Page 21 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

"You're playing a dangerous game, Winchester," I say, my voice low and deadly. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Luther's grin only widens. "Oh, I think I do. The mighty Milovs think they run this town. But times are changing, boys. And you're gonna have to learn to share."

I lean forward, my eyes boring into his. "Let me make something very clear. If you harm that girl any further, therewon't be a hole deep enough for you to hide in. We'll hunt you down and make you wish you'd never been born."

Luther's smile falters for a moment, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. But he quickly recovers, his bravado returning. "Big words from a man in no position to make threats. Now, about that protection racket..."

I stand abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. Luther's men tense, hands moving towards their weapons, but I pay them no mind. My eyes are locked on Luther, cold fury radiating from every pore.

"This meeting is over," I say, my voice low and dangerous. "You've made a grave mistake, Winchester. You think you're playing with the big boys now, but you're nothing but a small-time thug who's bitten off more than he can chew."

Luther's smug expression wavers, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. "Now, wait just a minute—"

I cut him off, leaning in close. "No, you wait. You have 24 hours to release the girl unharmed. After that, all bets are off. And trust me, you don't want to see what happens when we decide to stop playing nice."

Victor rises beside me, his imposing figure looming over the table. Luther's men shift uneasily, hands hovering near their concealed weapons.

I turn to leave but pause, glancing back over my shoulder. "Oh, and Luther? That offer we made? Consider it revoked. You had your chance."

Luther's face contorts with rage, his earlier bravado crumbling. "You can't just walk away! We're not done here!"

"We are," I say coldly. "And you'd better pray that girl is unharmed when we find her. Because if she's not..." I let thethreat hang in the air, watching as a flicker of fear finally breaks through Luther's facade.

Victor and I stride out of the bar, the tension crackling in our wake. Victor turns to me as soon as we're outside, his eyes blazing.

"We should have taken them out right there," he hisses, his fists clenched at his sides. "Those fuckers don't deserve to breathe another minute."

I place a hand on his shoulder, steering him towards our waiting car. "Not yet," I murmur, my voice low and controlled despite the rage simmering beneath the surface. "We need to be smart about this, Victor. We make one wrong move, and that girl pays the price."

Victor shakes his head, frustration evident in every line of his body. "And what if they hurt her anyway? You saw that video, Roman. They're not playing games."

"Neither are we," I reply, my tone ice-cold. "But we need to be strategic.”

As we slide into the sleek black car, the image of Riley's battered face flashes through my mind, and I clench my fists, struggling to maintain my composure.

"Call Boris," I instruct our driver as we pull away from the curb. "Tell him to double his efforts. I want every property, every associate, every goddamn breath those Vultures take accounted for. We're running out of time."

Victor nods grimly beside me, his earlier anger giving way to cold determination. "What's our next move?" he asks, his eyes fixed on the passing cityscape.

I lean back, my mind racing. "We need to apply pressure. Hit them where it hurts. Boris should have some intel on their legitimate businesses by now. We'll start there."

As if on cue, my phone buzzes. It's Boris.

"What do you have for me?" I answer without a preamble.

"We've got something, Roman," Boris's voice crackles through the speaker. "One of my contacts just came through. The Vultures have been using a warehouse on the outskirts of town as a base of operations. It's registered to a shell company, but we've confirmed it's theirs."

I exchange a look with Victor, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. "Any signs of the girl?"

"Nothing concrete," Boris admits. "But there's been unusual activity there in the past few days. Increased security, lots of deliveries. It's worth checking out."

"Good work," I say, my mind already racing with possibilities. "Send me the address. We'll plan the next move ASAP."

I end the call and turn to Victor. "We might have a lead on where they're keeping Riley. A warehouse on the outskirts of town."

Victor's eyes light up with anticipation. "Finally. Let's go in guns blazing and end this."

I shake my head, tempering his enthusiasm. "Not yet. We need to be smart about this. If we rush in, we risk Riley's life. We'll do recon first, confirm she's there, then plan our move carefully."

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