Page 65 of The Bratva's Arranged Virgin Bride
Chapter 38 - Kolya
An interminable amount of time passed with no leads, no word, nothing but those damn pictures. It was like I was in a fever dream, waiting for information, like time was moving backward. It turned out the upscale shopping center was having trouble with its security cameras, so that was a dead end. It wasn’t a surprise. Whatever Vissarion was, he wasn’t stupid. He would have made sure they were having problems before he dared take my wife.
Not wanting to, I looked down at the last picture he sent of Nat. There was very little comfort in knowing she was still alive, but it was all I had to cling to. In this one, there was blood obscuring half her face. She looked worn out and broken; the fire in her eyes, visible in the first few pictures, was now completely gone, snuffed out by fear.
“Don’t you dare give up,” I said, trying to send some strength to her, wherever she was. “I will find you. No one takes what’s mine. And you’re mine, Nat. I’m coming for you.”
I was alone on the deck, hoping the sound of the waves would keep me from lashing out at everyone who was working so hard and yet so fruitlessly at finding her. I loved the ocean because it helped me think, but so far, it was just as useless as my people inside the beach house. I was beginning to think about calling in the Fokins for backup, but that would be a one-way ticket to never seeing Nat again.
Except… an idea came to me just as a huge wave crashed against the shore, shaking me out of my trance. It was a long shot, but I had nothing else, and every minute that passed, Nat was suffering.
I hurried inside, calling Mat. Thankfully, he answered at all. It seemed like he thought he still owed me something for last night. Good.
“Is the leader of that gang still alive?” I asked, without much hope. The Fokins were notorious for their interrogation tactics, and people rarely lasted long, especially if they had no good information. This was why the idea was a long shot.
“Yes,” Mat said, surprising me. Hope soared again. “He’s holding out, but we’re sure he knows more than he’s currently giving up. We’re keeping him somewhat healthy for the moment, but he’s certainly not happy.”
Ah, they were letting him think he had a shot at survival before they started the heavy hitting. Poor sucker.
“I want to talk to him before you do anything else. Alone. No questions about why.”
There was a long silence as Mat tried to think of a way to say something that wasn’t a question. I began to think of a credible lie. But then he sighed. “I suppose I at least owe you that.”
Yes, he did. I was just glad he realized it. He told me where they were holding the prisoner, and I ended the call, turning to race out of there. Coming face to face with Arkadi, who must have come back into the kitchen when I was on the phone.
“Tell me that wasn’t a Fokin you were speaking to,” he bellowed. “If they find out Nat’s in danger before we rescue her, you won’t live long enough to learn what happened to her.”
I tilted my head to the side as my brother continued to fume about how stupid I was being.
“Is that brotherly concern I’m hearing?” I asked sarcastically when he was done. I didn’t bother to let him answer, but filled him in on my long shot. “There was an attack against the Fokins last night, and I think it was orchestrated by Vissarion. The gang responsible is small-time and likely taking orders from him. They’ve got one guy who’s still alive, and he might know where his boss is at.” I paused and shook my head, already pushing past him. “If you want to come and help out, you’re welcome. If not, stay here and wait. I’m done waiting.”
Mila appeared from behind the door, obviously listening from the hallway. “Of course, he’s going with you. I am, too.”
Arkadi whipped around and gave her a hard look. Anyone else would have recoiled with fear, but his wife only raised her eyebrow at him, daring him to deny her anything. He softened, but only a little.
“Believe me, my love, I know how good you are at getting people to give up information, but I’ll be damned if I let you put yourself in danger while you’re—” he cut himself off abruptly.
To my surprise, Mila didn’t argue any further, even though she didn’t look thrilled to stay behind, either. It was her niece’s life at stake, after all. The two of them had an irritatingly sweet goodbye that seemed to last ten years, and I finally stormed out, shouting that I wasn’t waiting any longer.
Arkadi caught up with me as I was putting the car into gear, sliding into the passenger seat, his face a combination of worry and contentment. Instead of roaring out of the driveway, I turned to him.
“If Mila’s so good at interrogations, you should have let her come along. This part won’t be dangerous.” It shouldn’t be, anyway.
“Not happening. She’s pregnant,” Arkadi grunted, unable to hold back how proud he was.
I was gobsmacked. “Were you just never going to tell me that I’m going to be an uncle soon?”
“Why should I have told you?” he asked. “And for that matter, why are you so into being a family all of a sudden?”
My jaw dropped. “I never wanted to be split apart,” I snapped.
“You never fought very hard to return,” he grumbled.
“I was ten,” I reminded him. “And even at that age, I knew someone had to watch over our mother. I never chose any of it.” There was a long silence that Arkadi would never end. I sighed. “We really do have a lot of baggage that needs going through.”
“After we rescue your wife,” he said, nodding for me to get the damn car on the road.
I did, speeding toward the location Mat gave me. Arkadi, all but admitting that he thought the marriage was real, was a tiny flicker of hope for our brotherly relationship.
