Page 54 of Bratva Jewels Box Set

I look at her, confused.

“That man from earlier, he was one of your clients. I’ll make sure I get him to keep your secret safe, and then you run and never look back. You hear me?”

“But what about you and the other girls?”

She makes a sad face. “I pray one day you are safe, and someone will save us. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Come with me now. I can get you out tonight. Please, don’t go back.”

Ruby shakes her head.

“I’m not as strong as you, Saffy. I won’t survive. You need to get someone with power to save us. Someone who is more powerful than the Bratva.”

My heart is breaking for Ruby; I need to do something. “What about my family? Are they looking for me?”

Ruby shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure. I think Nikolai told them some story about you wanting to stay in Russia with him. All I know is you are Zoe Clark and you’re originally from Australia. You were studying languages in Barcelona. That’s how you were able to work out what was going on. You picked up Russian so quickly, nobody else understood it.”

“Please, Ruby, please don’t go back to that man. I promise you Tomas and Mateo can help you.”

She shakes her head again sadly. “They will kill my family if I escape. I can’t do that to them.”

I can’t let her leave. I can’t let her go back to these monsters.

“Forget about me. Promise me you will go. You are our only hope, Saffy. If anyone can save us, it’s you,” she says seriously.

“I can’t leave you, Ruby. I can’t send you back to those men.” I sob, wrapping her in my arms.

Ruby pulls herself from my arms and stands up out of my reach. “Don’t look back. Saffy, you can’t take on the Russian mafia by yourself. They know where your sister is, they know your family, they will hurt you in ways you cannot even begin to understand.” Ruby sobs. “They killed my sister. I watched them rape her, then slit her throat, all because I escaped once before. They warned me, and I thought they were bluffing, they weren’t. They killed her right before my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them, I couldn’t stop any of it and they laughed, they laughed as she lay on the ground, choking on her own blood.”

No. No. No.

“I must go. Do not make a scene inside, I beg of you. I will be in danger if you do. Once I’m gone forget about me until it’s time. Until it’s safe for you to come get us,” she warns me.

“I promise I will do everything that I can to save you. Save the girls.”

Ruby nods then turns on her heels and rushes back into the ballroom.

I collapse into the cool grass and sob my heart out. I will do everything in my power to save these women if it’s the last thing that I do.

It takes me a long time to compose myself. Each time I think I can go back inside and find Tomas I’m assaulted by another memory, and my legs buckle on me again. I knew there was a reason my mind was hiding everything from me and these snippets of my past filtering through prove it.

Eventually, I make my way back into the ballroom after a stop in the bathroom where the attendant fixes my makeup forme and helps me look like I haven’t spent the past hour having a mental breakdown. I step out of the bathroom and see a frantic-looking Tomas heading toward me.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you all night. I’ve been so worried. I thought something had happened to you. You’ve been gone for so long.”

Words escape me, and instead, I step into his chest and wrap my arms around him. I take a deep breath of his woody cologne which has a calming effect on me. As I hold him tightly, feeling safe and secure, I realize they are both in danger. If the Bratva know that I am alive and come looking for me and find me they are going to kill Tomas and Mateo. I cannot let them suffer the same fate as Ruby’s sister. I love them. It’s as simple as that. These two men have my heart and my soul, they are my everything. I will not stand by and witness these people killing my loves.

“I’m not feeling well. I needed a couple of moments out in the garden getting some fresh air. I didn’t realize I was missing for so long.”

He brushes my hair from my face and kisses me softly. “Are you feeling okay now, my love?”

I shake my head, unable to fake it for long.

“Okay then, let’s go home. I’ve had enough of this party, anyway.”

Tomas wraps his arms around my shoulders and escorts me from the party.

I know what I need to do to keep them safe.