Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
A strategy snaps into place, the strategy laid out in front of me. We have to move.
Viktor, keep talking. Say some bullshit about Lydia and her family or the wedding or something. Mikhail, pretend you have to take a call. Nikko, go to a secure place where you can draw your weapon out of view of the loft and as soon as Ollie and I approach, spot me. Ollie, you and I will go. What do we have for weapons here?
Mikhail: got a gun and blade
Aleks: same
Nikko: carrying two fully loaded guns but fucking arsenal in the car
Aleks: you brought your shit in my CAR?
Mikhail: drop it, stay focused
Ollie: smoke bomb in my jacket pocket, could come in handy since it’s a loft. Gun.
Viktor: my fucking fists
At least one of you standby with Nikko, Ollie, get ready with the smoke bomb and for Christ’s sake tell me later why you have that shit with you
Ollie: club last night. Let’s go
Ollie might look like a nice guy but he’s one kinky motherfucker. I don’t even want to know what else he’s got with him.
Viktor starts talking some nonsense about gardening and Lydia and fireworks and shit. Mikhail excuses himself to take out his phone and makes a fake call.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” I tell them. “I’ll be right back.”
I walk in the direction of the loft to gauge the location. Is it near a window? How high is it? Is there a way for us to get the ladder away from the loft easily? I walk by it and quickly note everything—tucked away from any windows, it’s at least ten feet off the floor, and the ladder looks nailed in place. In this case, that is not good.
I walk into the bathroom and pretend to use it, quickly coming back into the room where my brothers are located. None of them even look at me, but my phone quickly vibrates with another text.
Mikhail: Plan?
I have to admit I fucking love that he’s actually deferring to me with this. My father is turning over in his grave. Imagine that, you asshole, the one you hated most, actually knows his shit.
We have two options given that it’s a loft with only one way up. Either one of us goes up and forcibly drags him down, or we demand he comes down of his own accord. There’s no way for us to get there unannounced and there’s no other way to get to him.
Viktor: Bring him down. Drag him down here and let me show him how we deal with a traitor.
I shake my head and reply.
My preference would be to demand he come down on his own. Anyone who went up after him would be at a disadvantage. Death wish. Ladder’s secure, no easy way to shake him loose. If he won’t comply, we smoke him out, force him to crawl down. Once he’s here… we make sure he regrets trespassing.
Nikko: Ready.
Mikhail: Let’s go
Aleks: On it
Ollie: I’ll spot you
I lift my head and stare at the darkness above the loft ladder. I feel kind of dumb because it looks like I’m glaring into blank space, but I trust Aleks. If he says someone’s there, then someone’s there.
I nod to my brothers and face the loft.
CHAPTER THREE
Isabella
Shit.
Shit.
Something’s shifted in here. The chatter’s died down, and one of them is heading over here. Lev?
I move as quietly away from the ladder as I can. I can’t risk peeking down below, not now. Even as I consider my choices, something inside me thrills at the thought of being caught by a passel of pissed-off, heavily tattooed, dominant Bratva. It’s the thrill of the chase, the hit of adrenaline when I put my foot on the gas pedal and watch my speed creep up into three digits. The utter certainty of excitement.
I slide my phone off in case that’s how they detected me. As soon as I heard we had a mole in our group, I went to alert Carlos’s sister. I don’t give a shit if the men know, but she’s my friend, and I don’t want her falling for a liar. God, how could she? I can’t risk sending a text, though, not now, when my message could be intercepted.
I quickly assess my situation.
I’m the one in the loft, which gives me an advantage. I can pretend I’m not here and force them to come get me, obviously, and when they do, I take them down one at a time. All it would take is a swift kick to the neck or head if they come anywhere near me.
I’d have to incapacitate them, though, and the worst part of it is, if I hurt them and don’t kill them, it’s like wounding a rabid animal. They’d come after me with a thirst for blood. And if I do kill any of them, as soon as they find out who I am, they’ll bring war to my family.