Bratva Beast (Bravikov Bratva #1)

Chapter 5

FOUR WEEKS LATER

CYNRIC

“Isabella?” I wait for an answer that I know won’t come. She’s not here. “Where the fuck is she?” I head into the kitchen. I’m not used to coming home after being gone all day. I scrape my hand across my short hair. There are downsides to slipping back into the real world from my self-imposed exile. My dick twitches. This morning, I slept in later than I have in years with Isabella in my arms. The little waif has worked herself into my cold, black heart. It’s been just over six weeks, and I can’t remember not having her in my bed.

Mrs. Belova has her back to me by the stove. She jumps when she hears me and turns. “Oh, I thought you were Izzy.”

I growl. “Isabella.”

She smiles, a knowing smile. “She’s usually home by now.”

I turn and stalk to my room. I adjust the mouse as my monitors spark to life on my desk as I study the screens. Isabella isn’t aware, but I’ve tapped into the monitors at the hospital and surrounding area. I rewind history and find her walking out of the doctor’s lounge with her backpack. “There she is.” She walks down the hallway to the door that leads to the street in front of my condo. I flick to the next screen and slam my fist down on the desk. That male nurse, Russell, is shoving Isabella into a car. “Fuck.” I grab my phone, dialing my father. Papa’s going to kill me for this.

“Uzhe pozdno.”

“Yeah. It’s late. Isabella was taken. I need help.”

“What the fuck do you mean, taken?”

“From work. From the hospital by a male nurse.”

My father’s steps increase in speed as I hear him fling open a door and bark out at our men. My breath catches. I don’t like the taste of fear, but I’m afraid for her.

“Cynric. I’m sending your brothers to you and our men out. Have you tracked her phone?”

“It’s by the hospital. He either threw it, or she dropped it.”

“We should have micro-chipped her like we do our dogs.” He grumbles. “I’ve got Fingers on it.” Fingers is my father’s hacker. He’ll have all the CCTV uploaded by the time we’re off the call. My father rattles off the nurse’s phone number and address. I put in my earbud so I can still hear my father as I rush out of my penthouse.

Wystan pulls up as I walk out. “Saxon and Roric are already on their way to his place.” Lights and movement blur as he speeds through the streets to Hamilton Heights. The brakes screech, and we pile out of his BMW, hitting the exterior door of the nurse’s apartment building. It’s an old building with homeless camping out in the lobby. My younger brothers meet us inside. I take the elevator as my brothers run up the two stairwells. I don’t bother to knock, as I reach his door, putting my body into ramming it open. “Fuck!”

My brothers barrel in from opposite directions with guns drawn. “She’s not here.”

“No. Rip it apart.” I step out the door and peer into the hallway. Various doors have opened and closed in the moments I’ve been here. I move to the apartment to the right and pound on the door.

A man cracks the door to peer at me and I shove it open. Pointing. “Do you know your neighbor, Russell?”

He nods. “A little. He’s weird.”

“Who does he hang out with? Where is he?” The weight of my gun is heavy in the back of my pants. I never have trouble tamping down my emotions, but if he doesn’t fucking answer me, I’m going to shoot him.

“He’s usually home after his nursing shift.”

“But?”

“He sometimes goes to the bar down the street to pick up women. He never brings them back here, though. I just thought he went to their place.”

I growl and step toward the man, eliciting a fearful yelp. I don’t get to take my frustrations out on him because Wystan runs down the hall, yelling. “Let’s go.”

I turn to my brother as he takes the main hall back to the elevators. “The super told Saxon there’s a room off the laundry room. He takes women there. It’s soundproof.”

My stomach rolls, and my heart picks up speed. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

The elevator squeaks open into the basement, and we barrel towards the lighted open door. I storm in and stop in the middle of the room, surveying the walls. “Find the door.” My eyes catch a change along the wall, and I put my body into the wall between the sink and the last washer. The wall gives, and I fall through with my brothers jumping into the area around me. Wystan reaches down to pull me off the floor as we hear a scream.

Isabella is bent over a short table in the center of the room. Her face is red with new and old tears covering her cheeks.

A groaning sound overpowers my ears. That’s the blood rushing to my brain. “I’m here.”

She whimpers, pulling on the restraints which hold her arms in place. “He’ll be back soon.”

I reach Isabella in two strides and cut the zip ties tied to her hands around the legs of the table. “Did he rape you?”

“No. He wanted to. I convinced him I had an STD, and he needed condoms.”

“You’re fucking brilliant.” I take out my phone and dial my new number two, Anatoly, as I cradle her in my arms. “He’s not in the basement of his apartment building. Find him.” I don’t wait for concurrence before I’m striding out of the room. Wystan opens the back door to his BMW, and as soon as the door closes, Isabella sobs in my arms.

“How’d you find me?”

“That’s not the question.” I growl, unable to control my anger and fear. “How the fuck did you let this happen to you? You weren’t supposed to leave the hospital alone.”

“I got off work early.”

“You wait for someone to get you. If you’d waited like you were supposed to, none of this would have happened.” My phone rings. “What?”

Anatoly, my new enforcer, promoted after Anton’s execution, speaks. “We’ve got him.”

“Hold him until I get there.”

I carry her into the penthouse, into my room, and stand her on her feet. “I need to see you.”

“He didn’t touch me sexually. He hit me and scared the shit out of me.” She crumples to the floor, and I stand over her. My brain and my heart fight for dominance. I want to hold her and make sure she’s okay, but the alpha in me wants to beat her ass and fuck her like she’s mine.

She looks up from the floor. “I’d like to go shower.”

I put my hand down to help her up. She pulls off her shirt and bra, walking into my bathroom like she owns it. This woman is magnificent. There are bruises on her arms and one on her side. She drops her pants and yanks off her panties. She’s naked, waiting for my shower to warm.

“You’re safe, Isabella.” I step into the bathroom. I can’t take my eyes off her.

She looks at me with tears. “I know.”

She needs the new bottle of shampoo. I don’t want to leave her, but I run to the cabinet and get it. When I turn around, she’s sitting on the floor of the shower. I put her stuff down and I kick off my shoes as I strip. “I’m here, baby.” She holds her head in her hands. I pick her up off the floor and hold her to stand. “Let me wash you.” I squirt her bath gel in my hand and rub it over her skin, relishing the berry scent that reminds me of her.

She sobs. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re okay.”

She nods. “I’m going to have a nasty black eye tomorrow.”

I raise her chin so I can see her face. “He split your lip, too.” I growl. “You’ve got fucking bruises all over you.”

Her tongue licks over the cut on her lip. She winces. “He said I was his.” She blows out a huge breath. “I told him I was yours.”

My heart beats faster at her words. “You are mine. And no one is ever going to hurt you again.”

“I’m not giving up my career, Cyn.”

My frustrated growl echoes in the shower. “You’ll do what I say, Isabella. And no, you won’t give up your career, but you will do it my way.”

Turning off the water, I can’t seem to take my other hand off her hip. I grab the large white towel and wrap it around her. She needs a towel for her hair. I reach into the towel warmer and pull out a second towel to wrap around her head. I’m dripping water all over the floor, but I don’t care. She’s safe with me.

Once she’s dry, I dry myself, watching her drift into my bedroom. Her hands cover her breasts as I walk to my dresser to pull out a t-shirt. “Here. Wear this.” She slips the oversized t-shirt over her head. “It’s longer than a dress, but perfect for you to wear.” I push the intercom button. “Mrs. Belova, please bring Isabella some food to my bedroom.”

“I can get up and eat in the kitchen.”

“No, you’re staying right here. I’m seriously considering tying you to my bed so I know where you are at all times.” She starts to argue and I growl. “Hush. We’ll talk later.”

A knock at my door reminds me I’m still naked. “Wait!” I move to my dresser to pull out clothes. I put them on as I’m striding to my door.

Mrs. Belova looks in and frowns. “Can I do anything?”

“No. Thank you. She’s okay. She just needs to eat.”

Isabella raises her head to my housekeeper, who steps back while I close the door. I walk the food tray and set it on the bed. “You need to eat. “

She grabs a piece of cheese and a slice of ham and puts them between two crackers. “I’m going to get cracker crumbs in your bed.”

I groan. “Our bed.”

Isabella’s head jerks up from her crackers, and her hand stops moving. “So nice I can still stun you every once in a while.” I’m snickering as my phone rings. I hit the button and put it to my ear. “Damn it. I’ll be there when I’m there.” I hang up the phone, tossing it onto the bedside stand. My woman eats more, and my heart starts to settle. She’s everything I didn’t realize I needed, and that psycho could have taken her from me. My blood again rises to boil.

She drinks the Gatorade and sets it down on the tray. “I should go to my room.”

“You’re not going anywhere. This is your room.”

She gasps. “Yes, Cyn.” She lies down on our bed.

I tuck the blanket around her and my mind waffles between wanting to stay and assure myself she’s safe and head to the warehouse to dismember the man responsible for hurting the woman I love. Revenge wins. I kiss her forehead. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

She nods, yawning. “I know you have to go. I’ll be here when you get back, but I have class at nine.”

“Isabella.” I groan. The beast inside me is impatient to disembowel the man. “I’ll be back. I’ll leave Wystan here.”

“This condo is a fortress. I’m fine. Take him. You might need him to pull you off.” She gives me a look. She knows what I’m going to do.

ISABELLA

Cynric leaves our bedroom and tears stream down my face. Russell would have raped me and probably killed me if Cyn hadn’t found me. My heart is pounding. His bed smells like sex. Sin and Cyn. I chuckle through my tears. Papa is going to threaten all kinds of things when he sees me. I wipe my face. “You’re safe, Izzy.” I need to go back to the kickboxing gym and figure out how to be more safe, or he’ll never let me be what I want to be. I raise my head. “Where’s my phone? Damn it.”

The hallway outside Cyn’s door is lit up like Fort Knox. I touch the wall plate, which opens the door. Saxon, Cynric’s youngest brother, appears at the end of the hall by my bedroom door. I smile, and he smirks.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I don’t have my phone.”

He shrugs. “It’s broken. You’ll get a new one in the morning.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just grab my tablet so I can check my messages.”

Saxon opens my door so I can walk through. “So, you and the prince?”

“I guess.”

“I’m not sure Papa will be happy with the arrangement.”

If I restricted my life to what Papa liked, I’d be some wife to a low-level thug. I pick up my tablet. “Where’s my backpack?”

“Not sure. I’ll text Cyn.”

“Make sure he knows I’m going back to bed.”

He acknowledges me with a head bob as I head back down the hall, shutting the steel doors and climbing back into bed. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I take a deep breath. Tomorrow. I’ll think about all of it tomorrow.