Page 47 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

I couldn’t understand how anyone could crash a public event like that and target innocent civilians. No matter their affiliations, it was barbaric and cruel, and nobody should have to worry about losing their loved ones while out in the city.

It very quickly reminded me of how cruel the world could be.

I was so used to being protected by my brothers and security that I'd managed to forget, but I had the feeling I wouldn’t let go of that reminder for a while after that experience.

Still rattled by it all, I hardly had time to process as I was swept into Alex’s car, and before I knew it, he was pulling away from the city core, throwing a concerned glance at me.

“Are you alright?” he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Blinking through the haze of it all, I found myself nodding. “Yeah…I’m alright.”

Glancing between me and the road, I knew he wasn’t fully convinced. “No injuries, right?”

I looked myself over, aware that if I had been hit, I likely would’ve been clueless given how numb I felt. Luckily, I didn’tsee any blood or feel any pain. If not for Alex and how quickly he got us out of there, I had the feeling that wouldn’t have been the case. At the very least, the chances of that happening would be much lower.

“No injuries,” I confirmed, voice still somewhat shaken up.

Alex let out a relieved breath and nodded as he focused on driving us away from the congested streets. Some sections were blocked off due to the heavy first responder presence, making the drive even slower than usual.

As we sat in traffic, barely crawling along, I couldn’t help it as everything replayed in my mind over and over again, reminding me of how close it all had been. We hadn’t been that far from where the vehicle rolled up, and even thinking about that terrified me.

I knew we were both physically fine, and that was what ultimately mattered, but I still couldn’t shake my anxious state. It was terrifying, and I hated even knowing there was a chance things could’ve ended much worse for us.

Even if Alex was relieved that we were safe and out of harm’s way, there was no missing the irritation stitched into his features. Leaning against his door as he carefully navigated us through traffic, he scrubbed a hand down his face and forced out a breath.

Glancing over at him, I could tell many thoughts were moving through his head at once. He had that usual pensive expression on his face, and I had no doubt it was eating away at him regardless of seeming stoic on the outside.

Finally, he sighed, and it seemed as though he had come to some sort of final decision as resolve filtered into his features.

Forcing myself to speak, I asked, “Do you know who orchestrated that attack?”

After a moment of consideration, Alex nodded. “It was the Gromovs again. There’s no doubting it.”

A bitter chill moved through my body at the name, knowing enough about them to be unnerved. They were the ones who kidnapped me and sold me off at that auction. They had been causing trouble with our families.

“You think they’d stoop low enough to involve the public?”

He nodded simply. “They’re not known for being careful or all that discreet. They’re reckless, and willing to do whatever they have to for the upper hand, even if it brings attention to the underground scene. They’re not above opening fire on civilians.”

My skin felt colder at that, more aware of what Alex and the others were up against. I swallowed hard. “What’s your next step, then?”

Alex, with his eyes glancing between the road and the media display of the car, reached over and clicked his recent calls before hovering over Ari’s name. “I’m going to call your brother and request to have a meeting.”

“What for?”

“To settle everything. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I don’t think I can handle this without your family. Not completely, anyway,” Alex said with at least some dismay at this concession. “We have to stop the Gromovs before this gets worse.”

While I could tell it wasn’t an easy thing for Alex to come to terms with, I was relieved at the thought of them making proper amends and hopefully reaching some sort of agreement. While Ari had promised to give him and the family some grace since we were married and I didn’t want him to act on mybehalf, that didn’t mean they had an alliance. It was more like a temporary truce while they worried about the Gromovs and anyone else who might be feeling opportunistic.

But the idea of them reaching a more concrete partnership made me feel more at ease.

I was somewhat nervous about what Ari might say to Alex’s proposition as his number was called and it rang twice, but I knew it had to be done. He had to try if it meant bringing both sides peace of mind.

I hated the idea of my brothers and Alex having to deal with the Gromovs and always watching their backs. At least if they did come to a proper agreement, we’d be able to return to a normal state again.

The thought of having it all behind us was far too tempting to pass up.

“Novikov?” Ari said, voice coming through with a tinge of worry. “Is Lara alright? I heard about the shooting.”

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