Page 27 of Plus-Size Bratva Bride

… I couldn't shake the image of Pippa, vulnerable and alone at the safehouse. What if they found her? What if—

"Abe!" Ivan's voice snapped me back to reality. "Focus. We need that brain of yours working with us, not spiraling."

I took a deep breath, forcing my emotions back under control. "Right. Okay. We start by retracing his steps. Every camera, every witness, every scrap of evidence from the casino. Hack into the public cameras in the vicinity. We find this bastard, and we make sure he never talks."

The tension in the room shifted, a sense of purpose taking hold. As we dove into planning the hack, I pushed thoughts of Pippa to the back of my mind. I had to stay sharp, had to neutralize this threat. Only then could I ensure that the Vadims and their star employee stayed safe.

***

I pulled up to the safehouse two hours later, my mind now turning back to Pippa. As I approached the front door, I heard a commotion inside. My heart rate spiked, and I instinctively reached for my gun.

But when I burst through the door, I was met with a sight that made me freeze in my tracks. Pippa was there, all rightfully dressed, and in her quest to get something out of her reach on a shelf, she had dropped a load of books on the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

Pippa whirled around on that ridiculous chair she was standing on, her green eyes flashing with defiance. "What does it look like, Abe? I'm leaving and I had no cellphone battery to call a cab. So, I thought I’d use that to call one instead.” She pointed at the receiver hidden away in a corner on the top of a bookshelf. “I can't stay cooped up in here forever, you know?"

I raised an eyebrow. Jesus. Even the morning after being nearly stabbed to death, this woman wanted to be in charge through and through. She was resourceful in finding that thing, for sure. My finger pointed at what she thought was a phone. “That,” I said, “won’t work. It’s only to receive emergency messages. Not make calls.”

“Oh,” she frowned, looking endearingly disappointed, then stepped off the chair she had been standing on. “So…” she shuffles her weight from one foot to another. “Drop me home?”

I strode toward her, jaw clenched. "Hell no. It's not safe out there."

"I have a life, you know," she shot back, flicking her hair over her shoulder with more force than necessary. "A job. Responsibilities. I can't just disappear because you say so."

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. This woman was infuriating, but damn if her stubbornness didn't make something in my chest tighten. "Pippa, listen to me. You can't go. There are people out there who want to hurt you."

She paused, her lips pursing. "I appreciate your concern, Abe. Really. But I have a home to get back to. I swear I’ll keep it locked, not let anyone in unless I know them. My apartment is pretty safe.”

I stepped closer, close enough to catch the scent of her perfume. "You don’t understand,” I scoffed in her face. “Your apartment is child’s play.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. “But—” she began.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. "What you want right now doesn't matter if you end up dead, Sweetheart."

Pippa's green eyes flashed with fear.

I took a deep breath, trying to get my point across. "We have no leads. Tony could have had other men working with him at the casino. If there are more infiltrators in the Vadims ranks and they find out what went down between Tony and you, you’d be dead within seconds. Besides, there could be others coming. Others who won't hesitate to use you as leverage against the Vadims.”

She faltered for a moment, her hands now clenched together. "The Vadims are like family to me. I would never betray them."

"It's not about betrayal," I growled, closing the distance between us. "It's about them torturing you for information. It's about them hurting you to get to us. Can't you see that? Doyou know what some of these assholes are capable of doing to a woman like you? How much harm they can cause you?”

Pippa's bottom lip trembled slightly, but her voice remained steady. "And what am I supposed to do? Hide away forever?"

I ran a hand down my face, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. "Not forever. Just until we neutralize the threat.”

Pippa's lips pursed, but she nodded. "Fine. But I have work to do. The Vadims—"

"Can manage without you for a few days," I interjected. "Your safety comes first. Meanwhile, you can work remotely. Vlad Vadim would want that.”

Pippa's eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw her resolve waver. I watched as Pippa's shoulders slumped, the fight slowly draining out of her. For a moment, I was struck by how young and vulnerable she looked, despite her fierce demeanor.

"I just… I can't stand feeling helpless," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, she looked up at me and whispered, “So, where am I to go?”

I could sense the reluctance in her voice, the frustration of being cornered into a situation she didn’t want. It was evident that Pippa did not take well to being pushed around—and I couldn’t blame her for it. But there was no other choice.

Taking a step back, I let out a sigh, trying to calm the fierce protectiveness that surged through me. “You’ll stay with me,” I said finally, my tone firm. “At my house. It’s the safest place there is, with all the security we have in place.”

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