Page 15 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

“Run,” she whispers. But there’s nothing remotely confident about her tone.

I take a step closer. She needs to understand what’s at stake here. “Listen to me,” I say urgently. “The men out there? They want me dead. And now, they’re think you’re with me. If they get their hands on you, they will do worse than kill you.”

She looks baffled for a moment. “What’s worse than death?” she asks innocently.

I shake my head. Where the fuck has this girl come from? Who the hell is she?

“Lots of things,” I retort grimly. “And I hope you never have to find out what.”

I grab her by the hips and lift her off the counter. She feels so fucking weightless in my arms. Feather-light and trembling.

“Now, come. We have to move.”

I head to the door and unlock it gently. When I open it and poke my head out, there’s no one standing in the broad, dimly lit hallway.

I wish she was wearing anything other than the bridal gown she has on. It’s pretty fucking conspicuous. But we’re short on time and options alike.

I follow the wall down the corridor while she shadows my footsteps, knocking into me twice in the space of a minute. She apologizes every time. I have to remind her to be quiet.

When we reach the end of the wall, I glance around the corner. There’s a large common area with plush red sofas arranged around the circular space. Behind each sofa is a door that leads to private playrooms. There are a few men on the sofas, each one with a woman or two draped all over him.

It’s a dead end.Goddammit.

I cross the opening and keep walking. When I don’t feel her behind me, I turn. She’s still tailing me, but she’s fallen behind by a foot or so.

“Come on,” I say impatiently. “Stay close.”

She moves fast, but her expression is troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head.

“Tell me.”

“I just never knew…”

“Knew what?”

“…that places like this existed.”

She looks stunned. But whether she’s stunned by the fact that sex clubs exist or stunned by her own ignorance, I don’t know. And now’s not the time to find out.

The thundering of footsteps has me pulling out my gun. And just in time, too. Two men burst into the corridor from the circular room we’ve just passed. I grab the girl and push her behind me as I shoot.

My bullets fly blindly, but it’s enough to force the men back and put them on the defensive. I keep firing as I press back against the corridor. One of the attackers collapses to the floor, but two others appear to replace him.

“Fuck!” I growl.

It’s the first time she doesn’t flinch at the swear word.

“Remember what I told you?” I ask as more men come pouring out of the woodwork brandishing firearms.

She freezes. Looks up at me with those endless amber eyes. Her blond hair catches the light. The blood on her wedding dress looks dark and vicious. It doesn’t belong on a girl like her.

“Run,” I growl at her. “Now!”

To my dismay, she hesitates. Gunfire is pouring down around our position. We’re running out of time.

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