Page 62 of Brutal Reign (Bratva Kings #3)

CHAPTER

FIFTY

HOPE

Pavel’s gaze finds mine across the cabin, and for a moment, the world narrows to just him.

Relief makes me light-headed. He’s alive. After hearing that brutal gunfight, seeing him whole and breathing feels like a miracle. Tears spring to my eyes as the tight ball of fear in my stomach finally loosens.

His gray eyes lock onto mine, and I give him the smallest nod, communicating that we’re okay, at least for now. When he sees Kin with his head buried against my stomach, Pavel goes still.

Fury radiates from every line of his body at seeing the little boy he’s so protective of, the child he’s grown to love, cowering in fear.

“Hello, Pavel,” Simon snarls, his arm pressing harder against my throat. “You really should have stayed out of this.”

“Too bad. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” Pavel steps forward slowly, never breaking eye contact with me as he places his gun on the floor. His hands rise in surrender. “Let Hope and Kin go, and you can have me instead.”

“I don’t want you, but since you offered your weapon up so readily…” Simon’s breath burns against my ear. “Kick the gun toward me.”

“Don’t do it,” I blurt, knowing that Simon will never keep his word. He’d rather kill all of us than let me go.

“It’s okay, angel moy,” Pavel says, his voice steady. “I don’t need a weapon to take down this piece of shit.”

Chen emerges from the shadows behind Pavel, and before I can shout a warning, he presses a gun to the back of Pavel’s skull.

“We know you have more weapons.” Without warning, Chen brings the gun down hard against Pavel’s temple. Blood immediately streams down his face, but Pavel barely flinches, his focus never leaving me and Kin. “Drop everything in front of you. Now.”

Pavel’s throat works like he’s swallowing back venom, but he complies, reaching into his jacket and producing another gun. He bends to pull a knife from his boot. The weapons clatter to the floor in front of him.

Chen pats him down thoroughly, then nods to Simon. “He’s clear, son.”

“I see you’ve met my father, Chen Wei,” Simon’s voice carries dark satisfaction.

Realization sparks in Pavel’s expression as he connects the dots. “Interesting. I didn’t realize being a treacherous snake was a family trait.”

“Treachery? I prefer to call it strategic thinking.” Chen’s smile vanishes, replaced by cold menace. “It’s why we have Hope and Kin, and a gun pressed to your head.”

Pavel straightens despite the weapon aimed at his skull. “I know you owe money to Duret. I’ll give you the cash—I can transfer it right here—whatever you want. And you can keep me as collateral, but let them go.”

Simon laughs, the sound vibrating against my back, making my skin crawl. “How noble of you, but your money doesn’t interest me. Hope comes with her own fortune and the King family name. You’re useless.”

Simon’s arm tightens around my throat like a steel band, cutting off my air.

The hard metal of his pistol digs deeper into my spine.

My focus narrows to Kin’s small body trembling against mine, his tears soaking through the front of my dress.

I loop my zip-tied hands around his shoulders as I try to shield him from this hell.

I know we are on borrowed time. The battle outside has slowed, but soon, one side will win. I need to end this now, and there’s only one way to save the man I love and my child. The thought terrifies me, but I know what I have to do.

“I’ll go with you willingly,” I say to Simon, my throat thick. “I won’t fight you. I won’t try to escape. You can have my money, my cooperation, but you leave Kin here with Pavel.”

Pavel looks like a caged animal ready to tear through bars, even as Chen presses the gun harder against his skull. “Fuck no. You’re not going anywhere with this piece of shit.”

“Please.” I meet my husband’s eyes, then glance meaningfully at Kin, hoping he understands what I’m trying to tell him: save our son. That’s the only thing that matters.

Pavel stares at me for a long, agonizing moment. I can see the war raging behind his eyes, his every instinct screaming at him to fight, to protect, to destroy anyone who threatens his family. But he also knows that one wrong move means we all die.

Simon hasn’t agreed yet, but I know he will; this is what he wants, after all.

The silence stretches taut as a wire, broken only by the distant sound of gunfire outside and Kin’s quiet whimpering.

Finally, Pavel’s shoulders drop almost imperceptibly. He knows I’m right. He knows this is the only way.

Simon steps back but keeps me molded against his front, the muzzle of his pistol a constant reminder of how quickly this could end.

“Try anything heroic, and Hope pays. I need her alive, of course, but there’s so much room to have a bit of fun before that. And do be careful; I have more men positioned around the entire airfield.”

I close my eyes and steel myself for the hardest moment of my life. A sob breaks from my throat, but I try to stay strong as Pavel slowly kneels down, opening his arms despite Chen’s gun trained on him.

“Go to Pavel. He’ll take care of you,” I urge Kin. When he refuses to move, I grasp his chin in my hand. “Sweetheart, please,” I beg, my voice trembling.

“It’s okay, buddy. I got you,” Pavel coaxes.

Kin hesitates, then slowly moves away from me. The instant Pavel’s arms close around him, his small body shakes with silent tears.

Pavel holds him protectively to his chest and kisses his forehead. “Your mama will come back to us. She just needs to do something first.”

Kin’s terrified face as he looks back at me nearly destroys me. He looks so fragile and lost, and I feel as if I’m abandoning him, even though I’m trying to save his life.

“It’s okay, baby.” Tears stream down my face freely now. “I’m going to be fine.” I lock eyes with Pavel, knowing he needs to hear what I say next. “Go with your father. Your real father.”

Pavel’s entire body goes rigid. His eyes snap to mine, wide with shock. The raw vulnerability in his expression cuts straight through my heart. This is not how I planned to tell him, but if not now, I may never get the chance.

“I was going to tell you,” I sob, the words pouring out. “I swear I was going to tell you when this was behind us. I wanted you to know, but it was never the right time, and I was scared, and?—”

Pavel blinks back emotion as he looks down at Kin, then back at me. He shakes his head slowly, pure wonder in his expression. “Really?”

All I can do is nod as he holds Kin tighter, realizing this isn’t just the child he’s grown to love; it’s his own flesh and blood.

“Enough,” Simon snarls. “Get out of here, Fedorov. Take your spawn and enjoy what little time you have left. Hope belongs to me now, and she'll give me a proper heir, not some half-breed Russian mistake.”

Chen grabs Pavel’s arm roughly, the gun still pressed to his ribs. Pavel could tear Chen apart with his bare hands if he wanted to, but with Kin in his arms and our lives hanging in the balance, he doesn’t.

“Move,” Chen barks.

Pavel turns one last time as they’re forced toward the exit, and that look he gives me holds everything he can’t say aloud.

I love you.

I’m coming back for you.

This isn’t the end.

The plane door closes behind them with a finality that carves a hole in my chest. The gunfire outside has gone silent, leaving only the sound of my racing heart.

“Report,” Simon barks into his radio.

“All Syndicate operatives eliminated, sir,” comes the crackling response. “Area is secure.”

“Good. Take out Fedorov and the kid. They’re exiting from the rear.”

“NOOO!” The scream tears from my soul as pure, animalistic panic floods my system.

Simon betrayed me. He lied. He never intended to let them live.

Blind rage consumes every rational thought. I slam my elbow back into his ribs with every ounce of strength I possess, feeling something crack. He grunts, loosening his grip enough for me to twist around and drive my knee toward his groin.

“You promised!” I scream. Even with my hands restrained, desperation makes me vicious. “You said you’d let them go! I’m giving you what you wanted, you lying piece of sh?—”

Two gunshots ring out from outside the plane, sharp and final.

The sound stops my heart.

Pavel and Kin. The two people I love most in this world.

A howl tears from my throat, but it feels like I’m floating outside my body. Something inside me dies—the part that hoped, that fought, that believed in tomorrow—withers and turns to ash.

I collapse onto the floor, my body folding in on itself as sobs wrack my chest.

They’re gone. My entire world is gone.

“Fight all you want, but it changes nothing,” Simon spits, kicking me hard in the gut. “I have two relief pilots on standby; we’ll be airborne in minutes.”

He gestures to two men entering the cabin, and I hear them moving toward the cockpit. The engines begin to spool up again, but I don’t care. Nothing matters anymore.

I want to die. I want Simon to put a bullet in my brain so I can follow Pavel and Kin into whatever world comes next. The only reason I don’t beg for it is the burning need for revenge flickering hot in my chest.

If I’m going to die anyway, I’m taking this bastard with me.

Through my tears, I spot something glinting under a nearby seat—a steak knife from a past meal. Moving slowly and trying not to draw attention, I begin working my way across the floor toward it.

My bound hands make the movement clumsy, but I’m almost there. My fingertips brush the handle when Simon’s boot comes down hard on my wrist.

“I thought you were going to be obedient, Hope,” he says mockingly, pressing down until I cry out in pain. “How quickly you forget your promises.”

Just then, the plane door explodes inward with a deafening crash.