Page 69 of Obsession of the Bratva

This was serious.

Another blast shook the house, and shouts echoed somewhere outside. I could hear men. Lots of men. Everyone was running and yelling; gunshots were already being fired. Within seconds, the main door was thrown open, and soldiers marched inside, the Romanov insignia shining on their chests.

They were Nico’s men, Viktor amongst them.

“What’s the status?” Nico asked, his hand still clasping my arm as if I would disappear if he let go. I clung to him already, unwilling to be away from him for even one second.

“Bad. Soldiers are gathered outside, and the blasts are not stopping. We have started attacking back as well, rather than just defending,” Viktor replied.

“Who is it?” Nico asked, but I was sure that he already knew the answer to that. I did too.

“Who else could it be? It’s Petrov.”

“Make sure he cannot escape alive.”

“On it, boss.”

The realization hit me hard. This attack was no longer just a warning or intimidation like the warehouse attacks had been. It felt as if someone was trying to kill us, or at least kill Nico and his men, in order to get me out of here. I was the reason more men would end up dying. I hated that.

“Nico, listen to—”

“Keep moving.” I wanted to stop him and tell him to return me to Adrian just so all of this could stop. Guilt had been eating me alive since the warehouse attacks because I knew I was the one causing all this chaos. I was the reason things were happening, and I hated it.

I hated being the cause of such pain to innocent people, but Nico was in no mood to listen.

His voice remained calm. Almost frighteningly calm as we rounded a corner. Three armed guards appeared immediately, all of them carrying rifles. I couldn’t even guess where they might be coming from. One stepped forward, his eyes on Nico.

“Perimeter breach on the east side. We are trying to contain it, boss.”

Nico didn’t slow down. “How many men are out there?”

“Unknown.”

Something dark flashed through Nico’s eyes. It wasn’t fear. Never fear. But calculation instead. The guard continued.

“They have come prepared, as if they had been planning this attack for weeks.”

“I noticed.”

The guard actually looked embarrassed despite everything. Despite the explosions. Despite the attack. And it almost made me laugh. Only Nico could intimidate people during an active assault. It was something about the way he handled people and things that demanded respect and attention. He was excellent at commanding a room, and he knew it.

“Keep going. Make sure no one enters the house.”

“Yes, boss.” The three men scattered, running towards the action.

We reached a concealed section of wall, and Nico pressed his hand against a hidden panel. A lock disengaged immediately, and the wall slid open. I stared. I had been here for months now, and I had no clue something like this existed, which was stupid of me. If there was anyone who was always prepared for an emergency, it was Nico.

“Seriously?”

He glanced at me. “What?”

“Who are you? Batman?”

The corner of his mouth twitched, but the small smile quickly disappeared. The hidden door opened fully, my eyes falling on the reinforced room that waited beyond it. It was made out of concrete and steel, and security monitors were placed on all corners. I noticed the tons of emergency supplies in one corner, along with a mountain of weapons.

Definitely Batman.

Nico guided me inside, and the door sealed behind us with a heavy metallic thud. For the first time since the attack began, silence settled around us. Despite the thickness of the walls, it was not complete silence. The distant alarms still echoed faintly, but they were no longer loud enough. Still, they were enough for me to finally breathe.