Page 83 of Cruel Russian Monster
“Artyom found out about the marriage. He threatened to blow up your headquarters with you inside if she didn't go with him. But Jaroslav,” Yegor's voice hardened. “Let Zahkar and me handle it. Let us figure out what to do.”
“Like fuck I will! Vera is my wife. I can't just sit back and do nothing,” I yelled.
Alexi began to cry, and Katya left the lounge with him.
“Jaroslav, if you confront Artyom about it, I don’t trust that he won't hurt you,” Yegor sighed. “Vera cares about you, and I know you care about her. But her being here for now is the safest place for her to be. Look, I've got to go, I'll keep in touch.”
“Fuck!” I roared and flung my phone across the room. It shattered against the wall.
Katya ran into the lounge holding a crying Alexi. Her face was lined with worry.
“What is it? Where is she? What did Yegor say?”
“Artyom found out about the marriage. He has Vera.”
“Is she hurt? Is she safe?” Katya's voice was laced with panic.
I stood still and closed my eyes. I needed the calm the fuck down. The last thing I wanted to do was make her worry more than she already was.
“Yes. Yegor says she's safe. She isn't hurt.”
Relief washed over Katya's face. “Thank God. So what are you going to do?”
“I'm going to get my wife back.”
Chapter 22 - Vera
I was curled up in the armchair in my room. After Artyom brought me to the mansion, he told the guards he’d kill anyone who let me leave the compound. He took my handbag and smirked as he explained that his tech guys had disabled the car’s tracker and erased all logs from the day. The car was now hidden in the garage; leaving it out on the street would’ve raised suspicion.
I regretted leaving the house. I should’ve waited for Jaroslav to come home. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes as the room spun. My stomach churned as dread coiled in the pit of it.
I was worried about what Artyom might do to me, what he might do to Jaroslav, and what Jaroslav would do once he realized where I was.
Earlier, Yegor had snuck in to ask how the hell Artyom got me to return. I told him about the threat. He said he'd make sure that there were no explosives in the building. Then I admitted that I loved Jaroslav. I begged Yegor to keep Jaroslav safe. I had no idea what Artyom was planning, but I knew it wouldn’t end well if someone didn’t stop him. Yegor promised he’d try, and I believed him.
The creak of my door turned my attention to it. Kira slipped in and closed the door behind her. With tears in her eyes, she hurried over to me. She hugged me, and I gripped her, and we sank to the floor in each other's arms.
“I'm so sorry, Vera,” Kira whispered. “This isn't right. God! How could Artyom be so cruel?”
“If he catches you in here, you'll be in trouble,” I sniffed as Kira gently rocked me in her arms.
“Zahkar is looking out for me. He'll send me a text when I have to leave.”
“I’ve never hated Artyom before,” I whispered. “He's my brother. But he's making it very hard not to.”
“I know. But to him, that's not how marriages work. If a man wants you, he has to approach Artyom.”
“But I want him. I want Jaroslav. Am I wrong for loving who I love?” I asked, looking into Kira's eyes.
She brushed away my tears. “You aren't. Being a Bratva woman sucks. But together, we will fight this. Artyom took my phone, but if I know Katya and the others, they'll figure out where you are soon.”
As much as I wanted nothing more than to leave this wretched mansion, I now worried about Kira. How would Artyom treat her if I did leave again?
“Kira, I'm worried about you. If the others come for me, Artyom might take it out on you.”
Kira's brown eyes darkened. “I'm a lot stronger than you think. Don't you dare give up your chance to be loved because you're worried about me.”
“How could I not? You're my younger sister.”
