Page 60 of Brutal Reign (Bratva Kings #3)

CHAPTER

FORTY-EIGHT

HOPE

The helicopter settles onto the tarmac with a final shudder. The silence that follows is more deafening than the noise of our flight.

I’ve been fighting dread the entire ride. Dread that Pavel or the others might have been killed in that gunfight. That Kin is trapped on that jet across the tarmac. That with every mile from Element, the chance of rescue slips further away.

Chen’s fingers dig into my arm as he drags me from the aircraft, the zip tie around my wrists cutting deeper into already raw skin. My wrists ache from being bound in front of me, but I lock the pain away. I won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry out.

“When did you betray my father?” I ask as he drags me across the asphalt, my heels scraping against the rough surface. “Have you always been a snake, or did Simon make you an offer you couldn’t refuse?”

I need to understand why he threw away decades of loyalty to my family.

Chen’s mouth twists into something ugly.

“Loyalty? Maybe your father should have learned the meaning of that word. He locked me out of triad business. I had no real power, no real money, while he thrived and grew his empire. You think I cared about drafting wills or taking care of his above-board business? I didn’t. ”

“He did that to keep you safe,” I blurt, but from the look on Chen’s face, he doesn’t see it that way. “Simon will betray you the moment it serves his purposes,” I continue, stumbling along. “You have no idea what kind of monster he really is. I know things?—”

“Trust me, little bird,” Chen interrupts, his voice thick with satisfaction. “I know exactly who Simon is. I’ve known him far longer than you.”

Something in his tone makes my stomach drop. “What do you mean?”

Chen’s fingers tighten until I can feel my pulse throbbing beneath his grip. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

As we approach the jet’s stairs, I cast one last desperate glance over my shoulder. The rational part of my mind knows it would be impossible to track us here, but some stubborn part of me still searches the darkness for headlights. For the slim chance that help might be out there.

Chen shoves me up the narrow steps. When we enter the cabin, everything else fades when I spot Kin asleep in a seat near the back of the plane.

Every protective instinct I possess flares to life.

He looks unharmed and his hands aren’t tied, which brings a wave of relief, but I can see Chen’s men positioned throughout the cabin.

I take one step toward him before someone blocks my path.

“Not so fast. Don’t you want to say hello to your fiancé first?” Simon’s voice drips with false pleasantry as he grabs me by the throat and slams me against the cabin wall.

The impact drives the air from my lungs. “Get your hands off me,” I manage to gasp.

“Did you miss me?” Simon looks older, harder somehow. His face is gaunt, his once-immaculate appearance now carrying an edge of desperation. But his eyes are as cold and calculating as always. “I’ve been so looking forward to our reunion.”

“Well, I haven’t,” I spit, struggling against his grip. “What do you want?”

“We have unfinished business.” His thumb presses against my windpipe.

“You thought you were so smart, didn’t you?

Reaching out to Chen behind my back, planning your little escape.

Those pathetic messages about how miserable you were in your comfortable life.

.. You just had to take your inheritance and run.

Look how well that plan worked out, you traitorous bitch. ”

“I’m the traitor?” My voice breaks with emotion I can’t contain.

“You murdered my father! I know you called the Syndicate, gave them our location. You held the gun to his head yourself and staged it as suicide. Then you ran into the night and let all your men fight and die alone. There’s nothing lower than that. ”

Genuine surprise crosses Simon’s features before his mask of indifference slides back into place.

“Aren’t you clever. Yes, it was time to get rid of your useless father, and the Syndicate provided the perfect opportunity.”

Fury wins over self-preservation. I gather what moisture I can in my mouth and spit directly in his face.

Simon goes absolutely still. Then his hand crashes across my cheek in a backhand that makes my ears ring and my vision blur, but it’s not enough to contain the rage that fills me like molten metal, white-hot and all-consuming.

“How could you live with yourself? You were like a son to my dad. He raised you when you had no one, took you in, and taught you everything he knew. And what—” my voice breaks, “You killed him to grab power early? The Black Company was always going to be yours.”

Simon’s laugh is sharp and bitter as he leans back, though his grip on my throat never loosens. “Is that what you think? He was going to leave me everything?”

“He trusted you completely. You were his right-hand?—”

“Father, come here and clarify something for Hope.”

Father?

Shock steals my breath. I watch in disbelief as Chen approaches us, his footsteps measured and calm.

“Surprise,” Simon says, clearly savoring my reaction. “His bastard, of course, but his blood nonetheless.”

Chen positions himself just to Simon’s left, and now I can see it—the similar bone structure, the way they both hold their shoulders.

“An indiscretion from my younger days. I couldn’t acknowledge Simon publicly, not with my position and as a married man, but I made sure he landed somewhere useful.

Having him as Lai King’s protégé was perfect until your father decided to develop a conscience. ”

My mind struggles to process his words. All those years, Chen wasn’t just my family’s trusted lawyer; he was positioning his own son to take control of the Black Company.

“All that honor and tradition was keeping us from real profit,” Simon continues, his voice matter of fact. “King refused to expand into fentanyl distribution and human trafficking. Industries that would have made us billions.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. Chen had been using Simon to control the Black Company from within, and when that control was threatened, they eliminated my father.

Simon shifts his weight, pressing his full body against me. My bound hands are trapped between us, pinned painfully against my stomach, and his cologne fills my nostrils, making me gag.

“I guess you understand now. Your father was beloved. Black Company supporters still believe in the King legacy. That’s why we need you so badly, Hope. Your inheritance, your pretty face, and your family name will go a long way toward getting our new operations running smoothly.”

The full scope of their plan crashes over me like a wave. They don’t just want my money; they want to use my family name, my face, and my reputation to legitimize a criminal empire built on the worst kinds of human suffering.

I can’t let that happen.

Chen glances at his watch impatiently. “We need to move. Enough conversation.”

Simon’s smile is all arrogance and cruelty. “After the firepower we sent to that club, there’s no way in hell they’re still breathing, let alone following us. And I’ve waited years to have this conversation.”

“The moment this plane takes off, you’ll have to contend with the Syndicate.

Pavel will search to the ends of the earth to find us.

You should be afraid of my husband, not whomever you owe money to.

” Absolute certainty fills my voice because if Pavel is alive, and I hope and pray he is, nothing will stop him from coming after us.

Simon’s expression darkens at the word “husband”.

“Oh, how sweet. ‘My husband.’” He grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head back painfully.

“In what world do you think your marriage was real? Pavel forced a priest to marry you at gunpoint in a foreign country. It’s not official, which means you’re still engaged to me.

You’re going to become my wife, hand over your inheritance, and smile while you do it.

I’m going to look like a hero, the man who rescued you from the Russians.

And if you cause any trouble, your son pays the price. ”

The threat against Kin drains all fight from my body. I nod numbly, hating myself for the capitulation but knowing I have no choice.

“Good. Now we move,” Chen commands from behind us.

Simon tangles his fingers in my hair. His mouth crashes against mine in a kiss that tastes like brutality and violence. “Can’t wait for our wedding night, wife,” he whispers against my lips before shoving me toward the back of the plane.

I stumble toward Kin’s seat, my legs barely supporting me. He’s still sleeping, his small chest rising and falling peacefully. I reach out with shaking hands to wake him gently.

“Mama!” Kin’s face lights up when he sees me, but his expression quickly falls when he notices my bound hands and bruised cheek. “Mama’s hurt.”

The fear clouding his innocent face breaks something inside me. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I promise. I’m here now, and I’ll protect you.”

And I will. With everything I have.

Kin nestles against me, and I fight the swell of emotion that threatens to choke me. I wish I could assure him that Pavel is coming for us, that he’ll find us before Simon can take us away. But I can’t make that promise.

“Runway is clear. Prepare for immediate departure,” the pilot announces over the PA system.

The engines come to life, and I feel the aircraft begin to taxi toward the runway. The life Pavel and I could have together dissolves like mist. A future that seemed so real just hours ago, the happiness that was finally within reach, all of it gone in a heartbeat.

Just as despair threatens to consume me completely, the world outside plunges into absolute darkness.