his large hands on the side of my face. “Did you see anybody?”

I shake my head. “No, it was just like this when I came in…and the blood. There’s a blood trail.”

He looks behind me at the trail I’m referring to and then back down at Teddy. Teddy turns back into that scared nervous dog the first day I got him as V squats down in front of him.

“One day he growls at you, and now he’s terrified,” I say.

“Nervous dogs bite, which, in this case, looks like it was a good thing. Do you have a treat?”

I go to the kitchen, grab the dog treats out of the cabinet, and hand one over to V. He offers it out to Teddy, but he doesn’t take it. Teddy looks up at me as if asking for permission.

“It’s okay,” I say.

He slowly reaches his snout out and takes the treat from V’s outstretched hand. V starts to pet him as he chews his treat. It takes a while for me to realize that he’s looking at the blood around Teddy’s mouth. He pats his fur in certain areas, as if checking to see if there are any wounds. He does this until Teddy backs away, deciding he has had enough of V touching him. If I weren’t so shaken up, I might laugh. V stands to his feet and brushes off his pants.

“Teddy is fine, but it looks like he sank his teeth into someone.”

“He bit the robber?” I say, my eyes widening.

“That’s what I’m guessing.”

“Holy shit. Then we should call the police, right? They can maybe test the blood or something and find out whose it is?”

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