Page 36 of Forced Innocent Bratva Bride

He scoffed, ignoring the attitude as he slowed down and took a gentle turn toward the pharmacy. I clenched my jaw, masking my nervousness, which seemed to heighten the closer we got to the building.

The plan was to get a pregnancy test strip so I'd know what exactly was going on with me.

Chapter 13 – Alexei

The Phoenix Brotherhood, a Latin American gang with a reputation for violence and ruthlessness, had threatened the Bratva. Their leader, Alejandro De la Cruz, was a man whose name was whispered with fear and respect—a man known for his cruelty and willingness to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

De la Cruz was a cunning man, always looking for ways to outsmart everyone in the room. Although he'd never tried anything funny with the Tarasov Bratva, I knew he'd had his eyes on us for a while now.

The man had a reputation built on the foundation of brutal violence, with stories of his victims being tortured, mutilated, and left for dead.

I, for one, had never taken him seriously. Alejandro De la Cruz was a man desperate to prove to the entire crime syndicate that he was a force to be reckoned with. He was trying to look tough, to seem tough; meanwhile, underneath, he was just a lonely man seeking attention.

I knew he was a determined piece of shit who'd willingly go to any length to get what he wanted. However, I didn't think he was stupid enough to threaten me. In his desperate quest for power, he had targeted the Tarasov Bratva because he figured if he took us down, then every other gang would take him seriously.

I knew he was stupid. I just didn't know he wasthisstupid.

De la Cruz had been working with one of mine—the asshole, Fredrick, I’d put away about a month ago. Turned out Fredrick had sold some sensitive information to De la Cruz: theBratva's operation, our financial dealings, security protocol, and even the identities and addresses of some of our top members.

In his mind, De la Cruz thought he had the upper hand here because he had a few “sensitive” details about us.

The threat was that Alejandro De la Cruz was going to bring our organization crumbling down to the ground around our ears. His exact words were, “Tell your boss, Alexei, that I will burn his little empire to the ground and make him watch as I take everything away from him.”

He'd passed the message across to Gordey, and it was successfully relayed to me. I wasn’t even the least bothered by it because I knew he was just making noise—like a cat looking for someone to play his game.

De la Cruz and his empty threats would have to wait. For now, I had a more pressing situation on my hands—an issue of concern that I needed to address.

My wife had been in the bathroom for almost an hour, and that was weird because she wouldn't normally take that long. I'd known something was up since I dropped by to pick her up at the restaurant.

I'd deliberately refused to address the fact that she left the house without my consent. She was expecting me to say something about it, but I didn't—that way, she'd be confused, unable to predict my next move.

Alexandra had informed me the moment she left the house, and I had her phone tracked. At first, I was pissed, but when I realized she was meeting up with her friend at a nearby restaurant, I let my guard down.

She wasn't a prisoner, anyway.

But that was beside the point. Lorena had requested we stop by a pharmacy so she could get some “girl stuff.” She wouldn't tell me what it was, and after she bought it and returned to the car, she still didn't let me know what it was.

I could've asked or forced her to tell me—and maybe she was even expecting me to do just but—again, I decided to let it slide.

That was yesterday, and she hadn't been herself ever since. She'd been more withdrawn and quieter, uninterested in getting on my nerves or starting unnecessary banter. She wasn't displaying her arrogance, nor was she being rude the slightest chance she got. She was just quiet—brooding.

Was she sick? Was she dying? What, exactly, was eating away at her, draining the venom from her sharp tongue?

Whatever it was, it had to be serious, considering it was consuming her silently.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table, and I stretched, reaching for it. My eyes fell on the lit screen, indicating an incoming call from Gordey.

About time.

I'd instructed him to go find out from the pharmacy what my wife had come to purchase yesterday. Or, if she ran a test, what exactly she was tested for. The Bratva had ways to get information from people without causing a scene, and Gordey was a master at stuff like this.

Lorena was my wife, and I had every right to know what was going on in her life. She was mine—so were all her problems and concerns.

I answered the phone, clasping it to my ear.

“Boss.” His thick voice came through from the other side.

“Talk to me,” I said, sitting up on the bed, my feet on the cold marble floor.

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