Page 85 of Caught By the Bratva Boss

“Find them,” I said through gritted teeth. “I don’t care how you do it. Burn this city to the ground if you have to. Just bring my woman and my son home to me.”

And there it was. I’d been calm before, but now New York was going to see the real me. And every single person who had touched my soon-to-be wife and son would die screaming and choking on their own blood.

I would wipe out the entire continent if I had to. I would not lose them.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Lily

“Lily.”

A small hand tapped on my cheek over and over again. Bringing me back to consciousness, which was the last place I wanted to be. My entire body hurt. My head felt like it was being drilled into.

“Lily, please,” Timothy’s anguished voice cut through the pain. I’d never heard anyone sound so scared. With difficulty, I cracked my eyes open a sliver, and even that small amount of light was enough to make me cry out and close them again.

“Please, Lily,” he wailed again. “Please don’t go to sleep again.”

“It’s ok.” With the last of my strength, I forced my eyes open. And the world spun around me. “I’m here, Timothy. I’m here, and it’s going to be fine.”

It was amazing how easily lying came to me these days. I didn’t know whether it was going to be fine because I had no way of knowing what had just happened.

“What?” Blearily, I looked around. The room was dark. The only light was coming from a single lightbulb hanging at the other end of the dark room. I screwed my eyes closed and counted to ten. I was in a basement.

More than that, I was in a cage. Correction. We were in a cage.

“Come here.” I opened my arms wide, and Timothy climbed into them, hiding his bloody face against me and crying softly. I had to be brave for him. I couldn’t let him see me fall apart because he would lose the last of his courage as well.

Letting him cry for a few minutes, I just held him and looked around for any sign of who had done this to us. Not that it took a genius to figure out who. Or even why. The shoot-out at the wedding had been a diversion to get us alone and away from Daniil.

I remembered getting into the back of the car after leaving, and the way Emilio had promised to protect us with his life, and then nothing.

My gut twisted. “Is anyone else here?” I whispered. “Emilio?” I called out, but I didn’t dare more than whisper it.

“He’s dead,” Timothy sobbed into my chest, his thin arms wrapped around my middle. “I saw the bad man shoot him.”

“Oh.” I hugged him back. That was all I had to say. Emilio had died trying to protect us. He had given his life like he had sworn he would. No one else was here to help us. That meant I had to save us.

“Then the bad men picked me up and put me in the dark,” Timothy kept sobbing. “And you were asleep and wouldn’t wake up. When is Papa coming, Lily?”

“I don’t know. But I know he won’t be long. You just need to be brave and let go a little. You’re really hurting my ribs because you are so strong.”

I tried to lighten the mood but failed. He wasn’t holding me too tightly, considering, but I was pretty sure some of my ribs were broken.

“Sit right there. Ok? I need to check the locks and see if I can get us out of here. We need to be ready for when your papa comes.”

“Daniil isn’t coming.”

The voice was smooth and mocking. I knew it instantly. My heart lodged itself in my throat. Shuffling Timothy off my lap and behind me, I lifted my eyes to meet those of the man who filled my nightmares.

Piotre was cruel, but his brother? His brother was sadistic, and those blue eyes that swept over me promised nothing but pain.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“A million dollars and world peace?” He mocked me. “What do you think I want, Lily? I want to break Daniil Popov, and I want my money.” He crouched down next to the cage, which I was beginning to suspect was a dog crate, and hooked his fingers through the bars.

“You’ve cost me millions. And now I’m calling in that debt. No more waiting for you to pop out another brat.” His eyes darted towards the cowering form of Timothy.

“I already have his heir. Come here, boy.”