Page 65 of Innocent Prey of the Bratva
“Boss….” Arina clears their throat. “We have to get her out of here. Immediately.”
Kaz stills for a moment, then nods. “Go. I’ve got her.”
Arina leads the way down a narrow hall that looks like a dead end—until they pull a hidden latch and a section of the wall creaks open, revealing a dimly lit underground tunnel. Mybreath catches. I’ve only ever heard Kaz mention this tunnel once, in passing. A last resort. An escape only meant for the end of the world.
Apparently, this is it.
The air is damp and cold, our footsteps echoing in the space. Silent urgency coils around us. I stay close to Kaz. He’s limping now. Barely noticeable, but I can see it.
“Kaz?” I whisper, touching his leg gently.
He flinches.
“Grazed,” he mutters. “Bullet caught me on the side.”
A lump forms in my throat. He’s bleeding. He’s hurt. And still walking like it doesn’t matter.
Tears sting my eyes. “You should’ve said something—let me—”
“Not now, Violet,” he says, softer than I expect. His hand finds mine and squeezes. “I’m okay. We just need to get out of here first.”
I nod. But inside, I’m unraveling. He’s not okay.
His shirt is ripped, stained. There’s a smear of blood trailing down his thigh. His breath is uneven.
We reach the end of the tunnel and push open a heavy steel door. Outside, parked beneath a thick canopy of trees, is a black SUV. The emergency getaway.
Kaz opens the passenger door and motions for me to get in. “Go.”
I hesitate for half a second. “You’re driving?”
“Of course I am.”
He moves to the driver’s seat, wincing slightly as he lowers himself. I slide in beside him, and the door slams shut. In the silence that follows, I can hear the rapid beat of my own heart.
As the engine roars to life, I glance over at him.
His knuckles are torn open.
The skin is split, raw, and caked with dried blood. He must have fought with his fists.
My throat tightens again. He’s done all this—for me.
“Kaz….”
He doesn’t look at me, eyes fixed on the road ahead as we speed through a winding forest path.
“I’ll be fine,” he says, like he can feel my thoughts crawling through him.
But he’s not fine. And all I want is to wrap him in my arms and tell him he doesn’t have to be a monster to protect me. He just has to stay alive.
The car is dead quiet for the first few minutes after we escape the estate. Kaz’s knuckles are still bleeding. His jaw is tight, his fingers clenching the wheel hard enough to snap it. Arina sits in the backseat behind us, checking their bleeding shoulder. I’m beside Kaz, staring straight ahead—but my mind is spinning.
Then, Kaz finally speaks, voice low and hoarse. “Do you know who it is?”
Arina exhales, like they’ve been waiting for the question.
“Yes,” they say. “Maxim told me.”
