Page 59 of Bratva Baby

They drag me forward, hurling another series of punches. My world blurs and my bones protest under the assault. My body screams in agony. Still, I fight, managing to land a kick on one guard’s knee and sending him tumbling. It’s not enough. Another jumps in, ramming a knee into my side. My head smashes into the wall. Darkness threatens, but I cling to consciousness, if only to keep from leaving Seraphina alone with this madman.

“Enough!” Seraphina’s voice is raw. She wrenches against the guard’s grip with tears streaming down her face. “Please… you can’t do this.”

Her father calls off his men again, crossing the distance to where I slump against the wall. He grips my collar and drags my battered form upright so I face him. “You worthless upstart. You think you can keep me down? I’ve spent years preparing for this. Every ally you lost, every deal that vanished, I had a hand in it.”

I spit blood at his feet. “You talk big, but my brothers will be here soon. You can’t hold them all off. Let Cecily go.”

A twisted smile curls his lips. “I’m counting on them showing up, Barkov. It’ll be the perfect stage to rid myself of all the Barkovs in one fell swoop.”

He releases me, and I crash to the floor, struggling to breathe. Seraphina sobs, trying to reach me, but the guard pinsher arms, forcing her away. She looks frantically from me to her father. “Stop this, please. Father, you’re hurting everyone. Just let us go.”

He moves to a door and yanks it open. Cecily stumbles out with her wrists bound and a bruise on her temple. She sees Seraphina and rushes forward, only for a guard to yank her back.

“Seraphina!” she cries.

“Cecily! Are you okay?”

Cecily looks at her father, face stricken. “He… He’s lost his mind, Seraphina. He—”

Her father snorts and grabs Cecily by the hair. She yelps. “Quiet,” he snarls. Then he lifts his glare to Seraphina. “Now you face the consequences of choosing Barkov.”

Seraphina shakes her head with wide, desperate eyes. “I’ll do anything. Just let them go.”

A harsh chuckle escapes him. “Anything, you say? Then choose. Your sister or your husband. One of them goes free. The other stays to pay the price for the Barkovs’ arrogance.”

Seraphina’s face goes deathly pale. “What?”

“You heard me. Pick the one who lives. The other I’ll either kill or keep locked away until I decide they’re no longer useful.”

“Father!” Cecily wails. “You can’t do this!”

He ignores her. “Well, Seraphina? Since you love to play mediator, now’s your chance. Who matters more… The man you betrayed me for, or the sister you swore to protect?”

Seraphina’s breath catches. Her eyes dart between me, bruised and bloodied on the floor, and Cecily, who is tremblingin her father’s grip. Agony shreds her features, and she looks like she might collapse under the weight of the ultimatum.

“Leave her out of this,” I growl, forcing myself upright to lean against the wall for support. “This is between you and me.”

Her father smirks. “Funny, that’s exactly how I see it, too. But she’s the one who walked in here, certain she could save everyone.” He turns back to Seraphina. “Well, dear daughter. Tick tock.”

Seraphina shudders, tears coursing down her face. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”

“That’s not an answer. If you don’t choose, they both die. It’s that simple.”

A strangled sob escapes her, and she slumps to her knees. Cecily cries out, pleading with her father to stop. My head spins, and my vision wavers. My only hope is that Dmitri and the others are almost here. If they burst in now, maybe we can turn the tables. But each passing second feels like an eternity, and Seraphina is moments away from a choice that could break her.

Chapter 25 - Seraphina

I stand in what was once my family home with my knees wobbling and my father’s ultimatum still ringing in my ears. He demands that I choose between saving Grigor or saving Cecily, and the weight of that threat steals my breath. My eyes move between them. Grigor is barely conscious and bleeding from his temple, and Cecily’s face is streaked with tears.

“I won’t choose,” I whisper, forcing each syllable from my constricted throat. “You can’t make me.”

My father’s lips twist. “I’ve gone too far to turn back now, Seraphina. It’s your fault—every piece of it.” He motions to the men around us, half a dozen sets of eyes aimed in our direction. “If you’d just stayed loyal, obeyed my instructions, none of this would’ve happened.”

“You’re the one who lied!” My voice cracks, raw with grief and fury. “You told me Cecily was in danger because of some outside threat, but it was you all along!”

He tightens his hold on Cecily, who whimpers. “You had your part to play, and you failed me. I gave you everything, and you turned on me for that Bratva scum. This is the cost.”

Grigor coughs and drags himself upright with a grimace. He focuses on me, ignoring the blood trailing down his face. “Don’t give him what he wants. We can fight our way out.”

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