Page 48 of Bratva Butcher

I rolled my neck along my shoulders, trying and failing to rein in my temper. I stepped towards the front of the cell. Casually. Like it was just any other day.

“What are you doing here, boy?” I whispered out of the side of my mouth.

Nikolai didn’t rise to the bait. He grabbed one of the plates and slunk down into a crouch. I did the same.

“We have a plan to get you out,” he said equally softly, passing me the plate of food.

“We?”Goddamnit. “You roped your siblings into this?” I hissed, putting the plate down to grab the next one.

“It was a joint effort, actually. Tell me about the collar.”

“Titanium steel. Set to explode if we pass through the cell doors unless deactivated first. Equipped with anti-tampering and remote activation.”

His brows slammed down into a frustrated frown. He knew what I did—that escape with that collar on would be near impossible.

He rolled a water bottle to me, his eyes semi-vacant like his brain was running a mile a minute trying to come up with some sort of solution, regardless of how impossible the task might be.

“Go home, Nikolai. There’s no way out of this. Get out while you can. That’s an order.”

He stood to his full height, and I followed suit. He fiddled idly with the cart. A tactic to not arouse suspicion. Clever boy.

“Sorry, Father,” he whispered, barely moving his lips. “You’re notPakhan. You don’t give the orders anymore. Aleksandr does.”

My eyes narrowed in mild agitation. It vanished quickly, replaced with an overwhelming sense of pride. Aleksandr had stepped up. Of course, I hadn’t doubted that he would. He’d been ready for the role for years. But knowing it for certain made it easier to accept my fate.

Everything would be okay with Aleksandr watching over them.

Autumn came skipping up to my side, and I cursed. I had hoped she’d just stay on her cot and not get involved. I still didn’t trust her. Not one hundred percent. And until I did, I didn’t want her anywhere near my family.

She picked up one of the plates and grasped a piece of steak with her fingers, holding it up to her lips as if she was about to take a bite. "Who’s this?” she asked covertly, making sure to hide her mouth so the cameras couldn’t tell she was speaking.

“Mind your own business, devil woman,” I hissed over my shoulder.

She smiled.

Oh, fuck.

To most, it would look like a completely innocent smile. Like she was happy. But I knew fucking better.

That was her psychotic smile. The one she gave right before she hurt someone. I’d seen it a dozen fucking times, each time aimed at me. I knew it so well that I could probably draw it from memory alone.

My suspicions were confirmed when she stomped down on the back of my leg. Pain shot through me, and I stumbled forward, my head whacking against the cell bars.

“Asshole,” she hissed back before walking away, going back to sit on her cot.

I grumbled out a Russian curse under my breath, wiping away the blood trickling down the side of my face. How many times was the woman going to make me bleed?

Nikolai gave me an odd look, his gaze moving from me to Autumn. Suspicion laid in the depths of his eyes. It made my spine snap straight.

“What?” I barked.

He studied me for a second longer, but in the end, decided not to say anything about it, shaking his head. “I’ll see you soon, Father.” And then he left.

My hands curled around the bars, squeezing tightly. It was difficult to watch him walk away, knowing he was in the belly of the beast. Knowing he was surrounded by danger on all sides.

I began to pace up and down the cell, my thoughts wild and chaotic, spiralling out of control. It was even more difficult not knowing what the fuck was going on. Were my other children there, too? What was the plan? I needed more information. More than anything, though, I needed them togo.Having them there put me on edge because I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t help them. There was nothing I could do. I was completely powerless—something that didn’t happen to me very often.

I was capable of dealing with that feeling when it was just me at risk, but my family, too?

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