Page 26 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

The nurse blinks, her expression shifting from confusion to something more guarded.

“Stop!” Andrei’s voice booms, closer now, and I hear the heavy thud of his boots against the pavement as he gives chase.

I make it to the clinic doors, my hand gripping the cool metal of the handle. Before I can yank it open, a hand clamps around my arm, yanking me backward with brutal force.

“No!” I scream, thrashing against the hold, my legs kicking wildly as Andrei drags me away from the entrance.

The nurse watches, her cigarette dangling from her lips. She doesn’t move, doesn’t make any effort to step in.

“Please!” I shout at her, my voice breaking. “Call the police! He’s—”

“Enough,” Andrei growls, his grip like iron as he hauls me toward the SUV.

My heart sinks as I glance around the parking lot. The suited man is leaning against his car now, arms crossed, watching with mild interest but no intent to intervene. The woman with the toddler gives me a fleeting glance before ushering her child inside, her expression carefully blank.

No one is going to help me.

The realization crashes down with horrifying clarity. The nurse, the suited man, the patients—all of them are connected to Makar. This isn’t just a clinic. It’s his territory.

“No one here cares about your screams, girl,” Andrei snaps, his voice harsh and laced with annoyance. “Save your breath.”

I twist against him, trying to pull free, but he tightens his grip, practically lifting me off the ground as he drags me the last few feet to the car.

“You’re going to regret this,” I hiss, my voice shaking with rage and fear.

“Doubt it,” he replies coldly.

The SUV door swings open, and Andrei doesn’t bother with gentleness. He shoves me inside, the force of it sending me sprawling across the leather seat.

I scramble upright, my hands pressing against the door, but it slams shut before I can even think about trying to escape again.

Andrei gets in after me, slamming his own door with enough force to make the car shake. His jaw is clenched, his face dark with fury as he turns to face me.

“Are you insane?” he snaps, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”

I glare at him, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. “I’m not going to let you keep me here,” I spit, the anger burning through my fear.

“Oh, shut up,” he retorts, leaning closer. “You’re lucky I don’t toss you in the trunk after that little stunt.”

“Do it, then,” I challenge, though my voice wavers. “See how far that gets you.”

Andrei exhales sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose like he’s trying to rein in his temper. “Listen to me, Hannah,” he says, his tone calmer but no less threatening. “This isn’t a game. You don’t get to just run away and pretend like nothing’shappened. You’ve already made yourself a problem. Don’t make it worse.”

“You don’t scare me,” I say, though the tremor in my voice betrays the lie.

Andrei chuckles darkly, shaking his head. “Then you’re even more foolish than I thought.”

The driver starts the engine, the low hum filling the silence as the SUV pulls out of the parking lot. I glance out the window, my stomach churning as the clinic fades into the distance.

My throat tightens, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. This was my chance. My only chance. I failed.

Andrei sits back in his seat, his expression unreadable now. He doesn’t look at me again, his attention fixed straight ahead.

The car ride back to the mansion is long and suffocating, the weight of my failure pressing down on me like a physical force.

***

The SUV rolls to a stop in front of Makar’s mansion, the imposing structure looming against the fading light. Andrei kills the engine, the low hum fading into silence that feels far heavier than it should.

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