Page 34 of His Grip

Viktor watched her for a moment longer, his heart still racing from the near-miss. His team was in position, closing in on Alexei, but Viktor’s mind remained on Sofia. He couldn’t shake the thought of her in danger. It wasn’t like him to feel this way, but it was undeniable. The woman he’d married, the woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a tool to help him solidify his position in the Bratva, was warming her way into his heart.

And that scared him more than anything.

He shoved the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time to think about his feelings. They still had a job to do.

Viktor moved quickly, coordinating with Sergei to clear the remaining guards, each move precise and deadly. The warehouse had become a battlefield, and they were outnumbered. But Viktor wasn’t worried. He never was. His team had been trained for this, and every step they took was executed with military precision.

The sound of gunfire rang out again as Viktor and Sergei advanced, taking out the last of Alexei’s men. In the chaos, Viktor spotted Alexei himself—cornered, his back against the wall, eyes wild with panic. It was over. But Viktor wasn’t ready to let him off so easily.

He made his way toward Alexei, stepping over the bodies of fallen men, his heart still pounding in his chest, but now, it was all business.

"You thought you could get away with this?" Viktor’s sounded calm, but there was an edge to it—something dark, something unforgiving.

Alexei swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the exits. He was trapped. Viktor was closing in, and there was nowhere to run.

"Viktor, we can still work this out," Alexei pleaded, shaking with fear. "I didn’t?—"

"Save it." Viktor cut him off, his gun raised and aimed directly at Alexei. "You’ve made your move, and now you’ll pay the price."

But before Viktor could pull the trigger, Sofia’s words rang out from behind him.

"Viktor, wait."

His body tensed at the sound, and for a moment, his mind was pulled away from the confrontation. He turned, looking at her as she approached, Sergei close behind her. The blood on her arm was already drying, but the concern in her eyes was evident.

"You’re going to kill him?" she asked. "Just like that?"

Viktor’s eyes narrowed. "He’s a threat, Sofia. You saw what he was planning."

"I don’t care," she snapped. "Killing him won’t change anything. We need information, not a body."

Viktor’s jaw clenched. She wasn’t wrong. But in that moment, he didn’t care. His instinct was to end it quickly, to put an end to Alexei’s treachery.

But Sofia wasn’t backing down.

"You owe me that," she added.

Viktor’s pulse thudded in his temples. Sofia was standing there, still defiant, still challenging him even after everything. He could feel the raw energy between them, the pull that had been there since their first encounter.

Reluctantly, Viktor lowered his gun, the stiffness in his muscles slowly easing. "Fine," he muttered. "But if this comes back to bite us, I’ll hold you responsible."

Sofia didn’t flinch, her eyes locked on his, daring him to do something about it. "Fair enough."

Viktor stood there, his gun still lowered but ready to strike if Alexei made a wrong move. The room was thick with anticipation, the atmosphere charged with the aftermath of the battle and the weight of their decisions. Sofia was right. Killing Alexei wouldn’t answer all their questions. It wouldn’t give them the answers they needed about Andrei or the true scope of the betrayal lurking within their ranks.

Alexei was shaking now, his usual bravado crumbled under the weight of Viktor’s glare. But Viktor wasn’t in the mood for mercy. His instincts told him that Alexei was more dangerous alive, his mind working overtime to piece together the motives behind the man’s actions.

"You’ve been planning this for a long time, haven’t you?" Viktor’s pitch was low, each word deliberate. "You thought you could undermine me, take my empire. Did you really think you’d get away with it?"

Alexei stammered, his hands up in surrender, but Viktor wasn’t fooled. He could feel the lies hanging in between them. And as much as Viktor wanted to end this quickly, his thoughts kept circling back to Sofia. She had disobeyed him—put herself in danger for Ivan. The bullet wound on her arm was a reminder of how far she was willing to go. How far she was pushing him.

And that, more than anything, was what kept Viktor from pulling the trigger. Sofia’s defiance, her strength, and the way she had stood up to him—even after everything that had happened between them—had begun to worm its way under his skin.

But now wasn’t the time to deal with that. He needed to focus. On the mission. On the enemy.

He took a step toward Alexei, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me who else is involved. Is it Andrei?"

The name hung between them like a threat. Alexei’s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Andrei... is loyal. He’s not part of this."

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