Page 76 of Virgin Bratva Hostage

“I don’t know—I didn’t have a chance to see. The windows were heavily tinted.”

A gunshot ricochets through the alley and Dex yells, dropping down to one knee. Blood oozes through the side of his pants in a thick river of red. It looks bad.

“You’ve been hit!” I scream in panic. He pushes himself back to his feet and shoves me behind his body.

Lifting his weapon, he stands to face whoever is about to come around the corner towards us.

My entire body is shaking as I watch his pants become darker red, the blood gushing heavily.

“Dex—you’re bleeding a lot,“ I say, tight with worry.

“Stay where you are Ruslana,” he demands, not moving, not flinching.

A masked man bolts around the corner to our left and sideswipes Dex off his feet. There is a tangle of fists, legs, punches, kicks, shouts and anger.

Dex is fighting hard.

The other man pulls out a knife and I scream my lungs out when he stabs it into Dex’s side. Tears flood my cheeks as fear grips me tightly.

I can’t let this happen to Dex. I am the reason he is out here. It’s all my fault.

Not thinking twice, I leap onto the attacker's back and start pulling at his clothes, his hair and his arms, trying to get him off Dex.

I’m screaming the loudest I can scream to try and attract attention. Someone has to help us. Someone has to help Dex.

The man stands up, reaching behind himself and dragging me off his back, throwing me onto the ground. I land hard, my hip screams in pain and I roll towards Dex, trying to crawl to him, but he is unconscious. There is so much blood around him.

Tears spring to my eyes. “Dex!” I scream. “Wake up. You have to wake up.”

I hear people shouting in the distance, footsteps coming towards us. “What’s going on there? I heard someone screaming. Call the police.”

Yes—help is coming.

The attacker takes two strides and is standing over me. He grabs me around the throat, lifts me up into the air and swings his arm at my face.

His fists connect with my temple and everything starts spinning. For a second, I think I can fight it, but the darkness sweeps over me, dragging me downwards, into the abyss.

I feel myself being lifted and hoisted over the man’s shoulder as he carries me away—and then I feel nothing, and I hear nothing, and I know nothing but darkness.

Chapter 23 - Avraam

I am rigid with tension as I drive towards the meeting place.

I don’t know what to expect from Rodion, her older brother. I know he is a difficult man. Everyone who deals with him knows it and it’s no secret.

I also know that he and his brothers are willing to kill without hesitation.

But I have no choice. I have to meet with them otherwise this will never come to an end.

I can’t risk the lives of any more of my men at their hands.

Parking close to the area where we are set to meet, I climb out and walk the rest of the way on foot. This gives me a chance to scout the roads around us and watch out for anything strange going on.

But I don’t see anything.

My stomach still knots tighter when I see Rodion sitting on a park bench, right where we agreed to meet.

He’s there.

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