Page 42 of Accidental Bratva Daddy

"You're the leader of the Baranov Bratva, aren't you?" My voice trembles, but I force the words out. "You go by Kirill Baranov." The name tastes like poison on my tongue. "Your assistant claimed to have caught Papa dealing with you, but it was all a lie,wasn't it? Just rumors to make him take the fall so no one would suspect the truth.”

The Moscow streetlights flashing past the tinted windows cast alternating shadows across Viktor's face as he regards me. His smile, once so warm and comforting, now sends chills down my spine. In the dim interior of the car, his eyes glint with cold amusement, like a cat watching a wounded bird try and fail to fly away.

"You've always been the smartest in our family, Natalia," he says, his tone almost proud. "I'm impressed. It took your father much longer to piece it together."

The casual mention of Papa makes my heart stutter. "So you're the one," I whisper, bile rising in my throat. "You put the hit on my father."

"It's true." Viktor leans back in his seat, adjusting his perfectly pressed suit cuffs with practiced nonchalance. The gesture is so familiar it makes my chest ache. How many times had I watched him do the same thing at family dinners? "Igor was the only one who discovered the truth about me. I've done a fantastic job hiding my identity for the past twenty years."

His expression darkens slightly. "He should have stuck with me, his own brother, instead of running to the Volkov Syndicate for protection. But no..." Viktor shakes his head, as if disappointed by a child's poor decision. "He made his choice."

The twins flutter anxiously in my womb, picking up on my distress. I press my hand more firmly against them, trying to steady myself. The leather seat beneath me feels suddenly unstable, the world tilting on its axis.

"Unfortunately," Viktor continues, his voice distant and cold, "Igor had what was coming to him." His eyes fix on my protective gesture, his lip curling slightly. "But you, Natalia… You did what you had to do to survive. Marrying Luka, I get that. But getting pregnant with his children?" He clicks his tongue in disapproval. "That was a foolish mistake. I'm disappointed in you."

A wave of nausea rolls over me that has nothing to do with pregnancy. This can't be happening. This isn't the man who helped raise me, who protected me, who loved me like his own daughter.

"You wouldn't hurt me," I whisper, hating how small my voice sounds. Like a child still seeking approval from her beloved uncle.

Viktor's smirk widens, transforming his handsome features into something cruel and unfamiliar. "Wouldn't I?"

Without warning, he pulls out his phone, fingers dancing across the screen. My heart leaps as he presses dial and a familiar number appears. Luka.

"I've got Natalia," Viktor says smoothly when the call connects. I try to cry out, to warn Luka, but Viktor's sharp glance freezes the words in my throat. The threat in his eyes is clear—be quiet, or else.

Luka's voice comes through, tense and dangerous. "If you touch her?—"

"Harm her?" Viktor interrupts, his tone casual, almost bored. "I'd prefer not to. She's always been my favorite niece, after all. A source of pride, unlike my useless son." His lip curls in disgust. "But this isn't about her, Luka."

"Then what do you want?" Luka demands, frustration seeping through the line. I can picture him, jaw clenched, knuckles white around his phone. My heart aches for him.

"I want you dead." Viktor's blunt words send ice through my veins. "When I killed your parents, the syndicate should have been mine. But you?" He practically spits the word. "You swooped in and ruined everything. It's time I remind you who you're dealing with."

"I know where you're taking her," Luka growls, and hope flares in my chest. He's coming for me. For us.

"Good." Viktor's voice drops to a dangerous purr. "Let's just hope you can make it past my men in one piece."

He ends the call, tossing the phone casually onto the seat beside him. The gesture is so at odds with the magnitude of what he's just revealed—he killed Luka's parents, orchestrated my father's death, and now plans to use me as bait to destroy my husband.

My hands shake as I cradle my stomach, desperately trying to protect the precious lives within from this nightmare. How did I not see it? All those years, all those family gatherings... was any of it real? Or was I just another pawn in Viktor's grand game?

The limo turns onto a dark road leading out of Moscow, trees pressing close on either side. We're heading to Zavidovo, to whatever trap Viktor has planned for Luka. My beloved uncle has become the monster in this fairy tale, and I've walked right into his lair.

But as fear threatens to overwhelm me, something else stirs in my chest. A fierce, protective instinct that has nothing to do with being an Orlova and everything to do with being a mother. Being Luka's wife.

Viktor may think he's three steps ahead, but he's forgotten something crucial: I'm not the same naive girl who once worshipped her uncle blindly. I'm Natalia Volkova now. And I will do whatever it takes to protect my new family.

Even if it means destroying what's left of my own.

23

Luka

The sleek black SUVs pull up to Viktor's private resort under cover of darkness, engines purring quietly as we kill the lights. Through the windshield, I take in the sprawling estate, all stone and glass gleaming in the moonlight, surrounded by dense forest on three sides. A fortress disguised as a luxury retreat.

My men fan out silently at my signal, taking positions in the shadows. Years of working together have honed us into a precision instrument—each man knowing his role without need for words. But tonight feels different. The usual ice in my veins has been replaced by something hotter, more primal. Natalia is in there. My wife. The mother of my unborn children. And Viktor has her.

The thought sends a fresh surge of rage through me, but I force it down. Anger makes men sloppy. Gets them killed. And I can't afford mistakes, not with so much at stake.

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