Page 41 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

“Go on,” a deep voice said from the foggy darkness ahead. “Kill her. I dare you.”

Andrei.

It was Andrei’s voice.

Relief washed over me as he emerged from the darkness. His eyes were blood-red with rage, his face colder than anything I’d ever seen.

For the first time since the day I met him, he didn’t look mysterious and snobby; he looked angry—really angry.

The gun began to quiver as it was pressed against my temple.

Gavril pulled it away and pointed it at Andrei; then, as if clouded with confusion, he pointed it at me again. “Take one step forward, and I’ll pull the trigger,” he warned, cocking the gun.

I held my breath, my gaze fixed on Andrei.

Andrei didn’t look at me. His full focus was on Gavril. He was glaring at him with that murderous rage still in his eyes. “I’d always thought you were a smart man, Gavril. It seems not.”

Gavril laughed, but it was a mere hollow sound to mask the fear in his eyes. “I should have killed this stupid bitch earlier.”

“Killing her will be the difference between you leaving this place dead or alive,” Andrei drawled, a low warning in his voice. “If I were you, I’d run.”

“Fuck you, Yezhov.” Gavril whipped the gun back toward Andrei and pulled the trigger.

Andrei ducked behind a crate to take cover. His men rushed in, and Dobryn pointed a gun at Gavril, who’d started to make a run for it. “Don’t shoot him,” Andrei barked, shooting up to his feet and racing after Gavril.

A growl slipped from Andrei’s throat as he caught up with Gavril and smacked the back of his head with his gun.

Gavril stilled, and then he thudded to the ground like a sack of grain.

“Tie this bastard up and make sure he wakes up,” Andrei ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Dobryn pointed at three men to carry out the task.

Andrei’s eyes locked onto mine. The storm in his blue eyes had calmed, but he still looked angry. “We meet again,solnishko.” He walked toward me and, kneeling in front of me, started to loosen the ropes. “What the hell were you thinking, running away like that?”

My stomach twisted with nerves.

I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to escape him, to be far away from him. The things I heard him say over the phone this morning had shredded my heart apart, and I needed some space to myself.

He was angry, rightfully so.

After loosening the rope, he helped me to my feet and peered into my eyes with his cold, blue gaze. “Don’t ever do something like that again,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

I should have been afraid of him, but I wasn’t. Despite the anger laced in his voice, he had come all the way to this place to save me.

I felt safer with him than I had the last couple of hours. I was grateful he’d come.

So, rather than trying to escape him again, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. “Thank you, Andrei.”

Chapter 16 – Andrei

Her body was cold against mine. As she hugged me, she felt even more fragile, and the rage from earlier seemed to vanish in her presence.

All that mattered to me right now was that she was safe and unharmed. Dread coiled in my gut at what could’ve happened if I’d arrived a minute later than I had.

I supposed Gavril had already figured out she really had no clue about the shipment. The son of a bitch would have tortured her and killed her just to spite me and feed his twisted, sadistic fantasy.

I pulled back and inspected her for injuries. She had bruises on her wrists, over her tattoo, and a few under her chin. I wondered if there were more in places I couldn’t see.

---