Page 45 of Forced By the Bratva King
I massaged my temples and looked at my sleeping husband. “I’m sorry, but you can’t find out. At least not yet.” One lone tear rolled down my cheek.
Chapter 18 – Artem
The sound of her moans was echoing in my head as Yuri drove me to a business meeting downtown. We’d just left the house about fifteen minutes ago, but I was already missing her.
Thoughts of my sexy wife occupied my mind, keeping me busy with the memory of how she rode me to ecstasy the other day. I couldn’t think straight, and even when Yuri had tried a little while ago to engage me in a conversation while driving, I still was unable to focus. He must have gotten the message, considering how quickly he’d stopped talking. There was a cocky grin on his face, but I was too engrossed in my thoughts to care.
I was supposed to be thinking about this meeting and the profits to be made once the deal was struck, but that seemed rather impossible. What spell had Sierra cast on me? Why couldn’t I get her out of my mind? I’d known since the first time that I saw her that she was going to make a good wife. But I had to admit, these days, she’d proven to be an even better wife.
She’d finally come out of her shell and was more open-minded than before, more sexual. I hadn’t expected to feel this way for her, not this early, at least. And for someone who clearly hated me, she was doing a pretty good job of showing otherwise.
I’d grown fond of her, and for some reason, I felt peaceful whenever I was around her. There was something about her that always made me feel…at home. Deep inside her was a light that was gradually shining into every aspect of my life. The darkness that had shrouded my heart and my soul was vanishing in time, bit by bit. I could feel it in my bones, and it was as comforting as it was scary.
I’d lived with this darkness almost all my life, and the last time I saw a glimpse of light, the light bearer was stolen from me.It hurt so badly that I forced myself deeper into the darkness. I embraced it wholeheartedly until it became a part of me.
I’d been one with the darkness for so long, and now, it seemed difficult to let go of it.
There was that, and there was also the fear of something terrible happening to my sweet Sierra. What were the odds that someone wouldn’t take it upon themselves to harm her just to get to me, as it happened years ago? Wouldn’t history repeat itself?
I’d shown her off to my business associates, some of whom secretly hated me. That was not a wise move, and now I was scolding myself for this silly mistake. Fuck! I had gone ahead and boasted to Niall Donovan about my wife, taunting him with the fact that he didn’t have one. I’d also boasted about having his right-hand man in my custody. Shit.
It was strange because Donovan hadn’t reacted the way that I had expected him to; he was way too calm for his usual personality. And the way he had his eyes on my wife…dang it!
For the first time, I couldn’t predict what his next move would be. Could he go after her as revenge? And what about the others—those that secretly hated me—what would they do? Was exposing my wife like this really a good idea? Didn’t I just place a giant bullseye on her back?
The mere thought of her in harm’s way infuriated me, causing my brows to furrow and my face to wrinkle into a frown. I was so mad and was already thinking of ways to make them suffer, whoever would be unlucky enough to attempt an attack on my wife.
The alert on my phone pulled me from my thoughts, and when I decided to dwell on my rage for a second longer, it then hit me that it was the CCTV alarm. Someone must have entered the house; no one was supposed to do that.
Tense, I checked the phone, scanning the camera footage from every angle of the mansion.
“What is it?” Yuri stole a glance in my direction.
“I think someone broke into the house,” I replied, eyes fixed on the screen to be sure.
It seemed like all was fine—nothing was out of the ordinary. My men were patrolling the compound, and everything was in place. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Peering closely, I noticed the glitches in the footage, and in a split second, I caught a glimpse of one of my men lying on the floor. It was like he was dead or knocked out; either way, there was a fucking intruder in my house.
I clenched my fists in anger, concerns about Sierra’s safety the only thing on my mind. “Turn the car around.” I glared at Yuri. “Now!”
He saw the rage in my eyes and didn’t need any more confirmation to know that there was trouble at home. With an abrupt yet precise move, he spun the wheel, taking a dangerous swerve to the other lane. The tires screeched loudly against the asphalt as he downshifted, slamming his foot on the accelerator and unleashing a burst of speed.
Like a bullet from a rifle, the car hurtled down the highway, its speed and power leaving a trail of blurted scenery in its wake.
I instantly regretted ever leaving the house. I never should have left, and there was a fucking intruder breaking in. I prayed that I wouldn’t be too late like I was the night Jade died.
“Goddamn it, Yuri, faster!” I hollered, tightening my fists.
He was already moving at super speed, but it wasn't fast enough for me. I couldn’t be late—I couldn’t fail, not again. History was repeating itself, but this time, I wasn’t going to let it make a full circle. If this was some kind of curse, that I wouldalways lose my lover, then I was going to fucking break that curse, no matter what.
I withdrew my gun and cocked the damn thing, ready to kill the motherfuckers that had messed with me.
No one touches my family and gets away with it.
The car burst into the compound, and before it could come to a stop, I flung the door open, leaping out while it was still in motion. My feet hit the ground merely seconds before the car came to a screeching halt.
My men were down, knocked out or maybe even dead, but I’d come back to that later. Right now, I was more concerned about my defenseless wife.