Page 48 of Broken By the Bratva

Hacking the file, I got distracted as I started reading the information. I didn’t hear the scuffling behind me until someone spoke behind me. “Drop it!” a deep voice said. I didn’t know the voice. Freezing, I slowly turned.

There were five men, three of them had guns pointed at Vadik and his brothers. The other two stood closer to me. They had their guns aimed at my head. Laughing nervously, I spoke in as calm a tone as I could muster. “Trust me, you do not want to be pointing that at me.”

The man sneered at me, “And why not, we have the upper hand here.”

His words had barely hit the cold air when Vadik and his brothers made their move. I watched in astonishment as they took down the three men and aimed their guns at the remaining two. Not one shot was fired. I was still baffled at their abilities in fighting. They were something to be seen.

Staring at the man before me, I spoke in a neutral tone. “You have two options here.”

He laughed glancing at the other man. “Is that so little girl?” he sneered.

Feeling my anger raging through me, I snapped at him. “I have details of everything and everyone. Your group is no longer safe.”

He opened his mouth to speak but I stopped him by raising a finger and shaking my head. “I’m not done. You could kill us. But what I have here is a live stream.” Lifting the device in my hand, I could see the fear in his eyes.

“Leave the Morozov’s, Dubows, Chernykhs, and Vasilievs alone and I will not send everything I have to all government agencies. I will keep what I have to myself. Do we have a deal?”

He stood for a moment, engulfed by shock as he processed what I had said. He slowly reached for his phone and dialed someone. We couldn’t hear what the person on the other end said but as he ended the call, he nodded. Turning to me, he spoke softly. “Go then, we will do as you ask.”

Relieved, I moved through the two men and joined Vadik and his brothers by the stairs. “Know this,” the man added as we were about to leave. Stopping, I looked back at him. “If anything, even the slightest detail gets out, we will take you all out.”

I nodded and we left. Once safely in the car, I hugged Vadik tightly out of excitement. “That was thrilling,” I said as we drove back home.

“This calls for a celebration,” Pavel added as we pulled into the driveway.

Vadik asked the staff to bring out some snacks as we headed to the pool area. Pavel poured our drinks from the bar. We sat down at one of the tables laughing and talking about all we have achieved.

He appeared out of nowhere. I felt the tip of the gun against the back of my head before anyone noticed his presence. “This is all your fault!” Iosif screamed from behind me. “Stand still boys,” he added aggressively.

A deadly silence fell over the world as everyone turned their attention to us. “Iosif,” I breathed out softly. “What is all our fault?”

Feeling the tip of the gun lightly tapping against my head, I knew he was extremely agitated. “Shut up!” he screamed. “Our father is dead and it’s your fault!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Vadik jumping up. His face appeared to be glowing red as his rage stepped in. Iosif grabbed me and pulled me closer to him holding me so I couldn’t escape.

Raising my hands, I spoke sternly. We couldn’t afford to set off the bomb that was Iosif. “Wait, no, let’s talk this out.”

Chapter 25 - Vadik

Raising from the table, I felt my insides twisting and my blood boiling. If Iosif harmed so much as a hair on Tasha, it would be the last thing he ever did. Her words penetrated me like knives. It felt like my heart was bleeding.

Taking a deep slow breath, I tried calming myself. Her life depended on me. I couldn’t afford one wrong step. “Iosif,” I stated in as calm a tone as I could muster. “Please, there is no need for this. Let’s talk a bit.”

Mentally, I slapped myself knowing I had to keep a cool head. He could kill Tasha. It was the last thing on earth I wanted. Breathing slowly and deeply, I took a step forward. Making my way one foot at a time, I intended to get to him before he could make any rash choices.

I was trying my best not to make sudden or quick movements. Iosif needed to stay calm and think he was in control. Once I was about five feet away, I stretched my hands out as I spoke. “Iosif, I was there remember? Tasha had nothing to do with it.”

He glanced at me. “That’s far enough!” he spat slamming the gun into Tasha’s head.

Tasha pulled her head forward as she spoke. “That hurt, please, I didn’t do anything.”

Taking a deep breath, I subdued the rage pushing up. “Please, Iosif calm down. Let’s talk about this. I’m sure we can figure it out. We know who was responsible and we can assist you.”

He lifted his head as he laughed. But I could hear the mockery in his laugh. “Now you want to talk. My father died and it’s her fault. It’s your fault!” he spat.

Moving my hand to my hip, I unclasped the knife sheath. Firmly grasping the handle, I knew I would only get one go at this. My intention wasn’t to kill or hurt him. But I had to get him away from Tasha.

Iosif appeared hysterical. Slowly, I slid the knife free from its perch. Keeping my tone calm and light, I spoke as I took another step closer. “Iosif, I know you are hurting. But hear me out. Your father’s death wasn’t … .”

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