Page 23 of Secret Bratva Baby (Dubrov Bratva #16)

Another long day at the warehouse.

It’s strange how the days feel worse now that Rose isn’t talking to me anymore. My usual excitement to get home and see her is replaced by anxiety for the idea that I’m losing her.

I won ’ t give up.

I won ’ t give up until there is nothing left to fight for.

I walk into the empty house. This should be the norm for me. I’ve never had someone living here with me before. I’m used to being alone.

But since Rose and Lily have come back into my life, I’ve seen something different, and this empty house is meaningless to me—it’s not a home .

I drop my jacket over the back of the living room sofa and flop down into it.

Lily and Rose are at Jade’s place having a girls’ day.

I’m so pleased she gets on with my family.

Jade sent me a photo earlier of Lily on the top step of the pool with all her clothes on, her dragon teddy in her hand, and a massive smile on her face.

The message with the picture was that you r daughter is just like you.

That made my day.

I stared at that picture and that message for half the afternoon.

They’re obviously having fun there because they’ve been there for hours. I guess Lily would have gone down for a nap, and Rose would be relaxing with my sisters. Good. She needs it.

I should put something together for dinner for everyone. Standing up, I glance at my watch and note it’s almost five.

I honestly didn’t expect them to visit Jade for that long.

Pulling my phone out, I’m about to dial Jade and see how things are going, but my phone starts ringing with Yilian’s name across the screen.

“Hey, man. How’s it going?” I say, flopping back into the sofa.

“Luka, one of my informants, just called to say that he witnessed Rose getting taken by our rivals.”

“Boris’s men?” I say in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“But she’s at Jade’s place,” I stammer.

“Dude, I trust this guy,” Yilian snaps, worried.

“I’ll call you back.”

Hanging up, I dial Jade, nausea building in my stomach.

Please be wrong. Please be wrong. Please be wrong.

“Hey Luka, how’s it going? You should see Lily with—"

“Where is Rose?”

“Huh?” Jade huffs.

“Where is Rose, Jade? Is she there?” I shout.

“She didn’t stay. She dropped Lily off this morning around ten and said she had some things to do. Luka, what’s going on?”

“I can’t explain now. Sorry.”

“Luka!” Jade screams at me. “Don’t you dare hang up on me!”

“Yilian’s informant saw someone taking her,” I say, panic making me feel like I’m sinking into the floor.

“I’ve got Lily. Go find Rose,” Jade says with strength in her voice.

With my keys in my hand, I’m already running out to the car while I dial Yilian again.

“What else do you know?” I growl.

“My guy is calling us back in a minute. He told his friend to follow them. We’re waiting to find out where they went.”

“I’m on my way to you.”

“So are Niko and Ark.”

As usual, I have the full support of my family. I don’t know where I would be without them. I’m normally level-headed and calm in heavy situations, but right now I can’t seem to focus on anything.

Driving to Yilian’s place, I take deep breaths. I’m good at what I do. Panic won’t help a fucking thing.

Use your strengths and get her back. That’s all. That’s the only option. You can do this. Don’t let your fear or your emotions blind you.

Niko and Ark park outside Yilian’s place at the same time as I do. They pile out of the car and run towards me. “We’ll get her back, man.”

I nod. “I fucking know we will,” I snarl.

Yilian comes running out the door. “Everyone into the SUV. The equipment is in there. We can get ready on the way.” He throws the keys to his driver. “There is a second SUV, filled with security guys, already prepared to follow us.”

We leap into the car. Slamming doors behind us.

“Where are we going?” I ask, tugging a Kevlar vest over my shoulders.

“Park Boulevard warehouse. There is a row of warehouses along the dock—apparently they dragged her into the one that’s got a painted green door.”

My jaw clenches tightly. The image of them dragging her burns fury into my heart. I will kill every single one of them.

Niko hands me an AK-47. I check the gun. Bullets, clip, safety. Then I check my handgun, tucked into my belt, and the extra one I tuck into my ankle holster.

“Do you want a knife?” Ark asks, offering me one, handle pointed towards me.

“Thanks,” I say, taking it from him.

He tosses me a sheath, and I clip it on the other side of my belt.

“Is everyone ready?” Niko asks, looking at each of us.

“Yes,” we all answer in unison.

“How do you want to do this?” Niko asks me.

“Because we have a short time to make use of the element of surprise, I say we go in guns blazing. Shoot to kill. I’m not fucking around with these guys anymore. They’re messing with my family.”

“Agreed.”

The SUV pulls up two warehouses away from the green door.

“Bring it forward after the shooting starts. We might need a quick getaway,” Yilian tells the driver.

“Yes, sir,” he confirms.

I have never been so tense walking into an attack. I’m terrified about what I might find inside. What if they’ve hurt her? No. Focus, Luka. She’s fine. They wanted to use her as bait. She’s got no value to them dead. I swallow hard. I hope I’m right.

Ahead of me, Ark signals that the entrance is clear.

Every single one of us runs forward. No one hesitates. We’re in this together, and we’re determined to rescue Rose.

As soon as we burst into the warehouse, I start shooting. Two men drop to the floor on my left. One dies instantly, the other is clutching his throat, gagging on his own blood as it splashes from the hole in his neck.

My brother covers me, taking down men around me as I run forward, deeper into the warehouse.

“Rose,” I scream over the gunfire.

They’re fighting back, but it’s clear they weren’t ready for this. They thought they had the advantage.

They’re going to lose their lives because of this arrogant mistake.

“Rose,” I scream again.

“Lu—"

From upstairs. Cut off mid-shout.

Two men lean from an open office door on the level above me and hang over the railing to shoot down at me.

I take one out quickly, but have to duck and hide as the other man’s bullets smack into the warehouse floor right next to my feet.

A shot snaps from behind me somewhere, and Alex shouts, “He’s down. It’s clear.” I stand, bolting towards the stairs.

“Rose,” I shout again. This time, she just screams. The fear and pain in her voice heat my blood, making it boil.

I lift the gun. Someone has kicked the office door closed. I can shoot it open for fear of where she is inside.

Instead, I wait for Niko to get to my side.

“You’re covered,” he confirms.

“Moving.” I step in front of the door and kick it hard. It shatters off the hinges, falling inwards.

Using my own momentum, I duck to the side of the doorframe, low to the ground. Bullets spin over my head, shooting past me.

I fire two bullets into the guy standing right inside the doorframe. One into his foot. The next into his skull when he falls.

Niko lifts his hand and slices it forward through the air. I nod.

We both burst through the door, firing at every man we see until they are lying in a pool of their own blood on the floor.

There are two people standing to the left, next to where Rose is tied to a chair, blindfolded.

Niko holds the gun towards Boris and the woman he’s with.

I bolt towards Rose.

My fingers are shaking as I untie the blindfold. I grab her face in my hands, dirty and tearstained.

“Rose, Rose, it’s me. Are you okay? Rose?” There is a dark bruise on her jaw.

“Luka,” she sobs, leaning forward, trying to rest her face against my chest, but her hands are still tied to the chair.

I lean over her to cut them loose. The rope has cut into her skin, making her bleed. She has a bruise on her wrists.

I hate the fact that I wasn’t there to stop this from happening. I’m furious at the men who did this to her.

I lift Rose into my arms, and she clings onto me. Her fingers gripping tightly at my shirt.

“I knew you’d come,” she mutters, her body shaking against mine.

“Luka, what do you want me to do with these two?”

I turn towards Boris. The man behind everything, and the woman standing next to him. I’m too angry to hear his pleas as he drops to his knees in front of me. I’m too blinded by rage to listen to him promising me that he will disappear, that we will never see him again.

“Should we kill them both?” I snap coldly, glaring at Boris.

“Wait,” Rose screams. “Not Tania. It’s not her fault. Please, Luka, her uncle made her do it. She never wanted to hurt me. I heard them all talking. Please, don’t do this—"

“ Tania , the woman from your work ?” I ask, confused.

Rose nods. Fresh tears are spilling over her face. “Please, don’t hurt her,” she says, eyes pleading.

“Leave the girl alone. Take Boris’s knee,” I tell Niko.

As we walk out, a single shot fires, followed by a pain-filled scream from Boris as Niko shoots him in the knee. Tania screams.

I carry Rose, safe in my arms, out of the warehouse to the waiting SUV.

She curls up on my lap, still shaking, not saying anything when my brothers join us in the SUV.

“Is she okay?” Ark asks, reaching out to gently touch her back.

“She’s in shock,” I sigh.

“I’m okay.” Her voice is small as she lifts her head. “I’m alright. I’m just—I was—I was so scared.” She wipes the back of her hand across her face.

“We’ve always got your back, Rose. You’re family,” Ark says, reminding me why I love my brother so much, even though he annoys the hell out of me on most days.

I swallow hard to bite back the emotion building in my throat. Niko climbs into the car. “What should we do with the girl?”

“Please—" Rose immediately protests.

“Leave her. She’s free to go,” I nod.

Rose lets out a breath of relief.

She leans her head against my chest again and curls tighter into me. I pull her closer, resting my face against her hair. “I’m so sorry,” I mutter quietly.

Jade still has Lily. I ask Rose if she wants me to fetch her now, and she shakes her head. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”

Of course, that was silly of me.

“Can you drop us straight at home?” I ask the driver.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll bring your car back tomorrow,” Ark says.

“Thanks, man. It’s not urgent. I have a few others,” I chuckle dryly, using humor to cover how horrible I feel for what Rose went through.

The driver takes us straight to the mansion. I carry Rose out of the car, up the steps to the house. Emotions are flooding me. I have so many things I want to say to her.

Inside, I set her down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to run you a hot bath, okay?” I ask gently. She nods.

I leave to start the bath, and when I come back, she hasn’t moved.

Gently, I lift her to her feet and slowly start peeling her clothes off. They are dirty from the warehouse and probably from her fighting back. She lets me undress her. My eyes trace over her body, looking for injuries, hoping to find none.

I’m relieved when there are no hectic injuries apart from her bruised wrist and the mark on her jaw, and a red mark across her side.

She bites her lip.

“Rose, I know that not all injuries can be seen,” I say carefully.

“Honestly, I’m okay,” she answers. “They didn’t…do anything to me like that.”

I take her hand and lead her to the bath. She holds onto me as she steps into it, and I kneel at the edge of the bath to rub her back with a washcloth.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmur.

She’s quiet.

I decide she must not be ready to talk. I am happy she’s letting me help her, so that has to be enough for now. I wash her entire body, letting her rest her head against the back of the bath while I shampoo and condition her hair.

I work slowly, paying careful attention to her breathing, her shoulders, her body language.

By the time I’m finished, she seems to be a lot more relaxed.

She stands up, and I use the bath shower extension to rinse her body.

Then she lets me wrap her in two big towels and lift her out, carrying her back into the bedroom.

I climb onto the bed with her in my arms, held tightly against my chest.

“Do you want to talk?” I ask.

“All this time I had no idea,” she sighs.

“About what?”

She shifts a little away from me so that she can look at me.

“The company that I worked at—just before I started there, it was bought out by Tania’s uncle, Boris. It was for money laundering. All this time, I was working in a money laundering business, and I didn’t know.”

I shake my head. “It’s too specific to be a coincidence.”

“It wasn’t an accident that I got hired there.”

“How do you know?”

“Boris has a big mouth. He bragged about everything when he had me tied to the chair. They saw you with me before we broke up, and they kept an eye on me. They hired me on purpose. They’ve always known who I was,” she says in disbelief.

“They kept me as a trump card to play when they needed it the most. Which was when, according to Boris, they started losing the fight against you recently.”

“And Tania?”

She shakes her head. “Tania was just being used by her uncle. She was my friend. She always wanted to tell me the truth, but thought it would put me in danger. She begged them not to hurt me. I think they threatened her life.”