Page 47 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Wait! You can’t just kill him. He’s unconscious.”

Vlad glared.

“Yes, I know. This is what you do, but—”

Said thug reached for the pipe, swinging it in my direction, and I flinched back. A loud pop rang out next to me, and before I knew it, the guy was lying on the floor, blood spattered across the floor behind him. I nearly threw up but managed to hold it back with just a gag.

When Vlad met my eyes again, the “I told you so” plain on his face, I sucked in a shaky breath, nodding absently.

“You know what? Yeah, you’re right. He needed to go. But, umm, I’m going to throw up if we stand here near that blood for too much longer, so…Vamanos.”

Vlad grinned, and something fluttered in my belly. Whether it was emotions or nausea, I wasn’t sure. Then, Vlad held out his hand, and I took it as he rushed us again toward the back of the building.

As we sprinted for the exit, Vlad checked his watch. I was about to ask what that was about when his speed doubled down, and I had to focus on keeping up with him, or I’d fall flat on my face.

We burst through the backdoors, and Vlad yanked me to the left. Heading for the small hill that created the division between the warehouse’s property and the next one over, I noticed the car I’d seen at Vlad’s house. His brothers had obviously come with to help, and I had to imagine that it was them who’d initiated the explosion.

“So, what about the men still in the building? Are you concerned they’ll come—”

But my words were cut off by a massive explosion that, even as I stood with Vlad near his car, shoved me forward, forcing me to lean on the SUV to avoid tripping.

I looked over my shoulder; the building was a roiling cloud of smoke and flame.

“Oh, never mind then.”

Vlad smiled, and there was a relief and happiness behind it that I didn’t know what to do with. I could barely make eye contact with him, and then Vlad spun me around gently. I felt his fingers on my skin as he worked to unwind the rope that kept my hands behind my back.

As the pressure was abruptly released, I sighed, my arms swinging forward. Pain radiated through my wrists, and I rubbed them where the rope had begun to chafe my skin. Turning around, I smiled at Vlad before ducking my head.

“Thank you.”

There was a beat of silence, and then…

“T-Thank y-you.” Flicking my stare back up, I met Vlad’s beautiful dark eyes as mine stung with unshed tears. “Y-you…you…ugh, saved my life.”

He sounded like a person coming off a ventilator in the hospital, his voice scratchy and filled with discomfort. And it had to hurt him. It had been decades since he’d spoken.

“You saved mine, too. Remember?” I tried to keep smiling, but it was faltering—the gravity of the situation pulling me down into a black abyss. “Umm, I…I’m okay. I think.”

Vlad’s brow furrowed, and he looked at me for injuries like a terrified mother hen. I wanted to hate his concern. I wanted to focus on what the Italian man had said about him.Every second he touched me and worried over me, it made my brain spin harder and harder.

I couldn’t be with him. That was insane. He was a patient. And hell, he shouldn’t even be that. This entire situation was so completely fucked. Abruptly, I was aware that I was trembling and clutching Vlad’s arms like a damn lifeline.

Shooting back a few feet, I jumped as Ivan and Abe stepped out of the car.

“Well, holy fucking shit. That was a damn explosion. God, I’m raging fucking hard. Please tell me we can go blow something else up.”

“Fucking hell, Abe.” Ivan smacked his arm, shoving Abe away from him. “No. We need to get back to the house. I don’t want any trace of this being us. Understood?”

Abe rolled his eyes at the eldest brother. “Ugh. Buzz kill.”

“I, umm, I want to go home, please.” I traded glances between Vlad and his brothers. “I’m pretty sure my parents are worried sick about me since I’ve officially been a no-show to a mandatory family event. They’ll be freaking out and pissed if I know them.”

Ivan didn’t say anything; he was just looking at Vlad with a question. When I followed Ivan’s eyes, coming face to face with Vlad, he swallowed hard, his jaw working as he blinked several times.

“Your house. Of course.”

I smiled gently, but there was no keeping the sorrow from my expression. But who was I kidding? This wasn’t a fairy tale, and I wasn’t about to end up with the dashing black knight.

---