Page 64 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

“The tone variation of this piece is beautiful,” Sergei murmured, pointing to the one in question. “It says a lot without needing to say anything at all.”

Having a potential buyer evaluate my work with such interest and positive affirmations made me feel even better about it all.

Dom remained by the door, not too overly concerned given how harmless Sergei seemed, along with the relaxed nature of our meeting. But his phone eventually rang, cutting the silence of the studio.

When I glanced over at him, he silently gestured to his phone and saw himself out into the hallway. It must’ve been important enough for him to leave.

Left alone with Sergei, I watched as he continued to inspect the painting closely.

He hummed again. “You see, this one…it speaks to me.”

I lifted a curious brow, wondering how he perceived it. “In what way?”

“The pigment blending together here evokes a deep, unsettling feeling…like dread before something awful happens,” Sergei explained, drawing my attention to the areas of the painted canvas. “Of which I’m sure that guard of yours probably felt once he realized that call was a fake…but he’s likely already on the floor, out cold…”

I hung onto his every word, unassuming, until the latter sank in, and my brows furrowed. As he described, a cold chill moved through me at the realization of what he was saying. Turning to meet his gaze, I immediately caught how that previously disarming look of his slipped, and it was almost like someone entirely different was looking back at me.

My heart was in my throat.

“You should’ve listened to your brother, you know…” Sergei said with a sigh, shaking his head. “This would’ve been so much easier for you…”

The mention of my brother set off every alarm in my head, but before I could do anything, he moved so fast I didn’t have the chance to react. In the blink of an eye, he was pressed against my back while his arm gripped me in a headlock.

I sucked in a breath, only for something to cover my mouth and nose, reeking of chemicals.

Despite trying to fight it, not wanting to breathe in anymore, I couldn’t help it. The urge was too strong, and the longer he held that cloth over my mouth, the less I could resist it.

Unavoidable, the fumes hit me, and my vision began to blur.

All the while, I could only think about Ivan…wondering what he would’ve done in my position. Wondering how he might react to what was happening to me.

Then, everything bled into a senseless nothingness.

Chapter 27 - Ivan

With the usual traffic ahead of me while I moved through the city, I played the radio quietly while my fingers drummed against the steering wheel, wondering how Daria's buyer situation was going.

I had been so caught up with work that I didn't have the chance to call her as I planned. Half tempted to then, I decided against it, aware that I would be home in less than ten minutes. Then she'd be able to tell me all about it.

Regardless of whether she managed to sell anything, I was still proud of her, and I wanted her to know that. And I had more than one idea of how I could prove it to her.

Briefly lost in thought, mauling over my options, the music went quiet as a call came through and lit up the front display of my car.

Noting it was one of our employees, my brows pinched while I reached forward and accepted the call.

"Yeah?"

A trace of concern and duty laced his voice. "Sir, I was just told Rurik Kuzmin was spotted not too far from the downtown core...the closest unit was deployed, but he managed to slip away before he could be contained."

The words registered, and a flash of irritation sparked within me. "What? How could that happen?"

He took a moment before calmly explaining, "He used the busy streets to his advantage, stopping our guys from confronting him in front of pedestrians to avoid casualties. They're out tracking him now, but so far, he hasn't been seen again."

Gritting my teeth as more of that anger settled in, aware that Kuzmin was getting too close for comfort, I forced myself to keep it in for now. "How long ago did this happen?"

"It's been at least two hours since he was last seen..."

Two hours. He could be anywhere in the city at the time, even if he was still alive.

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