Page 40 of Innocent Bratva Hostage

Tears blurred my vision, but I dared not blink them away. Whatever he wanted to do to me would be a hundred times worse if he sensed I was afraid, and I wasn’t in the mood to feed his ego.

He pushed off the chair and stalked toward me, holding the tip of the knife up so I could get a good view of the pointy end.

I thought about Mom, thought about art and selling off a piece in a gallery filled with people who appreciated raw talent. I hadn’t gotten a chance to live that dream yet. I hadn’t lived at all.

Andrei would be looking for me by now. It was one thing that he considered me a tool, but I was his lifeline, and he wouldn’t just let me escape. He’d try to find me no matter what it would cost him.

I needed to stall Gavril until he did.

“Maybe I can think of something,” I said sharply. “My father left a clue behind. I’m not sure where exactly the shipment is, but I’ll figure it out.”

He stopped walking, and his brow quirked up his receding hairline. “What clue?”

“A text.” I inhaled, trying to remain calm. One mistake, and my life would be over. “The one you said he sent me before he was murdered.”

“You’re trying to buy some time, aren’t you?” He leaned toward me, bringing his face so close that the smell of tobacco and liquor on him made me gag. “You think the Yezhov boy will come to save you. Too bad you’ll be waiting until your last breath. You’re nothing to a man like him.”

Every fiber of my being trembled with the fear that no one would come to save me. I felt like a trapped animal, helpless and exposed for vultures to circle and dine on.

What if Andrei couldn’t find me? I’d be trapped with a beast like Gavril. I’d take my last breath alone and in pain.

My eyes burned, my heart threatening to explode from my chest, yet I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how scared I was.

“Am I nothing, or are you afraid he’ll actually find me?” I straightened up and met his stare. “You know he won’t let you go that easily if he finds out you have me.”

“Stupid bitch!”

The first blow landed across my ribs. Pain seared through my side, and my vision flashed white for a moment.

Gavril shook his head with fake pity. “Such a shame. I wouldn’t have to be unpleasant if only you could be cooperative and not run your pretty mouth.”

I clenched my fist and groaned, but I wasn’t going to cry. “Is that all you’ve got?”

He grabbed my chin so tight his nails were literally tearing into my skin. “Watch your mouth, child. I’ll have your tongue next time.”

My breathing was labored. I’d grown too weak and exhausted from the lack of food and everything. My mind wavered between giving in to his demand and trying to find where the shipment was and letting him torture me to death.

No, I wasn’t going to give in. I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t break. I hadn’t gotten my revenge on the people who killed my father yet.

I closed my eyes, reminding myself I couldn’t let this man break me so easily.

My eyes tore open as a loud bang reverberated through the warehouse. It was a gunshot from outside.

The air shifted, and the entire place turned into a chaotic mess as more gunshots rang out, the sound drawing nearer with each shot.

Smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air, and Gavril’s men scrambled toward the source of the chaos.

“Come on, you idiots!” Gavril screamed at his men, who’d gathered around to protect him. “Kill that bastard and bring him to me.”

Some of the men obeyed, and the others stayed back, using their bodies as a shield for Gavril and pointing their guns toward the smoky entrance.

It all happened quickly, and before I could process everything, the men around Gavril were…dead.

Vomit crept up my throat at the sight of them. There was blood, so much blood.

I raised my feet as some of the blood trailed toward me, and my panic flared in my chest. I’d never seen a dead body. It was hard to process that these men had been alive only a second ago, and now they were nothing but corpses with bullet wounds. I’d never been exposed to such brutality before.

Gavril pulled a gun from one of the dead bodies and pointed it toward the entrance. “Whoever you are, showyourself.” He then pressed the gun to my temple, the tip of it ice cold against my skin. “Show yourself, or the girl dies.”

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