Page 71 of Pregnant Bratva Possession

I fired, but I missed.

His eyes caught mine and he turned his gun towards me. I pressed down on the trigger again, but it clicked. I was out ofbullets. I dropped the gun and clenched my fists. Alexei and my brothers were busy trying to eliminate the other men. It was just me and him now.

I scanned the space between us. The distance was slim and deep down, I knew if I jumped at him, I wasn’t going to make it. The opening was clear and Vincent had a perfect shot. I didn’t give a fuck. If I had to, I was going to die fighting for her.

I gritted my nerves and took a daring step closer to him. He crooked his finger and glowered at me. “Another step and, I swear, I’ll make it quicker.”

“Do your fucking worst!”

It was the end, or it wassupposedto be. Behind Vincent, I sawherslowly emerge from the shadows. Her eyes, though swollen and bruised, reflected a fierce determination as she raised the gun. She was squinting so hard, that I wondered if she really saw Vincent or me.

A thought fleeted passed my mind. Maybe I was going to die inherhands. But her friend, Christy, stood by her side, whispering into her ears.

I grinned, feeling more confident, and I took another step. She fired and the shot echoed through the chaos, piercing the air.

Vincent staggered, surprise etching across his face. “Who’s the bastard now?” I poked his shoulder with a finger and pushed. He fell to the ground. As he clutched his wound, the battlefield transformed.

The tables turned. My brothers noticed what had happened and they fought with newfound vigor. The air crackled with tension, each gunshot a symbol of a struggle for dominance.

I hovered over him, making sure he saw the ferocious look in my eyes as I glared at him. I snatched his gun from his hand and aimed the silver metal at his head.

“The balance of power has shifted, Russo,” I said. “Victory is mine now. I have the fucking power to decide who lives here and who dies, and so far, I’ve decided that I’ll be walking away with your blood on my hands.”

Bang!

His head bounced against the concrete, his eyes snapped shut, and his hand slid off the bullet wound Mariana gave on his shoulder.

I looked up and dropped the gun.

She stood in front me, barely recognizable with swollen eyes, bruised face, and busted lips. Seeing her in that state made my heart squeeze. But to me, she was still so fucking beautiful. Instantly, I thought of our baby growing inside her and gathered her in my arms. She wobbled slightly but I steadied her, leaning all her weight on me.

She managed a smile at me and cradled my face with a hand. It was soft and I leaned in. I’d missed her.

“Vlad...” she whispered and pressed a finger against her lips. From the strain in her voice, I knew an attempt to speak hurt her just as much. She reached for her stomach and cupped it. “The baby…”

“Shh.” I kissed her temple, holding her close. “I’m taking you to the hospital. They’ll take care of everything. Both you and the baby will be fine.”

***

I had never pictured myself doing normal things like a normal person. Such things like changing flowers by a bedside, grabbing breakfast, or waiting like a doting boyfriend would for his girlfriend to recover and get discharged from the hospital.

Luckily, our baby was unscathed, though the doctors sternly advised us not to let Mariana get stressed.

Before Mariana, I never thought it was possible to have thoughts like that about any woman. But I was here now. One week after the war with the Camorras, I stood in a hospital room watching my sister-in-law share muffins with the woman that had somehow managed to snag my heart.

“He made Giselle cry. Did he tell you?”

“What? No, he didn’t.” Her beautiful brown eyes enlarged and she glared at me. Even her playful glare stirred a funny sensation just below my belt. “Why would you do that?”

“Oh, I would gladly tell you why, but that’s just so obvious now, isn’t it?”

“Does Nikolai know he made his wife cry?”

The older woman sniggered and shook her head. “Oh no, dear. If he did, we’d probably have two patients in this hospital. And one would be in a coma.”

I sighed and crossed my hands over my chest, leaning against the pale walls of the room. “Lilianna...”

She raised her hands up in the air and got up from away from the bed. “Okay, okay... I’m going now. Rest well, Mari. We can’t wait for you to come back home.”

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