Page 108 of Bratva Knight

Chapter Thirty-One

Tatiana Andreeva

PainwassomethingIwas familiar with. I've dealt with a lot of it in my life, both physical and emotional. But getting Tased? That had to be one of the worst. That shithurt.

I coughed and groaned, licking my dry lips. My eyes slowly opened and dread instantly filled me when I realised I was strapped down onto a table. Thick, leather bands were cuffed around my ankles and wrists, making it impossible to move an inch.

Oh, this is not good. Not good.

I looked around the room, trying to get a sense of where I was. The last thing I remembered was chasing after Franco…and running right into the taser in his hands.

Fuck, how could I be so fucking stupid?!

One of the first things they taught in the Bratva training was to always be aware of your surroundings, and to always check before running around a damn corner.Especiallyif you were chasing someone.

I was in a dark room. It smelled foul, unclean. Kind of like a cross between a moldy bathroom and a portapotty. There were another two tables beside me, both with the same restraints as the ones that currently held me captive. Dry blood coated both of them and I tried not to think about the fact that the same was probably underneath me. A variety of torture implements sat on a tray in front of me, rusty and crusted with blood. There was a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling, casting shadows throughout the space. Shadows that put me in instant distress.

I didn’t like the dark.

A huge metal door was directly across from me. It looked like it would take a damn battering ram to break the thing down.

I’m so fucked.The only upside was that I was still wearing all of my clothes.

I pulled at my restraints, hoping they would somehow magically pop open and I could make my escape. They of course didn’t, but I kept trying nonetheless. Pain flared in the back of my neck and it made me hiss.Did I get some sort of injury during the fight and the adrenaline had kept me from feeling it?

Why did Franco kidnapme?It made no sense. I wasn’t anyone of value. I held no ranking in the Bratva. There was nothing I could offer him. I wasn’t privy to any information. The only person who gave a shit about me was—

Nikolai.Shit. I had to get out of there. Ihadto. More for him than me. The moment he found out what happened, he’d lose his fucking mind. I could picture it as clearly as the night sky. Nikolai freaked out when I got a damn papercut. Hearing that I’d been kidnapped by the Don of the Chicago Outfit was liable to give him a heart attack.

The heavy, metal door groaned as it swung open, snaring my attention. Franco strolled in with two men at his back. He had shoulder-length light brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was an average looking man. A little short and a little pudgy, but average. He looked nothing like Nero. I never would have guessed the two were siblings, to be honest.

“Good. You’re awake.” He moved further into the room. “You’ve been out for a while. I was worried you wouldn’t wake up.”

I wasn’t naïve enough to think he actually cared about me, or cared if I died. I was some sort of bargaining chip to him. That was the only reason he was concerned.

“You’ve made a really big mistake, taking me.”

Out of the two men who’d come inside with him, one of them sent my danger radar blaring. His eyes ran the length of my body in disgusting appraisal, flaring with heat. He adjusted himself behind Franco’s back, his tongue practically lolling out of his mouth like a hungry dog.

A woman instinctively knew when she was in the presence of someone who posed a threat to her. It’s this feeling we get. A cold, dreading feeling that makes our whole body shiver.

That’s the feeling I got when I looked at that man. Like he was the type you didn’t want to be left alone with.

Franco stopped in front of me and studied me. “I don’t believe I have. You see, I’ve been watching you.”

“Because that doesn’t sound creepy at all,” I muttered under my breath. I had to pick my words carefully. I was at a serious disadvantage there. Franco could literally do anything to me and I wouldn’t have the power to stop him.

The vulnerability I felt made my heart pound in my chest with panic, but I tried to ignore it.

“Well, not you specifically. You just happened to be around. I’ve been watching the Volkovs.” He leant forward. I tensed but he did nothing threatening. He just pushed a button on the side of the table. All of a sudden, I was moving. I went from lying down, staring at the ceiling, to being completely upright.

Gravity tried to pull me down and the restraints dug painfully into my skin. I didn’t know if this new position was better or worse. My gaze flicked around the room, searching for something—anything—that could help me get out of that mess. “Still pissed about what happened to your brother?”

The man scoffed. “Please. You guys did me a favour. Nero wasn’t fit to lead. Never was. It was always meant to beme.”

That surprised me. I thought the reason he’d been causing so many problems for Arturo and the Cosa Nostra was because he was trying to avenge his brother.

“I see your confusion, allow me to explain.” Oh, he was one ofthose. The type who liked to explain his master plan in some long, grand speech.Kill me now.“Nero was the oldest, so tradition dictated the role of Don fall to him, even if he wasn’t suited for it.”

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