Page 23 of Bratva Hostage

Dimitri rubs a hand over his jaw. “Do it. Keep me updated.”

They begin clearing the room, leaving Dimitri and me standing in the aftermath. I stare at Leon’s body and the puddle of blood seeping across the floorboards. My heart feels like it’s lodged in my throat. I grew up around this kind of violence. I should be used to it. Yet the reality never gets easier, no matter how often I witness it.

When Dimitri steps closer, I take a half-step back, struggling to contain my trembling. He halts when he notices my reaction and holds his hands up. “You shouldn’t have had to witness that. I shouldn’t have let you in here.”

“He betrayed you. He wanted me gone. I guess it makes sense.” My words feel too casual for what I’ve just seen, but I’m reeling. The brutality is stark, yet I can’t bring myself to condemn it fully.

He presses his lips into a thin line. “I do what I must to protect this family. That includes you.”

“I know,” I whisper, remembering how close I came to being taken by my father’s men. Leon gave them the perfect window. Dimitri just removed that danger in the most permanent way possible.

“We’ll tidy up,” Aleksei offers. “Dimitri, maybe you should take Cecily out of here.”

Dimitri nods before he gestures for me to follow him. My legs feel shaky, but I manage to walk with him out of the storage room, leaving the others behind to handle the grisly chore. Guards stare at me, some with pity, some with nothing at all in their eyes. I realize news of Leon’s betrayal must have spread. Everyone is on edge, waiting for the next blow my father might deliver.

Dimitri leads me into a smaller sitting room, away from prying eyes. He shuts the door, and the hush that falls is as heavy as everything else I’ve experienced today. I inhale a slow breath, and he sinks onto a sofa, resting his forearms on his thighs. My eyes find the faint smudge of blood on his cuff, and the sight makes me want to scrub myself until I can no longer smell death.

“That was…intense,” I manage after a moment.

“It was necessary.”

I can’t argue that point. Leon’s betrayal put me directly in my father’s sights. If he’d succeeded, I’d be gone by now. “He almost got me taken,” I say quietly, as the realization sinks in deeper. “I’d be back under Father’s control, or worse.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Dimitri declares with so much certainty I almost believe it.

A weird flutter stirs in my stomach. I shouldn’t feel safer around a man who just executed one of his own, but I do. He killed Leon for betraying them, yes, but also for putting me in danger. That kind of dedication is both terrifying and oddly reassuring.

“Do you…do this often?” I ask. “Killing your own people?”

“We rarely tolerate traitors long enough to give them a second chance. Leon sealed his fate the moment he sold us out. This doesn’t happen every day, but it’s not uncommon in our world.”

I clasp my hands in my lap. “I wish it wasn’t normal. But I can’t pretend you didn’t just save me from a terrible outcome. I grew up hating violence after watching Father hurt so many people. Now here I am, relieved that you shot someone. What does that make me?”

“It makes you a survivor. You understand the stakes.”

I go quiet as I absorb that. He’s right. My father’s cruelty taught me that survival sometimes means accepting ugly truths. The Barkovs aren’t saints, but they want to protect me, and they have the power to do it.

Maybe it’s time I let them.

Dimitri shifts on the sofa. “We’ll need to re-check our security protocols. Leon might’ve revealed more about theestate’s routines than we realize. Thorne could have men stationed nearby.”

“So this won’t end anytime soon?”

“Not until Thorne is neutralized.” His tone leaves no doubt that he fully intends to see that through. He scrubs a hand over his face and adds, “I’m sorry you had to see that side of me.”

“It’s part of who you are,” I reply, surprising myself with how calm I sound. “I’m not naive enough to think your family rose to power without violence.”

“You don’t hate me for it?”

The question surprises me, and I tilt my head to look at him. Why should Dimitri Barkov care what I think?

“I don’t hate you for defending me. I hate that this is our reality.”

He nods as if he understands that distinction. “Leon’s betrayal serves as a reminder that Thorne will exploit any weakness he finds. That’s why I can’t let my guard down around you. You’re what Thorne wants most. Keeping you safe means dedicating extra manpower, which leaves us vulnerable in other areas.”

I look away. “So I’m a burden.”

“You’re not a burden. You’re someone we need to protect.”

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