Page 69 of Prey of the Bratva

I had commanded men through fear. Through loyalty forged in violence. But she commanded through certainty and clarity. Through something far more dangerous. Belief. And they followed her without hesitation. Including me. That realization settled deeper than I expected. The meeting stretched late into the night as details were refined to precision. By the time the final routes were confirmed and assignments locked in, exhaustion hovered at the edges of the room.

But no one left immediately. No one wanted to be the first to break whatever this was. Eventually, Misha leaned back slightly, rolling her shoulder once.

“That’s enough for tonight,” she said.

A collective exhale followed, and chairs shifted while papers were gathered. Movement was less urgent now, even though everyone was still alert and still planning.

Jarek stood, stretching slightly, and Timofey glanced at him.

“You’re still wrong about that entry point,” he said.

Jarek looked at him for a long second.

“We’ll see,” he replied.

Timofey smirked. “We will.”

Across the room, Viktor caught my eye briefly but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Everything was alreadyunderstood. This was no longer a divided operation, but it was something else entirely. Something far more volatile and far more powerful. As the room began to clear, Misha gathered the last of the files, stacking them neatly. I moved toward her without thinking. She didn’t look up when I reached her.

“Your team trusts all of us now,” I said quietly.

“They trust me,” she replied. “Which means they trust my decisions.”

I nodded once. That was fair. Her gaze finally lifted to mine.

“And you?” she asked.

There was no hesitation. “I trust you too.”

Something softened in her expression. “Good. Take me to bed now?”

“In your own house? Iosif will kill me,” I whispered, a chuckle escaping from my mouth.

“And you can’t die for me?” she pouted, no longer the hardcore enforcer she had been moments ago. She looked softer now, more vulnerable. This was a side of her she didn’t let a lot of people see.

“I definitely can,” I replied, effortlessly picking her up in my arms as she squealed and carried her upstairs into the night.

Chapter 19 - Misha

“Go.”

The word left my mouth sharp and absolute as I adjusted the comm in my ear, my gaze fixed on the compound ahead. Night pressed heavily around us, thick with tension and anticipation, the kind that settled into your bones before a fight that mattered. And this one mattered. More than any operation I had ever led. This was the only one that I held close to me because it represented everything I believe in, and I was not going to allow it to fail.

Not this time.

“Is everyone in positions?” I asked, my voice steady despite the adrenaline already threading through me.

“Perimeter is locked, and we are secure from all sides.” Sera’s voice came through first, calm and precise. “Romanov units are stationed in place, and Chernykh vehicles are holding the east and south exits. Everything and everyone are steady, Misha. We’re ready.”

“Surveillance has been successfully jammed,” Diane added. “You’ve got a clean window. Ten minutes before they reroute backup systems. We have to go now.”

We had ten minutes, and then if everything went according to plan, I would have Sidorov. Just how I wanted. We had promised intel from all networks that he had not left the country, and his current location was showing inside the warehouse. The very warehouse we surrounded. This operation was bigger than any before since now it was not just my girls and me. It was everyone. The Romanovs and Chernykhs had joined us, which meant everything was now at a much larger scale.

“Girls, we are going to move now,” I said.

And just like that, war began.

Romanov black SUVs surged forward first, engines cutting through the silence like a declaration. Chernykh armored vehicles followed, heavier, louder, and unapologetic. Between them, my team moved in shadows. Everyone was silent, fluid, and completely invisible until they weren’t. We had the cover of the night to protect us, but we didn’t need protection. Not today. Today, we needed results, and I was not returning home without exactly those tonight.