Page 167 of Ripped Lace (Ripped Bratva)

I preached the same to Phoenix not long ago. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, I find myself seeing his side of things.

“What if he hurts the boys?” I ask, more tears rising to my eyes.

“He’s kept them alive this long,” Matvei assures me. “He’s not going to kill them now.”

I try and hold on to that hope, but it’s feeble and flickering.

When the van stops, I look up in shock. How did we already get to the mansion? It feels so wrong to be coming here when Phoenix and the boys are trapped in that hellhole with the devil himself.

“Go inside,” Matvei tells me. “Go to your room and get some rest.”

“You think I can rest?” I scoff. “I won’t rest until all three of them are back here. Safe. Alive.”

Matvei sighs. I can see the worry in his eyes.

“I know,” he says with a tired nod. “I know, Elyssa. But we need to make sure that when we go in, we can get them all out.”

I bite my lip and turn away from him. “We don’t have time to waste, Matvei.”

“Trust me.”

“The man I trust is locked in a cell in Wild Night Blossom.”

He nods solemnly. “Well, the man you trust trusts me,” he says. “Maybe you can find a way to do the same.”

I look at him. He’s still a stranger, but at the moment, he’s all I have.

“Okay.”

“Thank you,” he says sincerely. “Now please, go up and try and rest. You’re going to need all the strength you have to get through the next few days.”

I nod and make my way into the mansion. It feels cold and empty without my men.

I stumble up the stairs. Each step feels heavier than the last. The plan is to head to my room, but somehow, I end up in Phoenix’s instead. It hurts to be in here, but I think it might hurt worse not to be. I climb into his bed and collapse into a fetal position.

I try desperately to hold myself together. But it feels like my limbs are made of sand, and all my pain is running through me like rainwater in the thirsty desert.

I’m here. Safe. Meanwhile, Phoenix is probably bleeding out from his stab wound. Yuri is walking around like an animal with a collar around his neck. And Theo—my poor Theo who can’t even speak yet—where is he? What have they done with him?

I start sobbing, because really, that’s all I can do. Cry until my body goes stiff with dehydration.

Stop it. You’re acting like it’s over. It’s not.

“Isn’t it?”

Don’t be a Negative Nancy.

“Did you miss the last few hours? Because last I checked, Phoenix is with that monster. So is Yuri. So is Theo.”

You’ll get them back.

I just drown out Charity’s voice in my head with more sobs. An hour later, I’m vaguely aware of a knock on my door. But I ignore it.

Whoever it is won’t be denied, though. It sounds again. Along with my name: “Elyssa, are you in there?”

The door swings open. Matvei steps in. “Are you awake?”

“Have you come to tell me that you have a plan for getting back all three of them?” I ask. “If not, then yes, I’m asleep.”

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