Page 29 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

Like the man shielding me isn’t inside a moving vehicle that’s being riddled with bullets.

Another volley slams into the SUV. The armored doors absorb most of the impact, but the force makes the entire vehicle shudder.

“Status!” Igor roars.

Sergei speaks in Russian to someone over his earpiece and then answers, “They’re trying to box us in! We need to find out how many there are.”

I dare to lift my head a fraction.

“Stay down.” The command is so sharp that I freeze instantly.

Igor has already drawn his pistol. His body still covers mine, but he’s twisted enough to glance through what remains of the shattered window. There isn’t even a hint of panic on his face.

“Two on the left,” he says, and then, raising himself enough to see outside the car, he fires twice through the broken glass.

One of the motorcycles swerves violently, clipping the divider before disappearing behind us in a shower of sparks.

Not a second passes before he’s issuing another order. “Sergei, push through. The front team will cover us.”

Sergei nods. “Yes, boss.”

He fires the accelerator, surging the car forward with enough force to throw me back against Igor’s chest.

A violent crunch echoes behind us.

One of the escort vehicles deliberately slams into a motorcycle, sending both rider and bike tumbling across the asphalt.

My stomach lurches. Oh God, I should’ve just stayed home.

Igor doesn’t even seem fazed by the situation beyond making sure I’m safe. It’s almost as if he’s been in this type of shit several times before, and given his reputation, I don’t doubt he has.

Another biker races alongside my window. This one is even closer than the others, close enough that I can see the black visor hiding his face before he raises an assault rifle.

Time moves too quickly, and before I can process anything, a deafening explosion tears through the SUV.

The world spins around me and pain explodes through my left arm with such brutal force that I don’t even realize I’ve been hit until a scream rips itself from my throat.

Igor’s head snaps toward me. His gaze flits to my arm, and for the first time, his blank mask cracks, showing an expression I haven’t seen on him before.

Fear.

“Audrey.” His voice trembles, filled with pure panic as he presses a hand to my shoulder, right where I’ve been shot. “Fucking Christ…Audrey, baby, can you hear me?”

I nod, gritting my teeth as pain splinters through my arm and all the way down to my hand.

It hurts.

It hurts so fucking much that I feel like I’m going to die.

“Hey…don’t fall sleep, okay? I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.”

My vision starts to blur, his voice muffled through the pain ripping through my body and the ringing in my ears. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake, but even as my body weakens, I fight to keep my eyes open.

“I won’t sleep,” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.

The look in Igor’s face is nothing I’ve ever seen on anyone before.

It’s madness.