Page 26 of Sold to the Bratva (Sinful Mafia Daddies #2)

KATYA

I ’m dreaming of fireworks, maybe the Fourth of July, maybe New Year’s Eve. The sky should pulse with celebration, yet a knot of anxiety tightens in my stomach. I turn to Isaac, and his face is ashen. He isn’t smiling. He’s terrified. I’ve never seen him scared, and that alone jerks me awake.

At first I chalk the panic up to lingering dream-fog, but then the crack splits the air again, louder and sharper. Gunfire. My heart slams against my ribs as I bolt upright, palms flying to shield my belly.

I swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, one arm cradling the swell of my belly while I try to make sense of the chaos. A hundred thoughts batter me at once. Is Isaac okay? Where is he? What in God’s name is happening?

I’m still three strides from the door when it blasts inward and Mikhail barrels through, gun raised, eyes blazing.

“Move,” he says, stepping in and shoving the door shut behind him. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“What’s happening?” I ask, my voice trembling as I grip the edge of the dresser for balance.

“I don’t know,” he says, voice tight. “Someone is shooting, and Isaac ordered me to get you out. You and the baby are my only priority.”

I nod, a hard knot of fear choking my throat.

He plants a steady hand between my shoulder blades and steers me into the hall.

Shouting rolls through the walls, followed by another volley of shots and the dull thud of close-quarters combat.

I shove the panic down and follow wherever Mikhail pulls me.

We hurry down the back stairs, Mikhail clearing every landing before tugging me toward the kitchen. I trip over my own feet, heart thundering in my ears. Each breath saws short and I can barely process any of it.

“Where is Isaac?” I gasp.

“I left him in his office,” Mikhail says. “He told me to get you out. He’s holding the line until we’re clear.”

“Jesus,” I whisper.

As we round the corner into the main hallway, I freeze. Two men grapple in front of us, one of Isaac’s guards locked in a brutal struggle with a man I almost recognize. I don’t know his name, but I’ve seen him somewhere. Where have I seen him before?

“Mikhail,” I breathe, grabbing his arm.

“I see them,” he says, leveling his gun. “Keep your eyes on me and move when I tell you.”

I nod even as my body shakes. I’m trying to be strong, for myself and for the baby, yet fear floods every inch of me.

I don’t know if I can do this, if we’re going to make it.

Somehow Mikhail has already steered us into the kitchen pantry.

It feels like a dead end, and I’m just about to say so when a shadow falls over the doorway.

A scream claws up my throat, but then Maude snaps into focus. Her apron is smeared with flour, eyes wide, knuckles white around a rolling pin she brandishes like a club.

“Get in here!” Mikhail barks.

Maude doesn’t hesitate. She slips through the doorway and falls in behind me while Mikhail hustles us deeper into the pantry. He leans into a shelf, the wall swinging inward to reveal a narrow staircase. Under any other circumstances I’d gush over the secret passage, but now isn’t the moment.

Each creak overhead jerks me upright, and every distant thump or yell hurls my imagination toward the worst possible outcome.

The narrow basement corridor stretches out in front of us. I didn’t even know this part of the house existed. Mikhail presses a panel on the wall, and a hidden door clicks open, revealing yet another dimly lit passage.

“This passage leads outside,” he says. “I’m leaving you here. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, get out and find safety.”

He digs into his pocket and pulls out his car keys.

“My car’s parked on this side of the house, just beyond the garden. Can you reach it if everything goes sideways?”

I simply stare at him. Maude wraps her arms around me and rubs my shoulders in slow circles. She’s stronger than I am, and I can’t help wondering if this is really her first hostage situation.

“Katya,” he says, voice grave. “You grew up in this world so you know exactly how bad this can get. Promise me you and Maude will get out if it does.”

“Come with us,” I plead. “It isn’t safe for you in there.”

“Not yet,” he says, pressing the keys into Maude’s waiting palm. “I have to make sure Isaac is all right. I’m his backup.”

Tears prick my eyes. “Mikhail…” I breathe.

“I won’t let anything happen to either of you,” he promises. “You’re safe for now, but I need to keep Isaac that way. Fifteen minutes, all right?”

He turns to Maude. “If I’m not back in fifteen, you get her out, understood?”

Maude nods, her fingers tightening on my shoulders as I fight the urge to panic. Then he’s gone, slipping through the panel and pulling it closed behind him. Darkness and silence swallow us.

“We should get outside,” Maude murmurs. “It’s damp in here, and catching pneumonia is the last thing you need.”

I force myself forward, one hand gliding along the cool stone for balance. Maude stays close, her steps quick and sure. She’s my strength now, and I cling to it.

We move in silence, every second stretching into forever. My thoughts sprint with every step. Is Isaac safe? Is Mikhail? Who is attacking us? Is this random, or is it betrayal? Deep down I already know.

My baby shifts inside me, and I rest a hand over the curve of my stomach.

“We’re okay,” I whisper, hoping my voice sounds steadier than I feel. “We are going to be okay.”

Eventually we reach the end of the tunnel. A short flight of stairs rises to another concealed door. Maude and I shove it open with shaking hands. We spill out at the rear edge of the estate, behind the house. Through the wrought-iron gates I spot Mikhail’s car.

This side of the ground lies eerily quiet. Whoever breached the mansion must have come through the front since they haven’t pushed this far back. For the moment we’re tucked inside dense garden foliage, safe for now.

But the attackers could still reach us. Mikhail might not return. Isaac could be hurt, or worse. No.I refuse to entertain that thought. I can’t raise our baby alone. I won’t.

“It’s going to be all right, Katya,” Maude says, her voice steady. “Isaac will be fine. It takes a lot to blindside that man. He’s prepared for this.”

That may be true for him, but I’m not ready for any of this.

I feel utterly unprepared for the life waiting ahead.

How am I supposed to bring a baby into a world like this?

I refuse to spend my days glancing over my shoulder, waiting for the floor to give way beneath me. The thought twists my stomach.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I say, turning away from her.

She rubs slow circles between my shoulder blades. “It’s okay, Katya,” she says, her tone almost motherly. “Process this however you need. If you have to be sick, be sick.”

Nausea swells, tumbles into dizziness, and I drop into a crouch even though I know it will be hard to stand again if we have to run.

My body can’t absorb this much adrenaline, and neither can my heart.

What’s the plan if we have to flee? Does Maude know, or do we just drive until the city fades in the rearview mirror?

I didn’t even have time to grab my phone. I have no money, no identification. I’m wearing bedroom slippers, for goodness’ sake.

“Maude, I don’t feel well,” I say through labored breathing.

“It’s okay, love,” she repeats.

“No,” I whisper, glancing between my legs as a warm rush soaks the fabric. “I think my water just broke.”