Page 71 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

“No!” he screams as they descend on him from both sides. “No! Let me go. Let me go!” He thrashes in their arms, refusing to go quietly.

At another nod from me, Konstantin and Pyotr rush to join their fellow guards in hauling Vitya to his feet.

“Don’t hurt him,” I order. “Get him up and get him inside. Give him a sedative if you need to.”

My men drag Vitya off. The whole time, he rages.

“Do the women in your home know they’ll end up dead if they stay here?” he screams back over his shoulder. “Have you told them you can’t protect them? She died because of you! She died because of you! She died because of…!”

His voice fades away as they round the corner and disappear into the guesthouse.

My eyes scan the main building, searching for Elyssa’s face in one of the windows. Wondering if she’s watching. What she’s heard. What she thinks.

I don’t see her, but my relief is short lived. Something tells me this is far from over.

“Fuck,” I growl under my breath.

Matvei approaches me. “The man’s coming undone.”

“Do you blame him?” I ask. “His daughter was delivered to us in pieces.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Call Dr. Roth,” I tell Matvei. “I think he needs to be examined before I can decide that. Tell him it’s urgent.”

With a nod, Matvei starts to walk away.

“Murray?” I ask before he can leave.

“Still tied down in the basement cell,” Matvei answers. “Waiting to be interrogated.”

“Let’s push that back,” I say. “I want to deal with Vitya first.”

Matvei nods and disappears into the garden. I follow Vitya into the guesthouse.

My men have restrained him against one of the cushioned chairs nestled by the window. His head is drooped low, and his chest rises and falls slowly with every breath. His eyes are closed, and he hasn’t noticed me enter, so I stand for a moment and observe.

Again, I’m struck by how much he’s aged. I might have noticed the deterioration if I’d kept in touch more in the last few years. But seeing him just reminded me of my own failure.

It was easier to look the other way.

And for most of that period, it seemed he was keen to avoid me as well. But all this time, he’s been festering in grief and anger. And it’s reached a boiling point. One that’s clearly affected his mind.

Konstantin and Alexi back off when I approach. I sit down opposite Vitya, making sure to keep a comfortable distance between us.

Sensing my presence, the older man avoids my eyes completely, but he’s fidgeting like a crack addict going through withdrawal.

“Vitya?” I ask gently. “Are you on something?”

He shakes his head from side to side. “I’m not crazy.”

“I never said you were.”

“I just want my daughter back.”

My fists clench. “I know you do.”

“For all your power and influence, you can’t bring her back, can you?”

---