Page 10 of Bratva Bride

Lukyan stood up in a flash and extended his hand to me. I placed my hand in his and he helped me to my feet.

"Come on," he beckoned as he led me back to the main training area.

"Where are we going?" I asked, dragging my feet behind him.

To be honest, I was tired and cranky, and all my muscles were aching from my workout. All I wanted was a nice, hot bath and some vodka. Maybe even a joint.Definitelya joint.

"I haven't given you my present yet," Lukyan replied, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Excitement bubbled through me, and all my other feelings disappeared. I love presents. And Lukyan always gave the best gifts.

I've always been closer to Lukyan, more so than I have Aleksandr and Nikolai. I don't know if it's because he's only two years older than me, or if it's because we have the same quirky personality. Either way, he's my go to brother.

He led me over to the large steel door at the very back of the warehouse. A small fingerprint scanner was on the right-hand side of the door, and a few metres up was a thin, black camera, recording every movement within ten feet of the door.

Lukyan placed his right index finger over the scanner, the red light above it turned green, and the door swung open. A long, wooden staircase led downwards into the pitch-black basement. Lukyan took point, walking down the stairs with ease. I followed behind, making sure to shut the door after me.

Once Lukyan reached the bottom, he flicked a switch on the wall and the hallway lit with light. He led me down the long corridor, walking past several closed doors until he got to the one he wanted. Opening the door, he swept his hand out in front of him and bowed slightly, a playful expression on his face. “Your present awaits, Princess.”

I glared. “Don’t call me that. You know I hate being called Princess.”

“Oh, come on, we both know you’re Father’s favourite. His little Princess,” Lukyan laughed, and I elbowed him in the ribs as I walked past, stepping into the room.

I took in the scene in front of me. The room was completely bare, except for the single male suspended from the roof. His hands were bound in a thick layer of chain that was being held up by a beam running along the roof. His feet just barely touched the ground as his body swayed lightly through the air.

He was completely naked and already had several cuts and bruises throughout his body. Blood dripped onto the floor, heading towards the drain in the centre of the room.

Lukyan walked over to the man, gripped his hair and flung his head back. He slapped his face a few times, trying to rouse him. "Wakey, wakey," he sang, slapping him a few more times for good measure.

The man groaned.

Lukyan let him go and turned to face me, a wicked smile on his face. "Best birthday present ever, right?"

I grinned. "Who is he?" I asked, walking forward and circling him like prey. My eyes roamed his body, looking for all those vital weak points.

"Some local gangbanger. Got caught roughing up one of our girls atStrip," Lukyan replied, backing up.

In case you couldn't tell,Stripis the name of one of our strip clubs downtown, in one of the worst parts of the city. Occasionally gangs stopped in to partake in certain services we provided.

"Ready to have some fun?" Lukyan asked, tying up his long hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes shone with excitement.

I slowly walked over to him and held out my hand. Lukyan reached for his knife and handed it over. It was a small dagger with a black leather hilt that had LV engraved along the blade.

I ran my thumb along the sharp edge, watching the blood drip down my hand. I turned and made my way back over to my present, my blood pumping with anticipation.

My eyes locked with Lukyan’s and I raised the blade, a smile crossing my lips. "Where should we start?"

ChapterFour

Illayana Volkov

Iwoke up the next morning bright and early at six am. I couldn't help it; I was too amped up for the coming day.

The night before, I spent hours researching everything there was to know about the De Luca family. Every single bit of information I could get my hands on now flowed through my brain.

For example, I knew Vincenzo De Luca was known around New York as the city’s biggest man whore. He's never had a serious girlfriend. In every photograph online and on his social media accounts, he had a different woman on his arm each time. His face was always plastered all over the tabloids with articles about some stupid, reckless stunt he just pulled off. It's easy to see how he's gotten his reputation of being aloof and carefree. But then he had another side to himself…a dark, vicious side. Word on the street is helovedto get his hands dirty. He was the Cosa Nostra’s official punisher, the one who inflicted all the pain to those who deserved it. And he could be quite creative with it too.

His brother, Arturo De Luca, seemed to be the face of the family. And what a pretty face it was. He was CEO of a range of different companies throughout New York City, and he's known for being a real pit bull in the business world. He was lethal, cutthroat, and didn’t like being told no. If he wanted something, he got it - even if he had to step over others to do it. Although there weren’t many rumours about him on the streets, I had a feeling he was even more dangerous than his brother. There was something about him, something lurking behind those gorgeous, mix-matched eyes that screamed danger.

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