Page 74 of Bratva Bride

His suit was torn, blood dripping down his face from a cut on his forehead but other than that he seemed relatively fine.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned.

I smiled and gave Lucian another big smooch on the cheek. “I am, thanks to this superstar.”

Alessandro, Isabella and Vincenzo ran towards us the first chance they got, scooping Lucian up and hugging him tightly.

“Il mio ragazzo. Stai bene? Sei ferito? Dov’è la tua guardia? Dov’è Tomasso?”My boy. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where’s your guard? Where’s Tomasso?Alessandro spoke fast, the words flying from his mouth as he held his son.

“Morto. La mia nuova sorella maggiore mi ha salvato.Dead. My new big sister saved me.

They all turned to look at me, gratitude radiating from them.

“Actually, he saved me.” I pointed at the dead man with the knife sticking out of his throat.

“Oh, mio ragazzo! Mio prezioso bambino!”Oh, my boy! My precious little boy!Isabella shrieked, pulling Lucian from Alessandro’s grip and wrapping him up tight in her own embrace.

“Madre, sto.”Mother, stop.Lucian whined, trying to escape his mother’s clutches. His face turned bright red, embarrassed at the level of affection being displayed.

Alessandro stared at his son, pride wafting off him in waves. He smiled, tousling his hair. “Ben fatto, figlio mio.”Well done, my son.He looked around, scanning our surroundings and furrowed his brows. “Where’s Theodora?”

ChapterEighteen

Illayana De Luca

“What the fuck happened?!” My father yelled, staring into the eyes of the men before him.

We were all crammed into his office. Alessandro, as well as hisConsigliere, Gabriel Dattoli - a tall, well-built gentleman with brown hair and dark eyes - and one of hisCapo’s, Stefano Fragola - a middle aged bald man with a slim build - were sitting on the couch on the far side of the room. Vincenzo stood at his father’s side.

At the opposite end, stood my father’s newSovietnik,Vladimir Turgenev, and hisBrigadier, Andrei Petrov - the man responsible for recruiting and training our soldiers.

Vladimir was an attractive man, with deep brown eyes, short black hair and a sculpted face. I’d only met him once since he took over for Maxim. From what I could tell, he deeply respected my father and was ecstatic about his rise in the ranks of the Bratva.

Andrei I had known since I was a kid. He was in his early sixties, but still kept himself in incredible shape. He was around 6’2, with an athletic build and strong, sharp features.

My father sat at his large mahogany desk, tapping his fingers impatiently as he looked around the room. My brothers stood like sentries behind him. Feet planted firmly on the ground, hands clasped behind their backs, faces hard and stoic.

I perched myself on the edge of my father's desk, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded across my chest, my mind a jumbled mess. Before we had all crowded in here, I spent what felt like forever searching for Tatiana. Fear gripped me hard when I couldn’t find her. That was until Nikolai told me he had gotten her to safety after the first round of explosions. I was so fucking thankful that she hadn’t been hurt, but the thought that she might have been had been enough to fuck with my emotions.

I tried to put it at the back of my mind and focus on the matter at hand.

The air was thick with tension as we all stared at one another in silence. Even though my father didn't address anyone directly, he was still expecting someone to answer his question. So, when he was greeted with nothing but that eerie silence and scathing looks, it only served to anger him more.

"I said...what thefuckhappened?!" he roared, slamming his fists onto the desk. His blue eyes lit with rage as he stared menacingly at Vladimir and Andrei, but it was Nikolai who responded.

He stepped forward, moving in front of my father's desk. "At 9:18am, two black SUVs rammed through our gates, both exploding simultaneously metres out from the house. Two teams of twenty then infiltrated the grounds, killing Ivan and Donat, the guards posted at the gates. One team moved inside, the other stayed outside confronting our men."

Father growled in anger, gritting his teeth as Nikolai grabbed his laptop and played the surveillance footage. It showed exactly what he described, two cars ramming the gates and exploding only seconds later.

"Secondary explosives were placed around the patio, maybe three or four, I'd guess. Which would suggest an inside job. I've got Koyla searching through the footage to try and find who laid the charges."

"What were they after?" Father asked, leaning back in his leather chair.

"Ya ne znayu, Otets."I don’t know, Father."Their motive for the attack is still unclear. I'm inclined to believe they were attempting to stop the wedding. Stop us from forming an alliance. But I cannot be sure."

It made sense, but why go to all the trouble of attacking us only to be too late to actually stop the wedding? Unless it wasn't their ultimate goal. I mean sure, it could have been a contributing factor but part of me had this feeling I was missing something vital. I felt like the answer was on the tip of my tongue. That it was staring me straight in the face yet I couldn't see it properly. It was driving me crazy.

"Round up their dead and bring them here. I want to see who we're up against." Father flicked his wrist towards the door as he issued his command. Vladimir gave a small bow before leaving the room.

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