Page 69 of Sold to the Bratva
He glares up at me, eyes blazing. “What are you waiting for?”
She wouldn’t want me to kill him, not yet. No matter how angry she’ll be or how used she’ll feel, she’ll want to hear the truth before I end him.
“You don’t deserve mercy,” I say coldly. “But you won’t die before your daughter sees exactly what a piece of shit you are. She’s going to look you in the eye and get the answers she deserves before I end your miserable life.”
Viktor’s lip curls. “She’s your weakness.”
“She’s mywife,” I retort, my voice calm and lethal. “And I won’t let you turn her love into a weapon.”
Oleg groans from the floor as Mikhail tightens his hold.
“You good?” Mikhail rasps, his face slick with sweat and mottled with bruises.
I nod once, sucking in a deep breath. “Get them to the basement and lock them down. No one in, no one out.”
“We could just take care of them now, Isaac,” he grunts. “Put an end to this once and for all.”
Every part of me screamsyes, but I shake my head. “I’m not killing Katya’s father without her knowledge,” I say, sure of my decision.
Mikhail nods grimly, dragging Oleg toward the door. “I’ll make sure they’re secured.”
“Don’t be gentle,” I mutter, nodding toward Viktor. “He sold out his own daughter.”
Viktor lets out a bitter laugh, blood staining his teeth. “You should understand,” he says, his voice low. “When you’repakhan,nothing is off the table.”
“That’s the difference between us,” I say, leaning into his space. “You see everyone as a pawn. I love Katya, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. She deserved more than the sorry excuse for a father you turned out to be.”
I walk out without another word.
Two of my men rush in to check on me, and I direct them to help Mikhail haul Viktor and Oleg to the basement.
“Make sure every one of their men witnesses this pathetic defeat before you put a bullet in them,” I say coldly. “I don’t want anyone thinking they fought with dignity or honor.”
My men smile as they drag Viktor and Oleg away.
Now I need to find my wife and make sure she’s okay. I’m about to ask Mikhail where he stashed her when he pulls out his phone, frowns, and looks up at me, noticeably paler.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, blood turning to ice.
“It’s Maude,” he says on a sharp exhale. “Katya went into labor, and she’s on her way to the hospital. They have my car.”
Of everything that’s happened tonight, this steals my breath.
“What?” I manage to croak.
“You need to go, Isaac,” he says, voice tight. “Your baby is coming.”
My heart stalls. A tidal wave of panic, relief, fear, and awe crashes over me all at once. I can’t process any of it.
“I’ll handle the cleanup,” he says as if reading my mind. “Just get to your wife.”
I don’t wait another second.
28
KATYA
The fluorescent lights overhead are brutal and the sterile white walls amplify every awful thought ricocheting inside my skull. I clutch the sheets until my knuckles turn bone white. The dull ache in my lower back sharpens into a relentless throb that ripples across my belly, climbing my ribs with every shallow breath.
