Page 54 of Bratva Daddies for the Single Mom

“I need proof of life. Give me that, and I’ll take the deal.” I knew better than to argue with madness. Glancing up at Ilya, I slashed a finger across my throat. Miles Kent was a dead man. I’d promise him Fiji if it freed Annie, and he’d die the following second. He dared to put a hand on Annie. That in itself was a death sentence. I didn’t care about the fucking money. I didn’t need it. It was the principle of his owing and refusing to pay that brought us to this standstill.

“Proof of life costs extra.” He tried to sound fierce but it came out low and whispery. “I want enough money to leave the country and start a new life.”

It was a lot of money, especially on top of what he already owed me. “Fine. When and where do you want to meet? I want proof of life now, and upon delivery. And your promise that you will not harm her in the meantime.” The businessman in me said I should try and bargain with him, hesitate over the money to try and drive doubt into him. If I did that, I risked Annie’s life. No amount of money was worth that.

“Midnight tonight. At the old warehouse where we first met.” Kent tried to hide his elation, but the rising pitch in his voice gave him away.

“Agreed. Send me a video of Annie.” I ended the call before one of us said something we’d regret. Ilya stood tense and silent, the strain of tendons popping on his neck the only sign of his anger. Fyodor had his hands on his hips, a contemplative expression narrowing his eyes. I spun the phone around on the desk while waiting on the video of Annie. “He’s dead the moment Annie is safe.”

“With pleasure,” Ilya agreed.

A few seconds later, my phone beeped. The three of us crowded around to watch the five-second clip of Annie. She sat in a chair, her hands bound and her head bent forward with her chin on her chest. Kent nudged her chin up, and her eyelashes fluttered. “Happy now?”

The video ended, but not before a tiny trickle of light caught on Annie’s bruised cheek. “He’s a fucking dead man. I’ll cut his throat myself.”

28

ANNIE

Iwoke to the soft dripping of water, the constantplop, plopas a backdrop to the pounding headache threatening my stomach. Bile rose in waves that I repressed until I steadied enough to lift my head. Water trickled from a broken overhead pipe and dripped onto a metal table several feet in front of me. The walls were painted in varying shades of color, new graffiti sprayed over old and washed away in the incessant dripping. A single bulb shone in the darkness, the soft light reaching the tips of my shoes, the table, and walls to my left and right. A chain clinked, followed by the rustle of plastic. Miles Kent strolled through a door covered in a plastic sheet, a bundle tucked under his arm. He threw it onto the table, rattling the wheels and sending it rolling toward me. Rusty brown stains lined the steel support posts. A metallic tang rolled over my tongue. I unclenched my teeth and discovered I’d bitten my inner cheek so hard I broke the skin. Blood flooded my mouth, and I breathed through another dizzying rush of nausea.

Where were the girls? I examined every inch within my sight. If he’d caught them and brought them here, I’d kill him.Violence might not be the answer to most situations, but no one threatened my girls.

“Where am I?” I twisted my hands back and forth. They’d been pulled behind me and tied together. The rough texture reminded me of rope, and I thanked Miles’s stupidity for not locking me down with zip ties or handcuffs. Ropes frayed. They wore out. They could be broken.

Miles prowled toward me, that deranged smile firmly in place, his eyes crazed. “You’re right where you should have been all along.” He paced in front of the table and slowly unrolled the bundle of plastic. A line of weapons appeared. I recognized a few of the smaller handguns and an AR, but others were nothing more to me than generic guns.

Terror spiked. Why did he have guns? The short, panting breaths were all I could manage with the fear and adrenaline tearing at my insides. I was going to die. Even worse, my baby was going to die. Viktor, Ilya, and Fyodor would lose a child they’d never known about. Regret turned the blood in my mouth bitter. I checked my feet, wiggling them from side to side. My ankles were strapped to the chair legs with more rope. When Miles turned away, whistling under his breath, I leaned forward and tugged on my wrists and ankles. Neither budged.

Sweat ran down my spine. I dug deeper into my strength and pulled with all my might. Nothing. Not even a creak. Fury dug its claws into me. I wrenched my hands from side to side until the skin split and blood coated the rope. Maybe if I made it slick enough, I’d be able to pull my hands free.

“Do you know what I find curious?” Miles faced me, a pistol in each hand. He crossed the distance and put the barrel of one pistol beneath my chin, craning my neck until it ached. “Why you? You’re nothing, an insignificant gnat passing through their lives.”

The overhead light danced in the madness shining from his eyes. “Better an insignificant gnat than a punching bag.”

His fist reared back, the other pistol still tight in his grip. Anger rippled over his mangled features, then he released a caustic laugh. “Nice try, but I’m not falling for that. Viktor was very clear that you were not to be harmed or the transaction is null.” He pushed the barrel harder into my chin. “Though there are things I can do to you that will not leave a mark.”

The clear threat stoked the fires of fear. I quenched them with a sneer. “Try it and I’ll make you kill me. Touch me even once, and Viktor will know. He knows everything. He’ll see it the instant he looks at my face, and you will be dead before your next breath.” I came within a breath of spitting in his face, but I didn’t dare push him too far. I wanted him fearful of the Bratva men, not furious that I defied him. His confidence had soared since bringing me here. I remembered bits and pieces of the drive. Was there a phone call? I’d dreamed of Viktor, the anger roaring into the room.

“Perhaps you’re right. No need in spoiling my chance.” He dropped his hands to his sides and slid the pistols into matching holsters hidden beneath his armpits. “I knew you were the key to my little money problem with Viktor.” He shrugged a jacket over his shoulders and patted the pistols. “All I had to do was get you away from the Bratva.”

My stomach clenched. “What do you mean?”

A sneer twisted his cracked lips. “You don’t know what they do to women once they’re finished with them.” He laughed when my eyes widened. “You were so easy to manipulate, so easy to fool. One little conversation and you bolted like a scared little rabbit. And that school ordeal? You did exactly as I expected. Motherhood is so predictable.”

“You’re the one who called and said they kill the women they’re with once they’re done with them.” I’d been an idiot.The baby in my belly did somersaults, the light fluttery feeling spreading new strength into my limbs. Hannah, Hailey, and Tina got away. And if she’d listened to me, she’d called Viktor. She would’ve recognized Miles Kent from the bar. She was the one who gave me his name when I’d been looking for new clients to take on.

“And you fell for it.” He slapped his thighs, still laughing. His bloodshot eyes took me in with a broad sweep. “You did even better than I thought. You created the perfect opening for me.” His laughter stopped between one breath and the next. “You see, I've been watching you. I saw how they fawned all over you. But I couldn’t get close, not with them sniffing around every day.”

“So you tricked me into telling them to go away.” Damn it. I’d damned myself by trusting a random phone call over the men I’d gotten to know over the last few months. I should have given them a chance to refute the claims instead of falling for them. They spoke to my fears, to being alone and forgotten, tossed aside like garbage. How had a man like Miles Kent known which buttons to push? He’d convinced me to walk right into his trap. And now, because of me, Viktor was going to lose a lot of money that he’d never get back. “What did he promise you?”

I kept him talking in hopes that I’d find a way out of my bonds. The ropes around my wrists continued to chafe, the twisting motions chewing through my skin until I could barely stand the pain. He’d promised Viktor that I wouldn’t come to any harm. How deep did that threat go?

“Enough money to get out of here.” He straightened with a wince and looped a tie around his neck. “I’m leaving Chicago for good. Time to start over somewhere new, and Viktor is my key to a new life.”

He was delusional. Viktor, Ilya, and Fyodor enjoyed spending time with me. They liked having sex with me. But I was not part of their world. Viktor did not allow men like Milesto walk all over them, and I was expendable. Which meant I’d have to save myself if I wanted any chance to live. If they’d known about the baby, I might have a fighting chance of Viktor choosing to save me. Not after what I said to Ilya.

“I saw how they cared for you.” He clicked his tongue. “A mistake. Everyone in his business knows you never form attachments. But Viktor’s mistake is my gain. Knowing he cared for you made it easy to manipulate him. They would do anything for you.”

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