Page 54 of Kidnapped Prisoner By the Bratva
“Is that enough reason to label you a traitor?” I asked.
“I killed Luka.”
“Hello, he was trying to kill me,” I said, reminding him in case he forgot.
“He was doing the Bratva’s bidding.”
My lips parted—shaped like an O as it dawned on me that the Bratva wanted me dead. Fuck. That wasn’t good at all.
“More than half the council of elders have agreed to brand my action as treason.”
My heart sank into my stomach, realizing the gravity of this mess. Treason in every organization was a grievous crime, and considering how deadly these guys were, I could only imagine the punishment for it.
He did this for me. He turned against his own just to save my life. Now, we were both in trouble; both our lives were at risk.
Touched by his sacrifice, I asked, my voice calm and gentle, “Why?”
No response, just his stare.
“Why me? I mean, I’ve been such a pain in your ass and have given you multiple reasons to kill me. Yet you didn’t. Instead, you turned against your kind.”
“They turned against me first,” he answered, his tone stern and unapologetic. “They touched what’s mine. No one gets to do that. No one. I don’t care who they are; any enemy of yours is an enemy of mine.”
His words sparked a mixture of emotions within me, and I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or concerned.
Was I owned or protected by him? This choice of his, was it born out of obsession, guilt, or maybe even something else? Did he feel so guilty for ruining my life, and he’s doing everything in his power to at least preserve what’s left of it?
What exactly was the reason behind this rash decision to turn against his people?
As confused as I was, the fire in his eyes was unmistakable; the man’s mind was made up, and he had made his choice. Me.
My breath hitched in my throat, and I knew now that I wasn’t just a pawn in a game I didn’t understand. I was the reason a man like him broke ranks.
As grateful as I was, deep down, I was just as terrified. This was uncharted territory for both of us. Alone. Hunted.
I thought things couldn’t get any worse. But clearly, I was wrong. Things had spiraled out of control, and our chances of survival were significantly lower.
Great. Just great!
Chapter 20 – Val
It’s official. I’m a wanted man by the Bratva.
The very organization that I’d dedicated my life to was after me now. It wasmyfault. I underestimated Akim Antosha and the lengths he would go to make me suffer. The man hated a challenge. He loathed people standing up to him and loved to make an example of anyone who dared to do so.
He’d successfully turned the council against me, made them believe that I no longer deserved to be one of them. Akim tainted the reputation I spent a lifetime building with one stupid rumor. That I was under the control of the woman I was supposed to have killed.
Akim Antosha made people believe that I abandoned my role as a Bratva leader over some American woman. The story was that Wren was caught taking incriminating photos of our operations under my watch. The rules were: no witnesses.
I was supposed to have killed her the second I was informed of the leak. Instead, I took her in, pampered her, let her disrespect me and my men without consequences. When my lieutenant, Luka, couldn’t take it anymore, he dug into her and found out she was working for a rival gang.
According to the story, the photos Wren took were no accidents at all. She took them because the plan was to expose our activity to the public.
These accusations didn’t end there. No.
Akim’s version of the story wasn’t too far from the truth, and so it sounded believable. He told them that the rival gang was the cause of the attack on my mansion. And that Wren was the informant from within who gave the information on when and how to attack.
Two of my loyal men were killed, and a couple of others were severely injured during the attack. He told them Wren wasthe brain behind all of it and that the plan was to make it look likeshewas the target so she’d gain my trust and sympathy.
