Page 25 of Pregnant Bratva Hostage (Dubrov Bratva #17)

I tried so hard to sneak a coded message into the conversation with Boris while we were in his office, but I have no idea if Ark even heard it or not. And if he did hear it, did it make sense to him?

Every day since my uncle grabbed me outside my apartment and brought me back to his mansion, I’ve looked for a chance to call Arkady, to warn him, or to get a message to him. But my uncle is watching my every move. He has men with their eyes on me day and night.

My phone is being monitored, and every breath I take is being recorded.

I can barely blink without them being suspicious of me.

And now they’re plotting a massive attack on Ark and his family, and I want to throw up, I’m so terrified.

I have to stop it.

Even if I could somehow make a run for it, which would be ideal, I’d be putting my baby at risk. My uncle might shoot me down.

It’s not a chance I can take. I need to wait this out and hope like hell that Ark heard my message.

In a few hours, my uncle is going to ask me to phone Arkady to meet up. That’s when I’ll be able to find out. He has to drop me some kind of a clue. Fuck. I hope so.

I’m in the living room at my uncle’s mansion, and there are men everywhere. They are all preparing for an attack on the Andreevs. Massive guns, heavy artillery, Kevlar vests, and black masks are spread out over the room. There is even a crate of hand grenades. I cannot let them get to Ark.

If I can somehow stop the attack on Ark, it will also ruin the rest of their plans.

My stomach twists and turns. I stand up and pace the living room. Men glare at me, and I do my best to ignore them.

I have to save Ark. That’s all that matters.

My uncle walks into the room and barks various orders to different security teams. Hired guns. Murderers. They don’t care who or why they are shooting; they just know they’re getting paid, so they’re willing to do whatever my uncle asks.

He works with the worst scum on the planet—because he is the worst scum on the planet.

“Girl, answer me when I’m talking to you,” he snarls at me.

“What?” I stammer.

“Fucking focus. You’re in the way. Sit the fuck down. No, wait, don’t call in here. It’s too noisy. Get your phone and follow me,” he commands.

I pick up my phone from the living room coffee table and step over weapons and crates to follow him out of the room into the dining room.

“Call him,” he snaps.

“Now?” I murmur in disbelief. I don’t want to. It’s happening too soon. I haven’t figured out how to stop it yet.

“Are you fucking stupid or what? Yes, now.” My uncle lifts his hand as though he’s going to hit me on the side of the head, then he stops, smirks that horrible, cold grin of his.

“We don’t want your face all bruised for your reunion with your boyfriend, do we?

” He brushes his fingers over my cheek, and I wince away from him in disgust. “Make the call.”

My hands are shaking when I dial Arkady.

He had to have heard my warning. He had to. Please.

“Tania?” his voice is strained.

“Hi, Arkady, it’s me,” I say, trying to sound normal in order to make my uncle believe everything.

“You’ve had me so worried. I tried to call you so many times. Where were you?”

“I, um—I just needed some time. You know, time to myself. A hike in nature, um, just to clear my head.”

“What’s got you so worried, darling? Why didn’t you just talk to me about it?”

Is he serious right now? Did he really not hear the message I tried to send him?

“I couldn’t talk to you until I figured out how to tell you what I needed to say without um, feeling trapped.” I’m trying to emphasize certain words, but Uncle Boris is glaring at me.

“Tania, I don’t want you to feel trapped with me. I promise you, it’s not like that.”

I sigh loudly, frustrated to no end.

My uncle grabs my arm and squeezes tightly. I whimper.

“Um, maybe you have time to meet me for coffee?” I ask, giving up trying to get a message to him now. He clearly didn’t hear what I said on the bug. And I’m risking too much with my uncle standing right here listening.

“That sounds great. Now?”

My heart sinks.

“In an hour is good. At, um, the Pink Flamingo. Their hot chocolate is to die for.” My last, useless attempt to reach him does no good.

He replies cheerfully, ignoring my warning.

“I can’t wait to see you, darling.”

I hang up the phone, and my uncle grabs it from me. “Good. Now go and get changed. You look disgusting. Brush your hair. Put on some makeup. He needs to be attracted to you, not repulsed. We need him distracted.” He shoves me towards my bedroom, and I walk away from him, hating myself.

I wear a pair of tight blue jeans and a pretty sweater. Soft blue cashmere, with my hair tied up in a bun.

The coffee shop is quiet, and I’m sitting here near the window, hyperaware that there are men on the opposite roof with guns pointed at me. And that my uncle is seated just out of sight at another table behind the cornered wall.

The coffee in front of me is still full, but it’s cold. We got here early, just to be prepared. And I’ve been sitting here with anxiety, painful flooding every cell in my body.

Am I about to watch the man I love being shot to death?

No, I refuse to allow it. I will warn him before it happens. I will warn him and still find a way to keep our baby safe.

A bell rings on the door of the coffee shop as it swings open. I look up, and my stomach knots even more. Arkady throws me the most perfect, beautifully wicked smile. The one who melts my heart and pushes dimples into his cheeks.

“Hi, gorgeous,” he grins, pulling out the chair next to mine and sitting down. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“Ark, I don’t know if this was a good idea,” I whisper, throwing my eyes to the side to try and gesture towards where my uncle is.

Ark ignores my wild eye movements and waves the waitress over. “I’ll have a hot chocolate with marshmallows. And um, make that two. She’ll have one as well.”

He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “It’s going to be okay, darling. We’re going to work it out. All of these things that are bothering you—we can talk about them and fix them.”

My breathing is heavy. I’m running out of time.

If I don’t do something right now, I will regret this moment for the rest of my life.

“Arkady, it’s a trap,” I say, my throat tight.

At the same time, my uncle appears behind Ark, pointing his gun at the back of his head. “I knew you wouldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut, bitch,” he snarls at me, squeezing his finger on the trigger.

I took too long. I warned him too late.

Except, Ark has already ducked and spun around. He rolls under the table as the shot smashes through the air right where he was sitting.

I scream, and Ark rolls onto his back and fires towards my uncle. One of the bullets smacks into Boris’s shoulder, and he drops to the ground.

I kick away from the table, my chair falling backwards, to try and get out of the line of fire.

Bullets snap from outside, breaking the window, sending glass flying everywhere.

I glance towards the roof, my hands pressed over my ears, and see men fighting other men.

What the hell is going on?

Ark stands, grinning, he throws me a wink and shouts, “It’s a waterfall of chaos, darling.” Then runs towards the guard who is protecting my uncle. His shoulder slams into the man’s chest, and he takes him down quickly, firing two shots into his skull.

My uncle fires a shot into Ark’s chest, but he’s obviously wearing Kevlar because he hardly even flinches.

My heart is racing a million miles an hour. I stand and run towards the dead guard, wanting to grab his gun. I want to help. I want to stop my uncle from hurting Arkady.

I’m on my knees, trying to pry the guard's fingers off his handgun when I feel hands grabbing me from behind.

“No,” I hear Ark shout.

My uncle pins me against his chest and pushes the barrel of his gun into my temple. “Don’t move, Tania. Or you, Arkady Andreev. Everybody drop their guns, or I will fucking kill her.”

Tears flood into my eyes, blurring my vision.

Boris groans in pain as he shifts position. The wound in his shoulder is bleeding badly, but it’s not enough to stop what’s happening now.

“It’s okay, darling,” Arkady says calmly, still pointing his gun at Boris.

“It’s not fucking okay, put your fucking gun down,” Boris spits angrily.

Ark’s eyes meet mine, and I can’t stop myself from wondering if it’s the last time I’ll get to look at him. It seems that one or both of us is not going to make it through this alive.

I never got to tell him how in love with him I am.

I never got to tell him he was going to be a father.

He would have been the most amazing father ever.

The tears fall in heavy streams now, and I press my lips together, hating myself for letting it get to this point. I should have sacrificed myself to keep him safe.

I’ve been selfish. Again.

Too scared to stand up to the monster of a man who raised me. I am weak.

“Drop the gun. I won’t tell you again,” Boris screams, pressing his gun harder against my head. Arkady can see he has no other option.