Page 86 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

No one threatens what belongs to him and lives to try it a second time.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Igor

I look at Ruslan’s hand, where an ugly black-purplish bruise spreads across his knuckles, and I watch how it turns red when he grips the wheel tighter.

Ruslan notices me staring and the corners of his lips lift, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “I’m fine, nurse.”

“I know you are.” I peel my gaze off the surface injury and fix them on his face instead. “A bullet would have fixed it. The punch was extra, and unnecessary.”

He smirks, then shrugs. “Where’s the fun in that? Plus, the bastard deserved it. And it was for a noble cause.”

At that, Ruslan gives me a brief, knowing look, sending a silent message I immediately catch onto. He takes his attention back to the road while I raise my eyes to the rearview mirror. The glass frames a picture that makes my chest twist.

There, in the backseat, Audrey and Simon are clinging to each other as if the rest of the world has ceased to exist. She has her arms wrapped tightly around him and her face buried in his shoulder, while he leans heavily into her side.

Both of them have their eyes closed, looking exhausted.

Simon looks so damn young. I flex my jaw at Serrano’s imprints written all over the boy’s face: a split lip, a ghastly ink-black bruise swelling over his cheekbones, and dark smudges of dirt and dried blood all over his skin.

In my eyes, he’s just a child caught in a war he had no business being involved in.

I watch the quiet rise and fall of their chests and an unfamiliar throb spreads through me: a mix of fierce protectiveness and bitter guilt. I can’t help but feel that I played a part in all of this. I dragged Audrey into a mess that nearly cost her brother’s life.

I pull my gaze from them and stare out the window instead.

Shortly after, we arrive at the estate, and the heavy iron gates of the mansion grind shut behind the armored SUV.

We’re back, but the adrenaline is still sharp in my bloodstream—a toxic electric current keeping my heart slamming against my ribs.

Ruslan climbs down first. He opens the backseat door, which stirs Audrey awake. Slightly disgruntled, she looks from my brother to me, and I see the relief in her eyes when she finally looks back to Simon, who’s still soundly asleep.

“Ruslan’s going to take him up to see the family doctor,” I say to her. “After you take a shower and eat something, you can go see him.”

Quietly, Audrey watches my brother help Simon out of the car, and I sense she’s going to protest. But she gives me a curt nod and climbs out.

As we move toward the entrance, every muscle in my body is taut, vibrating like a piano wire stretched to its breaking point. My instincts are still red-lined, and my eyes automatically scan the compound, searching for threats that I know no longer exist.

Serrano is dead. Simon is breathing. But I’m still raging inside, like a beast that refuses to sleep.

We step inside the grand foyer and the sudden silence is deafening.

The hardwood floors reflect the soft light from the ceiling as we walk through the hallway to the bedroom.

Once inside, I strip off my vest and toss it onto a side chair, but my eyes don’t leave Audrey.

She lingers near the heavy oak door, her fingers twisting together nervously.

She releases a deep, ragged breath, as if she’s gathering courage she thinks she doesn’t possess.

“Igor.” She speaks softly and looks up, her eyes bright and searching mine. “Can…can you ever forgive me? For everything? I mean, you have reasons to kick me out right now. You shouldn’t even help me or my brother. I betrayed you. I wanted to ruin your life, and the crazy part is that I almost did. I’ve caused irreparable damage.”

I stand perfectly still, just studying her face. Guilt is etched into every breath she takes. The dim light shadows the sharp contours of her jawline, and I realize she’s terrified of my answer.

A sudden, unexpected wave of relief floods my chest so violently it nearly takes my breath away.

Even after everything that happened tonight, I didn’t lose her.