Page 31 of Knocked Up by the Bratva

“Three days,” he replies. “We’ve been tracking her, but it’s like she disappeared off the grid. No phone activity, no credit card use. Nothing.”

I exchange a look with Oleg, who remains quiet, his eyes narrowing in thought. Three days. Long enough to make mewonder if she planned this. She’s smart—too smart, maybe. She knows how to hide.

“Find her,” I order, my voice low and controlled. “I don’t care what it takes. I want her back here, now.”

The man nods and quickly exits the room, leaving me alone with Oleg again.

Oleg watches me carefully, his expression unreadable. “You think she ran because of Russel?”

I shake my head. “No. It’s something else.”

“Maybe she’s scared of you,” Oleg says quietly.

The words hang in the air, heavy with truth. I can’t deny that possibility. I made it clear to Jennifer that she belongs to me. I didn’t think she’d actually run. I thought she’d know better than that.

“She has every reason to be scared,” I admit, leaning back in my chair. “That’s not why she left. There’s something more.”

Oleg tilts his head, considering. “What if she knows more than she lets on. I mean, she knows your Bratva; what if she’s been researching us?”

That thought makes me pause. “Maybe,” I mutter, the pieces starting to fall into place. “It doesn’t matter. She’s not getting away. Not now.”

I can see Oleg watching me closely, but I don’t care. Jennifer tried to run, and that’s not something I can let slide. She’s mine, whether she realizes it or not. And she’s going to find out the hard way that running from me is impossible.

“If she’s hiding,” Oleg says carefully, “where do you think she’d go?”

I don’t answer immediately, my mind racing through the possibilities. She could have left the city, maybe even thecountry. Jennifer’s not a criminal. She’s smart, calculated, but she’s not experienced in disappearing like this.

“I’ll find her,” I say again, more to myself than to Oleg.

I have to. There’s something about her that I can’t let go of, something that makes me want to keep her close. Whatever it is, I’m not done with her yet.

Oleg’s phone buzzes, and he glances at it briefly before looking back at me. “You sure about this, Boss?”

I stand up, my decision already made. “I’m sure. Jennifer’s mine. No one runs from me.”

Oleg raises a brow but takes his call, pacing the room with the same calm intensity he always carries. I can sense something is wrong before he even speaks. The air feels different, heavier. When he finally ends the call and turns to me, the look on his face confirms it.

“Boss,” Oleg says, his voice carrying a weight I don’t like. “We’ve got a situation.”

I lean back in my chair, eyes narrowing. “What is it?”

Oleg doesn’t answer right away. He takes a breath, his eyes flicking down to the phone in his hand. “The Italians,” he starts, “they found out about our upcoming project.”

The words slam into me, harder than I’d expected. This project was supposed to be airtight, secure. Only a few people knew the details, so for the Italians to have it? There’s no question—it’s a betrayal.

“They stole the idea?” I ask, my voice low and laced with anger.

Oleg nods. “They’re moving on it. Almost like they had our entire blueprint laid out in front of them. We’re looking into who could’ve leaked it, but….”

He hesitates. That’s never a good sign.

“But what, Oleg?” I ask, sitting up straighter, bracing for the answer.

Oleg clears his throat. “Other than our top officials, only one other person had access to that information.”

I don’t need him to say her name. I already know who it is. It doesn’t stop the surge of rage that rips through me when Oleg finally says it.

“Jennifer.”

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