Page 38 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

“You get used to it,” Gwen says quietly. “They're in a dangerous game. They make enemies.”

“How were they able to take Anton, though? Doesn't he have his own guards?” I ask. “If he's not safe, are any of us safe?”

Gwen gets up and grabs my shoulders. “Sit and breathe.”

I sit down, putting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I breathe deeply. I need to calm down.

“Should we call a doctor just in case?” Anya asks.

“Riley knows first aid,” Gwen says. “She could help. That might ease her nerves.”

I look up sharply. “I'm not a doctor.”

“It's probably going to be superficial wounds.” Fiona walks to the door and calls the maid back. “Get us all the first aid stuff from the house that you can find and bring it here.”

“I'm not a doctor,” I repeat.

“But you're good in a crisis.” Gwen smiles softly. “Having a purpose might help ease your nerves.”

I get up and start to pace again.

Gwen gets up. “Riley?”

“I just can't do this.” I feel panicked.

Gwen hugs me tightly. “You're safe.”

“Anton got taken. How safe can we be?” I say. “What if they come for us? What if they take us to get to the men? I don't feel safe, Gwen.”

Anya gets up and takes over from Gwen, hugging me tightly. “We're not going to get taken. Anton was probably surprised and didn't have his guards around.”

“What if the guards are in on it?” I ask. “What if they betray us?”

“You can't think like that. The guards are like family. They are family. They are loyal to our family above everything. We alltake care of our guards and their families, we make sure of that. No one is going to betray us.”

Fiona flips the television on and flips through the channels until some CCTV panels show. “This is a channel linked to our CCTV cameras. We can see anyone who comes and goes.”

I sit down and stare at the screen. “How many guards are there?”

“Depending on how many guards Rigor took with him, there's probably about ten or fifteen left on the property, from what I can see scanning through the panels.” Fiona moves her head as she looks from panel to panel.

I nod and hug my knees.

“Think about the good things,” Gwen says, sitting beside me. “Think about how happy you are with Viktor.”

“I can't because all I think about is how he's not going to come back and how I'm never going to see him again.”

I look at Gwen, who looks at Anya and Fiona.

“Let me try to call Rigor,” Fiona says, taking out her phone. She dials a number and puts the phone to her ear. I can hear it ringing from where I'm sitting because the room is so quiet. I hear a voice and Fiona hangs up. “Voicemail. They're probably just busy.”

It doesn't make me feel better.

“Pace, if it makes you calm,” Gwen says.

I get up and start to walk up and down the room.

After two more hours of pacing, panicking, sitting, and trying to breathe, we hear car tires squealing outside. We all look up and rush to the door. The front door opens, and Roman and Viktor bring Anton in, supporting him with his arms aroundtheir shoulders. They walk toward the living room. “Move,” Roman says.

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