Page 78 of Ripped Lace (Ripped Bratva)

“The crazy pastor?”

“He knows secrets that Astra Tyrannis doesn’t want spilled.”

I know I should probably wait for more men, but I’m incensed at the arrogance of the attack. Wrath drives me forwards. I’m almost at the open door when a Yakuza solider bursts through the opening and collides into me.

We both land on our backs. But we recover fast, and before he can attack, I twist around on the floor and slice across his throat. The man flops on the floor like a dying fish as he bleeds out.

But before I can regather my bearings, more Yakuza come storming in. Bullets hurtle through the air towards us and we have just enough time to duck to the sides before any of them find their mark.

Behind the swirling guards in riot gear, I see a familiar, bloodied face.

Josiah.

And behind him…

Eiko Sakamoto brings up the rear. He’s completely surrounded and well-protected. Just before the men make their exit, Eiko turns his head to the side and catches sight of me peering out from my vantage point.

He throws me a quick smirk. Then the lot of them disappear.

“Fuck!” I roar, unable to contain my frustration.

“Boss?”

“Get a team on those fuckers now!” I yell. “And you! Get out back and find Leona and Elyssa. Get them somewhere safe.”

Konstantin moves towards the back, while I head off in the direction that Eiko and his men have just taken.

And that’s when I hear it: a scream.

No—herscream.

I snap around at the same moment that Konstantin looks to me for confirmation. “Go!”

He jumps over a pile of broken glass and rushes through to the back gardens while I follow. I overtake him in seconds, but the sinking feeling in my chest refuses to budge.

All I can think is…

Not again.

Not again.

I round a thrust of flowering bushes and that’s when I catch sight of them. I see Leona raise her gun. But there are too many men and they’re surrounded.

She shoots anyway. They return fire.

Only one of them hits their target.

Leona collapses in on herself with a surprised wheeze and falls to the grass. Her hands clutch at her belly. Blood pools between her interlaced fingers.

I raise my gun, but freeze when one of the Yakuza reaches out to ensnare Elyssa. She’s screaming and clinging to Theo. I want to shoot, to get the bastard’s hands off of my woman, but it’s a tangled mess of limbs and I can’t be sure I’ll hit him and not her.

They’re too close.

All too fucking close.

Konstantin is battling the same dilemma. More of my men converge around the loose circle of Yakuza. Realizing that they’re about to be outnumbered, one of the soldiers makes a move.

He plucks the baby out of Elyssa’s grappling arms and shoves her stumbling backwards.

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