Page 25 of Claimed By the Bratva

The other vehicle was getting closer as the headlights were more prominent. I hoped that whoever it was would stop and assist. But for that to happen, I had to be in the street, not the van. My feet felt the road beneath them as I shoved again.

Glancing down the road, I knew the vehicle was still too far. I sprinted towards my house. If I could only get inside and lock the door, I could call the cops. As I reached the porch, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Swirling around, I saw the man’s fist coming at me as I screamed.

My face felt like it exploded as he punched me. My scream fell away as tears flooded my eyes. The man swung me over his shoulder and swiftly returned to the van. As foggy mist infiltrated my vision, I could swear I saw Anton. He was getting out of his truck and calling out. Then, blackness took over.

Chapter 15 - Anton

Joyce, my mind shrieked as I saw the man knock her out. He swung her around so fast, that her head bobbed up and down. Then he lifted his hand and smashed her face.

As she crumbled, he chucked her over his shoulder. I had barely come to a stop. I watched in angst as he headed speedily across the street. My mind went blank; I pulled out my gun but didn’t dare shoot. If I missed him and shot her, I would never forgive myself.

I tried getting closer, but he was moving at an incredible speed. I watched in fear as he jumped into a white van and took off. My only thought was to save her.

Running to my truck, I followed them closely as they drove. As close as I could. In town, it was easy to blend with the traffic. But soon, they headed out of town. I increased the distance between us, afraid to be picked up. I needed to know where they were taking her. I followed them to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

I parked my truck about two blocks away between some worn-out buildings in a dark alley. Getting out, I stepped around the rubble lying all over. Keeping to the darkest spots, I headed to the warehouse. Some of the buildings looked like they were on the verge of collapse. I tried not touching anything fearing I may bring one down on me.

This wasn’t a safe area to keep anyone, I thought as I passed a couple of dumpsters. Rounding the last corner, I stopped. Peeking over one of the dumpsters, I saw the van and two cars near a door on the side of the building.

Rats were scurrying around outside. There were a couple of pools of water where the tar of the road had faded. I alsonoted quite a bit of wrappers and paper in the street. These appeared to be moving lightly from a breeze blowing through the buildings.

Stepping around the dumpster and moving into the street, a foul stench attacked my nostrils. I had never smelled anything like it. My stomach turned, and I felt like I was about to puke. Gagging, I swallowed hard as I placed my hand over my mouth.

I checked the vehicles before moving to the door. They were all empty, but it appeared that I might be facing five guys at least. I considered calling Alexandr but then dismissed the idea. I wasn’t ready to explain all of this to him. I felt sure he would understand, having the same possessive trait as me.

But I wasn’t ready to be lectured on my actions yet. Yes, he said to let them know if something happened and not do things alone. But it would take too long to explain it all and Joyce needed saving now. I decided I would face the music later.

My anger raged uncontrollably just thinking what they may do to Joyce. I kicked at the door with my gun in hand. Generally, I don’t carry but I kept one in my cubby, and today, I was glad I did.

The door swung open with a loud cracking noise. It echoed through the building as it broke open. The inside was larger than it looked. The place was bare except for a handful of old boxes, a broken table in one corner, and two chairs. In the middle of the room was a filthy mattress. There she lay, my angel. My mind blanked out at the sight of her.

I only saw the one man, the guy who took Joyce. Glancing around, I made sure there weren’t others, and I rushed towards him. Moving so quickly, I almost slipped in a sticky puddle ofwho knows what. The stench it gave off was nearly unbearable. It burned my nostrils and my lungs.

The man looked at me stunned, as if he didn’t even hear me coming. For this, I was glad. The element of surprise was always a good thing. Lunging at him, I brought the butt of my gun down on his head. He staggered backward as I threw my first punch.

He was a big man but appeared weak. As he went down, I was on top of him, hitting him with every ounce of strength I had. I wasn’t sure how many times I had hit him or how long it was, but when my hands started throbbing with pain, I stopped.

Blood pooled around his head, or at least what was left of it. I was so enraged that I had smashed his face in. Getting up, I took a deep breath. Glancing back at Joyce, I was relieved that she was still out. Taking off my shirt, I cleaned my hands and draped it over the man’s head.

There was still no one else around, and I wondered what had happened to the other men. Approaching Joyce, I kept an eye on the open door, not wanting any surprises myself. I felt guilty that she ended up in this mess. I bent down and picked her up. Heading back out to my truck, I moved as quietly as possible.

I managed to open the door without dropping her. Placing her down on the back seat, I quickly studied the swelling and bruise on her cheek. It was going to be sore for some time but should heal without issues. Once she was strapped in, I moved to the driver's side.

Before I could open my door, I heard voices drifting in the wind. There were three of them somewhere down the darkness of the alley. Quietly, I opened my door and got in. I had to get out before they realized what had happened, I thought starting my truck.

Luckily, it purred softly. I reversed out of the alley without putting on any lights. Once I turned, I switched on the headlights and floored it. Once back in the city, I stuck to busy roads as I headed for the safe house.

I was pleased we had made it to the safe house without any other problems. I pulled in and parked as close to the door as I could. After unlocking and opening the door, I carefully took her out of the truck and headed to my room.

This way, I could keep an eye on her. There was a large double couch I could sleep on while she rested on the big double bed. I had no idea how long she would be out. Deciding to take a quick shower and wash off the remaining blood, I left the door open.

I didn’t want to scare her if she woke, so I had to get rid of the blood still on me. I wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone, but with the door open, I would hear if she woke or someone came in.

Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, I heard Joyce screaming. Rushing into the room, I found her upright against the headboard. Her face was pale, and her voice hoarse. She looked bewildered and scared. Yet, I saw nothing wrong in the room. There were no open windows, no intruders, naught.

My heart raced as I gently got onto the bed and pulled her into my arms, wrapping them firmly around her. Stroking her hair, I whispered tenderly. “Joyce, it’s okay, you’re safe. I’m here.”

She shook her head. “No, no, why, what happened? Did you do this?” she screamed, trying to push me away.

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