Page 41 of Bratva Bride

"Anche tu."You too.

I swear, whenever she speaks Italian, I got goosebumps. I hung up the phone and looked at Vin.

"Bad news I take it?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You've got no fucking idea," I grumbled as I got to my feet. "Come on. Let's go see Marco and Diego. I'll explain everything on the way."

* * *

We pulled up in front of Bare Essentials, one of the many buildings we own located in downtown New York. At night, it was a high end strip club. But during the day, it was where we packed and distributed our drugs.

Both Marco and Diego were meant to be here, but whether or not they were doing their jobs or getting their dicks sucked by the girls was anyone’s guess.

I stepped out of my Mercedes, buttoning up my suit jacket. I was wearing an all-black suit, with a black tie and black shoes. I looked dark. Evil. Just the way I liked it. Vin stepped up and walked beside me as we made our way to the entrance. A black SUV pulled up behind my car and four of my men got out, moving to take up position behind us.

“I can’t believe those fuckers sent ten guys after them,” Vin said, shaking his head. “How the hell were they able to hold off that many? It was just the four of them?”

I had no idea. Ten was a lot for four to handle. I knew the Bratva were skilled in their training and I knew Illayana was capable of fighting. She proved that the night I broke into her house. But still, howdidthey manage to beat that many? Not that I’m complaining.

“Got no clue,” I grumbled. “As far as I know it was just Lukyan, Illayana and her two bodyguards.” I was still pissed that she’d been attacked to start with, and I was itching to get my hands on that prisoner they had.

“You gotta admit, that’s pretty badass though.”

“I don’t have to admit shit,” I hissed. “She shouldn’t have been attacked in the first place.”

“Calm your farm, I highly doubt it’s the first time she’s been attacked. She’s the daughter of thePakhan. She’s probably attacked weekly.”

I glared at him and his hands shot up in a defensive gesture, his palms facing outwards.

“Whoa, I was just sayin’.”

“Just shut your mouth, how about that?”

“Righto, cujo.”

Two men were stationed outside the strip club, guarding the front door. As we made our approach, they both nodded. One of the men turned and opened the door, allowing us to step inside. The place was completely empty, apart from the stages, tables, and stripper poles distributed throughout the room.

"Did you tell them we were coming?" I asked Vin as we made our way over to the office at the back of the building.

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'.

"Good."

I opened the office door and wasted no time making my way over to the bookcase. I searched through the books until I foundThe Art of Warand tilted it back. The bookcase shook as it opened wide, revealing a hidden passage. We followed the staircase down into the basement until we came to a large steel door. A keypad was on the wall on the right-hand side of the door, and I quickly put in my personal eight-digit code.

The red light above the keypad turned green and the door swung open.

The room was filled with half naked people, all working to cut, clean and package our drugs. Most were women, dressed in just their bras and underwear. The few men in the room were guards, stationed along the walls and monitoring the floor. No one acknowledged us as we moved throughout the room, which was exactly the way I preferred it. I was paying these people to do a job and mind their own business.

I flicked my wrist at two of the men, who came inside with me; Christian and Luca. They were identical twins who have been at my side for years. They were both big guys, packed with muscle and were incredible fighters. Dark-haired and blue-eyed beasts.

"You two, stay out here and monitor the work. I want to know if anything is amiss," I commanded as I continued to the back office.

"Yes, boss," they both said at the exact same time.

Fuck, I hated when they did that. It was creepy as fuck.

Vin and my remaining two guards, Stefano and Thomas, stayed close by my side as I stood in front of the door. I turned to Vin and he gave me a cheeky smile.

---