Page 59 of The Bratva Enforcer and His Virgin Bride

Not because I’ve calmed down, but because there is nothing left in the immediate space to destroy.

The warehouse is still again, except for the aftermath of what I’ve done to it.

I stand in the center of it, breathing unevenly, the crumpled note still in my hand.

Ben’s voice cuts through the silence behind me. “We should leave. If this is a setup, staying here longer doesn’t change anything except the body count.”

For a moment, I don’t move.

The warehouse is still echoing faintly with what I did to it, like the walls haven’t fully recovered from the impact. Dust hangs in the air. Broken wood lies scattered across the floor. Somewhere behind me, metal is still vibrating from the force of my strike.

He’s right.

I know he’s right.

That doesn’t make it easier to accept, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

I exhale through my nose, slow and controlled, and finally turn toward the exit.

“Move,” I say.

The men outside don’t hesitate.

We leave the warehouse the same way we came in—fast, coordinated, silent. No one speaks until we’re back in the vehicles, and even then the silence holds. I sit in the back seat without looking at anyone, the crumpled note still in my hand, the paper now soft and useless from how tightly I’ve been holding it.

The city moves past the window in blurred lights as we drive, but I barely see it.

I will find Karl Jonathan. No matter what it takes, no matter how much blood it costs, I will make him pay for every bit of this. He’ll learn exactly what the Rusnak name means. He’ll learn why we’re feared.

Now that the initial spike of adrenaline has subsided, my body is beginning to protest. My knuckles are torn open and bleeding, and a cold sting on my cheek tells me a stray shard ofglass caught my face. But I don’t care about the pain. My mind is already moving, calculating the next step.

This failure hasn’t stopped me—it has only changed the stakes. I’m no longer just hunting for a code. Now, I’m hunting the truth behind Karl’s deception, and God help him when I find it.

Chapter 7 – Sofia

It’s late at night, and I can’t sleep.

I’ve tried everything: turning over the pillow, counting backward, pretending I’m somewhere else entirely. Nothing works. My mind keeps circling back to the same thing until it becomes impossible to ignore.

It’s been a week.

A whole week of being married to Lukyan Rusnak.

And my life… hasn’t really changed.

That thought should be comforting. It almost is. Almost.

The only reminder I’m married is this giant ring Lukyan slipped on my finger the day we got married. I roll slightly onto my side and lift my hand into the dim light filtering through the curtains. The ring catches it immediately.

The diamond is absurd—too large, too bright, too heavy with meaning I didn’t agree to.

It probably costs more than my life.

I stare at it for a long time, then let my hand fall back onto the sheets.

If I’m honest, I don’t know what I expected.

Maybe noise. Maybe pressure. Maybe him deciding I was now part of his life in a way I didn’t get a vote in.