Page 61 of Cruel Bratva King

Sergey brought us to a halt at the center of the hall. His smile made his eyes glint. “What do you think this is?” He didn’t give me the chance to rack my brain for an answer. “This marriage is not public, meaning only the members of the guests here are aware of it. That girl’s name will never be made public.”

“So, that’s the reason we weren’t allowed to bring our phones inside?” My eyes widened, and I was stupidly horrified. “It’s just like purchasing a sex doll, only he married her?”

“That’s a simple way to put it.”

That was worse than I thought it was. I took a minute to recover from the shock of what I’d just heard. I was about to lengthen the conversation and get Sergey’s opinion on Paul’s marriage when a man approached.

“Sergey.” He smiled and drew nearer until his arms almost brushed with Nikolai’s. “What a pleasant surprise it is to see you. You skip events like this one. I wasn’t expecting you’ll be here.”

Unlike Paul, this man was younger. He looked the same age as Sergey, and he was handsome to a fault. Not as handsome as my husband, but handsome regardless. He looked like he was of Turkish descent, although he sounded Chicagoan through and through.

“I’m surprised myself.” Sergey placed his hand on my back as he introduced me to the handsome man. “Meet my wife, Lilianna Vadim.”

The man smiled at me and reached out for a handshake. “Mateo Osman,” he said as I took his hand. “You’re beautiful beyond words.”

A smile lifted the corner of my mouth. “Thank you.”

The two men started to catch up on business and the Italians. Turned out I was right; Mateo was indeed of Turkish descent. He was the head of the Turkish mafia.

As they talked, I excused myself to use the restroom. My bump wasn’t showing much, but pregnancy was catching up with me. I couldn’t go more than a few hours without needing to empty my bladder.

After I peed, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to dab some powder on my face. Just as I was about to tuck my powder back in my bag, I heard someone approach, and before I could lift my head to see who it was, they clamped their hand around my nose with a kerchief.

The body behind me was a solid wall of muscles, the hands were too big to be a woman’s, and the smell of his perfume was masculine.

My adrenaline spiked, and I was thrown into a state of my panic. I started to struggle, biting and clawing to no avail. My vision started to grow dark, and my muscles weakened. There was something in the kerchief. I was being drugged to death.

I tried to fight harder, but it was useless. Whatever he put in the kerchief had gotten the better of me. It’d weakened me and left me unable to defend myself.

Dozens of thoughts swamped my brain as my life flashed before my eyes. Sergey was only a minute away from the bathroom, probably still talking to Mateo and having no idea of what was happening.

Tears streamed down my face as I imagined what his reaction would be when he found my dead body lying on the floor. He would shatter and break, and he would blame himself for not protecting me, then he would turn the world into a nightmare. The thought was more terrifying than my fear of dying.

With what was left of my strength, I scratched my killer on the wrist. If Sergey was going to get revenge, he needed to know who did it, and having the killer’s DNA all under my nails was the surest way to do that.

Voices loomed from a distance as the world spun around me in slow motion. Wrapping my hand around my waist, I hugged my baby tight before my consciousness slipped through.

The world stopped spinning, and darkness swallowed me.

Chapter 27 - Sergey

Peering at my watch, I realized fifteen minutes had passed since Lilianna excused herself to use the bathroom. I tried to brush away the unease blooming in my stomach, thinking she was probably doing her makeup or something.

Another five minutes passed, and I was looking at Mateo absent-mindedly. I couldn’t hear his words through the loud thudding in my chest. Lilianna had been gone for too long, and my instincts hinted at me that something was wrong.

Deciding I couldn’t take it anymore, I excused myself from the conversation and briskly walked to the women’s bathroom. I opened the toilet door and peeked inside, scanning the area.

A couple of ladies were doing their makeup in front of the gigantic mirror hanging on the wall. I glanced around, and I grew even more disturbed when I didn’t find Lilianna anywhere around them.

Ignoring the lady yelling at me for peeking inside the women’s restroom, I stepped inside and started to open each of the toilet doors. My muscles were growing rigid with terror at this point, but I held onto the hope that she was probably inside the bathroom.

The glint of hope I had withered away after I’d rounded the restroom and couldn’t find her. Sticking my phone out of my pocket, I flashed it on each of the women’s faces and asked, “Have you seen this person?”

“No.” The others shook their head, but the one that yelled when I entered the restroom glared at me with disgust. “Let’s say I saw her. Why would I tell you if I’ve seen her?”

My anger spiraled as I fisted her small neck and slammed her on the bathroom counter. I was blind with rage, too pissed for her to try and play games with me. Tucking a dagger from the pocket of my suit jacket, I pressed it to the side of her neck. “Because your life is worthless, and I can kill you in less than a fucking second.”

Her attitude died an instant death. “No. Please. Don’t hurt me.”

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