Page 103 of Owned Bratva Bride

The decision was made as I ascended the stairs back to our bedroom.

I would look for her. And I would find and bring her back.

I didn’t care if Lucien manipulated her or if she was shouting not to be saved; I would find her. I would burn every city to the ground until I found her. Nothing could stop me from finding my wife.

I protect what’s mine.

And she’s mine.

Chapter 21 – Marielle

The air smelled of sweat and decay.

My wrists ached; my mouth was dry. The back of my head pulsed as if it had its own heartbeat.

Slowly, I lifted my heavy eyelids.

The only bulb in the wide space shone on two men playing cards on a bench at the center.

I was sitting with my hands behind me, strapped to a metal chair.

I remembered entering the study. The broken window. The hit on the back of my head.

And this had to happen when I was wearing a robe.

“Oh, the princess is awake,” one of the men remarked.

As they left the bench and approached me, I didn’t need anyone to tell me that they were Lucien’s men.

But I still asked, “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

A sharp slap snapped my head to the side, causing my ponytail to brush my face.

Been a while since I got one of those.

“You don’t speak unless you’re spoken to,” the stout man who slapped me said.

I clenched my teeth, my jaw stinging with pain.

“I’m sure you know who we are. Your Mafia husband must have told you when he killed our colleagues. Didn’t he?” the other guy spat, bending to be eye level with me.

I blinked.

He backhanded me, and I struggled to stay silent.

The stout guy gripped my jaw, forcing me to look up at him.

“Nobody is coming for you. Your husband has a goodbye note supposedly written by you. So you’d better obey our rules.We have your life in our hands. We can do anything we decide with you. Well, not us, but our boss. And you’re not on his good side.”

I wanted to ask where the hell Lucien himself was. But I held back because my clothing put me at a greater disadvantage. I could take the slaps and hits, but if they decided to take it up a notch, I’d beg for death. Not that I wouldn’t be getting it eventually.

“Now, the boss has asked us not to do any harm to you until he gets here. But it’s not safe for you to tempt us,” he added.

Several hours passed with me tied to the chair, while they played cards and even slept. I was more uncomfortable about waiting to know my fate.

***

I heard the creak of metal.