Page 13 of Claimed By the Bratva

Being distracted caused me some pain as I felt something colliding with the side of my head. My knife dropped and skidded across the floor. Swinging around, I was met with another hard blow to the face. The brute of a man beside me was pounding his tree stump fists into me.

Lifting my leg, I hit him where it mattered most. As he grabbed his jewels, bending over, I delivered a massive uppercut, sending him sprawling backward. Scanning the room, I noticed Victor was gone.

Alexandr and three of our guards were shooting at the enemy from behind barrels and crates. Abram was just off my left side, fighting two men with bats. He was also taking a beating like me.

Kicking and punching at two more men, I moved to collect my knife. With my weapon in hand, I moved to assist Abram. I was about two feet from him when I felt the blade slicing my side. Swinging around, I lifted my leg for a roundhouse kick.

I felt the hot liquid running down my side, and a sharp pain spread inward. But there was no time to ponder on it asmy blade connected with another guy's chest. Turning back to Abram, I felt a throbbing in my side. I had to get to my brother, and we needed to move out.

My mind went blank for a moment as I looked at him going down. My animal instincts took over, and I bombarded through the men between us. Swiftly swinging my blade left and right, a strong metal odor filled the air.

Bending down, I grabbed Abram’s arm and pulled him to his feet. The next wave was upon us, and there was no time to make sure he was okay. I felt a fist digging into my side. My breathing had become labored, and my body was aching, but I turned and stuck my knife out. I slipped into the man’s chest, and I felt his hot blood run over my fingers.

“Retreat,” I heard Alexandr breathing out hard beside us. Turning, I saw he had his arm around Abram as four of our men started clearing a path out. He was shooting at the men to his side as he moved.

Glancing around, the place was a mess. Bodies were lying all over, some still moving and others lying still in a pool of their own blood. We got out through the side gate. Heading around to the back, we entered a dark alley. Looking back, I let out the breath I was holding. It appeared they had returned to the warehouse and weren’t following.

Stepping out into the street on the other side, our car pulled up. I assisted Alexandr in getting Abram in before getting in myself. As we pulled off, Abram looked up at me as he spoke. “You were right.” He took a deep breath. “We will need help to get rid of Jason, his men, and his associates for good.”

Alexandr nodded and pulled out his phone. “This was a big loss,” he said as he dialed. “I’ll ask Piotr if he can find outif the Morozov family can assist. We need to get the alliance in place now.”

“Agreed,” I replied. I knew I would have to move quicker now that I was gathering the information.

“Piotr,” Alexandr said as Piotr’s voice boomed through the phone. “Can we have a meeting in the morning? Also, could you reach out to the Morozov family? Find out if one of them could join us. Even if it’s only on call.”

I watched as Alexandr listened and nodded. “Thank you. See you in the morning,” he said and hung up. “ I’ll get that sorted in the morning.” He looked at me, turning his head sideways. “Are you okay to get home, or would you like to see the doctor first?” he enquired, lifting his eyebrows.

Looking down, I pulled up my shirt to examine the cut. It was long but not too deep. Flinching a bit, I grinned at him as I replied. “Nope, just drop me by my truck, I’ll be fine. I need to get home.”

“Stitch it up and get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning,” he said as the car slowed and stopped.

Getting out, I groaned a little, feeling a new wave of blood flowing from my side. Turning back, I smiled at him and Abram. “Get him sorted,” I breathed out.

Alexandr nodded, and I closed the door. I stood watching them pull out before getting into my truck. The drive back to the safe house felt longer than usual. But I assumed it was due to the loss of blood as I was feeling weaker than usual.

Pulling up to the gate, I was grateful for electronics. I wasn’t sure if I would have had the strength to get out and open a gate if I had to. Pressing the button, I watched as the gate opened. I pulled in and pressed it to close.

Parking close to the door, I got out and headed in. In the kitchen, I grabbed a clean cloth, and some disinfectant and poured it over the cut. I clenched my teeth as it burned my side. I removed my shirt and dropped it to the floor before getting another cloth and dabbing the blood from my side.

Holding yet another clean cloth to my side, I moved to the lounge. I was stiff and sore and wanted nothing more than to fall over and sleep. As I collapsed on the couch, I saw the chocolate and flowers still on the small table.

My mind flooded with how I had left things. Rising, I picked up the items and headed to the room. If I wanted to get the last information, I would have to make things right with Joyce. I felt the doorknob. I pushed the door, slowly peeking in. It was dark, and I couldn’t see if she was in bed. Walking in further, I noticed the bed was empty. My heart skipped a beat as I thought she had left.

Then I heard something to my side. Turning quickly, I saw her standing behind the door on the chair. Her hands were lifted in the air. She was holding something in them. Dropping the flowers and chocolates to the floor, I lifted my hand protectively as I spoke. “I come in peace bearing gifts.”

My voice sounded alien as it was filled with emotion. Joyce seemed to have frozen in her stance.

Chapter 8 - Joyce

I was ready for him. With the lamp in hand, I was going to bash his head in and escape. The knob turned slowly. I watched as the door opened, and then Anton stumbled into the room. He swung around to face me. The items he had in his hand dropped to the floor as he spoke.

His voice was filled with defeat, and he sounded worn out. As the light of the moon hit his face, I was horrified. Seeing him in such dire need of medical assistance, I couldn’t. I wasn’t such a person. No, I wanted to help people.

“Anton,” I whispered as the lamp fell from my hand and shattered on the floor. Getting off the chair, I rushed to his side. “Come sit, let me have a look,” I added, guiding him to the bed. His one eyebrow had a small cut, but his eye was swelling. He would need ice for that.

He had no shirt on, and there was blood seeping through the cloth he held to his side. I moved to the door and switched on the light. Turning back to face him, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Oh my gosh,” I uttered as I walked to him.

“What happened?” I asked, astounded. My heart was pounding. Carefully, I pulled at his hand, holding the cloth over the wound. He had a cut running from front to back about two fingers down from his ribs. It looked painful, and I felt my stomach turning. “Do you have a medical kit?” I added.

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