Page 18 of Broken By the Bratva

She was breathing heavily in my arm. Tasha’s soft hand came to my cheek as she was absorbed by the desire we appeared to share. Suddenly my mind screamed at me. Opening my eyes, I pulled back gently. We could be doing this.

Her blue eyes looked like the ocean as desire swam in them. I wanted nothing more than to devour her. But my mind was clearing, and I knew this couldn’t be happening. Pulling my free hand back, I cleared my throat, speaking softly. “Sorry.”

Uncuffing us, I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.” Stepping back, I gave her a slight smile.

Tasha nodded, turned, and headed upstairs. Exhaling hard, I flopped down in the chair chastising myself for my actions. I had no idea if I could trust her. I reminded myself that she wasn’t a comrade, she was the sister of the enemy. We aimed to get to Nadia, and nothing else.

Leaning back in the chair, I gently touched my lips. That kiss was something else. I sat staring at the door, trying to deal with the shock the kiss left me with. I had to shake these emotions rushing through me. These feelings didn’t belong, and I had to shake them.

I had to ensure the Chernykh’s received the intel. Heading to my office, I decided I would ask her if she wanted some combat training later. She was good at hacking and would surely be useful during her stay here. But I was responsible for her life. Training her will increase her chances if we ever get caught.

Chapter 10 - Tasha

I was glad I could still do some hacking and searching to keep my mind occupied. I didn’t want to ponder on everything that had happened since I was kidnapped. After entering a new series of codes, I pressed enter and waited for the screen to load.

As it opened, I realized I had struck gold. There before me as I sat the entire Chernykh family records appeared. I could see who the head of the family was. Plus, all his children along with most of the details of their operations.

Gasping, I placed my hands over my mouth. It was unbelievable how much intel I had just uncovered. I saved the details and secured them with a locked file. Hearing movement in the passage, I closed the laptop and turned as the voices came closer.

“Tasha,” Vadik huffed as he appeared in the doorway. “Come join us, we’re heading out.”

Feeling excited to be helping with another mission, I got up and followed them to the van. I couldn’t contain the joy I felt in being able to assist with their missions. I love working in the field and look forward to gaining more experience.

The ride was mostly spent in quiet reflection. Occasionally, the three men would bicker about this or that. Vadik inquired about gear that Pavel was supposed to have loaded, and he said Makari did. But the gear wasn’t there.

Once the van came to a stop Vadik handed me his phone. “You will have to unlock the doors,” he said.

“Right,” I replied as we got out. According to the plans, the building had three stories. “I need to get to the top floor, the office in the back is the server room.”

“Good, I will get you there,” Vadik huffed as we moved closer.

Climbing through the fence, I wondered why it was so quiet. I couldn’t see any guards or other people around. Staying in the shadows, we moved to a door on the side. It didn’t take me long to dismantle the cover and de-activate the alarm.

Glancing back at the men, I knew they also heard the satisfying click of the mechanism opening. “Nicely done,” Pavel whispered as I pushed the door open.

Standing to the side, I watched as they moved in guns drawn. Pavel and Makari went in first then me and behind me Vadik. The place was dark, and silence hung in the air. Pavel and Makari went ahead scanning the hallways and rooms. “Everything seems deserted,” Makari huffed as he came back.

Vadik nodded and started moving towards the staircase at the back. I followed closely behind not wanting to be caught alone. Reaching the second landing, Vadik barked orders at his brothers. They moved down the hallway scanning the second floor as we continued up.

This doesn’t feel right,” I whispered as we started down the hallway on the third floor. “It’s too quiet.”

Vadik glanced back at me as he replied. “Don’t jink’s it, let’s just get in and out before anyone arrives.”

Smiling lightly, I nodded as we moved ahead. I didn’t like the feeling the emptiness brought. Shivering, I shook the impending doom off.

Vadik led me up to the server room. Stopping at the door, he handed me a small drive. Nodding as I took it, he spoke softly. “Copy everything onto here and then destroy the system. Make sure all their data is lost, okay?”

“Yes,” I replied turning my attention to the blinking lights and computer system in the corner.

“Going to my brothers, we need to destroy any labs, notes and other things we can find,” he added before disappearing. I wasn’t sure if he was going to help them or ensure they did it right.

He was a very commanding person. Chuckling as I hacked into the server, I wondered what he would do if we all said no. There was a gunshot from somewhere in the building. I had just completed the download and was about to upload a virus I created.

Stopping, I glanced around hoping Vadik and his brothers didn’t get shot. But there was no time to ponder. I had to complete what I was doing. The transfer was practically done when I felt the tip of a gun pressing hard into the back of my head. “Stop it now!” a deep voice commanded.

I froze in terror, not knowing what to do. I was sweating profusely suddenly even though my skin was ice-cold. Hearing the safety clicking, I knew this was it. I was about to die. A shot rang through the air deafening me. But I was still standing. Blinking, I couldn’t believe I was still alive.

Turning slowly, I saw the man on the floor behind me. He was bleeding from a hole in his back. Raising my eyes up, I saw Vadik holding a gun. He was standing in the darkened hallway. Letting go of the breath I was holding my legs shook as I stepped over him. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

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