Page 65 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

Dobryn nodded. “Yes, sir.” He looked around. “We need something sharp to peel it out from the wall.”

“I’ll get you something.” I gingerly walked to the kitchen, picked out two knives from Mom’s cabinet, and returned to the living room. “Will this do?” I asked as I held out the knife to Dobryn.

“It should work.” He took the two knives from me and handed one to the other man.

Andrei pulled me back ,and we watched from a distance as they carefully pried the painting from the wall.

My breath hitched when a hidden door emerged from beneath the painting. I’d been right. I found the shipment at last!

Andrei’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t show any excitement. He stepped forward and twisted the door handle; then he shook his head at me.

It was locked.

I had no idea where the key was; Dad hadn’t mentioned it at all. “Maybe we could kick the door down?”

“There’s an easier way out.” Andrei and the men stepped back as he pulled out his gun from the holster strapped around his chest and pointed it at the door. He craned his neck to look at me. “Close your eyes.”

I did as he said, plugging my fingers into my ears.

He fired at the lock, the sound echoing through the house.

The door creaked open, revealing stacks upon stacks of sealed crates.

This was it—the reason my father was killed and the reason we’d traveled this far. Behold, the Tyfun-1 that had thrown the entire organized crime world off balance for the last couple of months.

Andrei exhaled, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He had found what he was looking for.

“What do we do now?” I asked, peering at him.

“We move them,” Andrei answered calmly, nodding at his men to get to work.

My eyes widened. “All of them?”

There were so many of them. It would take an hour at least before we were able to move them all to the car.

I couldn’t help but wonder how Dad was able to get them all in here. Did he have any help? I didn’t think so. It must’ve taken him hours, at least, to load all of these in here.

Andrei’s phone rang just as Dobryn and the other men moved into the room with the shipment.

He answered, putting the phone on speaker.

“There’s been a problem, sir,” Dimitri said over the phone, his voice heavy with panic. “I think someone else knows the location of the shipment. I found—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the distant sound of approaching vehicles sent a jolt of panic through me.

Headlights cut through the windows, followed by the blaring of sirens.

My stomach dropped, my blood freezing to ice instantly,

“That is what I wanted to tell you,” Dimitri finally said. “The police put a trail on Giselle. They’ve been monitoring her movement since she was kidnapped.”

Andrei slid his hand into my pocket and snatched my phone. “Fuck!” he cursed. “That Romanian bastard! How didn’t I think he would try to fuck me over from his grave?”

He didn’t need to explain anything. I could tell from the rage on his face that my phone had been tracked.

Although Gavril was dead, he’d set a trap that led the police directly to me. They must’ve been watching all along, waiting for the right time to strike.

“Give your order, sir,” Dobryn muttered, reaching for his gun. “Do we fight or make a run for it?”

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