Page 57 of Brutal Reign (Bratva Kings #3)

CHAPTER

FORTY-FIVE

PAVEL

The limousine pulls up to Element’s curved driveway, where a line of Moscow’s party-goers snakes around the block, waiting to get in.

The opening of our biggest nightclub to date should be a moment of triumph, but I won’t celebrate until Hope is safe and Chen, and whoever else he brings, is tied up in my basement.

Hope sits beside me, her knee bouncing anxiously as she looks out the window. I place my hand over her restless leg, feeling the warmth of her skin through the fabric of her dress. She’s nervous. Hell, so am I, but I won’t let her see that.

I’ve run hundreds of operations, but none involved the woman I love walking into danger. She’s well prepared, but I know how quickly things can go sideways, even if I’d die before I let that happen

“Breathe, angel moy,” I murmur. “This will work.” The words are a reminder to me as well.

Hope’s face softens, and some of the steel in her expression melts into something tender. She nods, and her shoulders drop as she settles into the calm determination that’s carried her through the last few days of preparation.

“Are you ready to do this?” I ask her, inclining my head toward the door.

“I’m ready.” Her hand slides into mine, and the reassuring squeeze speaks volumes.

I give Roman the signal, and he runs his thumb along his earpiece before doing a final check-in with the team.

“We’re about to step out of the vehicle. Everyone locked and loaded?”

“I’m in position,” comes Vadim’s gravelly response. Our sniper is stationed in the building across the street, with a clear view of the roof and the main entrance.

“Drones active. Airspace clear,” follows Eva.

“Security center operational. All cameras live,” reports Maxim from the security room inside the club.

Dinara is last on comms. “Good to go from mission control.”

“Copy that.” Roman’s hand hovers over the door handle as he looks at me and then Hope. “Showtime.”

“Let’s do it,” Hope says, and that steel in her declaration makes my pulse kick. She’s about to put herself on the line with the kind of courage that would make my soldiers envious.

Roman steps out first, doing a quick scan of the crowd of hopefuls waiting behind the ropes to get in. I step out next, then extend my hand to help Hope from the vehicle.

Hope takes my arm with practiced ease, her smile radiant as she takes her place by my side.

She’s wearing a black silk dress that drapes over the thin body armor beneath.

The neckline showcases her throat and collarbones, while the slit up her left thigh gives her easy access to the knife strapped to her inner leg.

Roman leads our small procession toward the entrance. Hope is between us, my hand resting on the small of her back as we pass a few photographers covering society news.

“Smile, angel moy,” I murmur against her ear as we pause for a few photographs. “You look like a queen.”

And fuck me, she does. Despite the fear, Hope King carries herself like the royalty she is.

A guard opens the doors to the main entrance for us.

The interior is all black marble and chrome, with LED lighting that shifts from deep purple to electric blue as the bass line demands.

The main floor spreads out to one side in a carefully orchestrated chaos of beautiful people moving to the music like they own the world.

As we climb the stairs, I lean close to Hope’s ear. “See the bartender with the sleeve tattoos? That’s one of ours. The exit behind the main bar leads to the service tunnels. Niko’s positioned at the far end of the dance floor, keeping watch.”

Hope nods almost imperceptibly.

The VIP level opens before us. It has plush circular seating, private bars stocked with the best liquor money can buy, and discreet alcoves where wealthy patrons can conduct business or pleasure away from public scrutiny.

As Roman heads to the bar, I guide Hope toward a curved booth that provides excellent sightlines of both the main floor below and the surrounding area.

“Comfortable?” I ask as she settles beside me, her body fitting perfectly against my side.

“As comfortable as anyone can be wearing a knife strapped to their thigh,” she replies, dryly.

Hope pulls out her phone, the one we gave her specifically for communicating with Chen. Her fingers swipe across the screen, checking for new messages. Her face is calm, but her body is vibrating with nervous energy.

“Anything to report?” I ask.

“Nothing new. He confirmed he’s in Moscow this morning and that we’re set to meet tonight.”

My jaw tightens. We tried every method to get to him before tonight.

We tracked his flight patterns, had Dinara monitor hotel reservations, and even checked private airfields.

But Chen’s being careful. We think he flew private into a smaller city and drove here, staying at a safe house instead of a hotel.

He’s not sharing his location with Hope, despite all her attempts to get that information, and Dinara still can’t crack his communications. That’s why tonight’s our only chance.

After we pump him for information about Simon’s location, I’m going to take my time with Chen. Let him feel a fraction of the pain he put her through. I’m going to break every bone in his body, one by one, until he begs me for death.

Roman appears with glasses of water, setting them down quietly. “I’m going to position myself by the bar,” he murmurs. “Better view of both floors from there.” He squeezes Hope’s hand briefly—a final good luck gesture. I can see it in his eyes, the same tension we’re all carrying.

Eva comes through my earpiece. “Two black SUVs just pulled up outside. Multiple subjects exiting the vehicle. These guys aren’t regular partygoers. They’re Chen’s backup. Keep an eye on them.”

I keep my voice steady, feeling Hope’s eyes on me. “How many?”

“About a dozen men. They’re entering the club now.”

“Is there a problem?” Hope asks, her worried gaze meeting mine.

I force my body to relax. “Totally fine. We think his men have arrived. No sign of him yet.”

After a beat, Maxim comes through. “They’ve entered the club, and they’ve spread out across the main floor.”

“We’re on it,” Niko confirms. Along with a small army of his men, he has the ground floor covered, but like most clubs it’s dark, loud, and busy, and keeping track of twelve men over a large space is challenging. Still, we’ve prepared for all possibilities.

“Tomorrow,” I tell her, my thumb tracing circles on her hand, “we’re going to wake up, make Kin pancakes, and start planning our life together.

I want to marry you, properly this time.

” I pause because there’s one more thing I need to tell her.

“And I’d like to adopt Kin legally. I know I’m not his biological father, but he’s already mine in every way that matters. You both are.”

Hope’s eyes brighten with unshed tears. “There’s something important I need to tell you after all this. Something about Kin. But let’s get through tonight first.”

Before I can ask what she means, Dinara comes through my earpiece again. “Chen just entered through the main entrance. He’s on his own with no visible escort. Security patted him down, and he doesn’t have any weapons.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, gripping her hand. “It’s not too late to back out. I’ll find another way to capture this piece of shit.”

She holds my face and brings my mouth to hers. “We end this tonight.”

Her phone buzzes, and she reluctantly pulls away from me. She reads the message, and I watch her swallow hard. With a deep exhale, she rises, smooths down her dress, and discreetly checks that the knife is in place.

The next few minutes are going to be hard.

She’ll meet Chen on the main floor, convince him she has somewhere private to talk, then bring him up to the VIP bathroom, where Roman and I will be waiting.

Simple plan. But Chen might want to take her somewhere else entirely, given that his real goal is getting her out of here.

As long as she stays in this building, we can get to her. At least, that’s the plan, but plans have a way of going downhill fast.

I grasp her jaw and pull her in for a final kiss, then say the words I desperately need her to hear.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment you stabbed me.” I grin. “Promise you’ll come back to me.”

She closes her eyes for a second, like she’s holding on to this moment. When she looks at me again, her eyes glisten. “I love you too, Pavel. More than I ever thought possible. I’ll always come back to you.”

Then she turns and walks toward the stairs.