Forced By the Ruthless Bratva Beast (Tarasov Bratva #3)

Chapter 18 – Julia

I sat in the backseat of the Uber with a smile playing on the corners of my lips as I found comfort in the established fact that Roman wasn't the enemy.

My heart was overwhelmed with relief, and I hadn't felt so light in a long time. Finally, there was peace within me, and for once, the voices in my head all agreed on one thing: that Roman wasn't the bad guy.

It would have been catastrophic if it had turned out that I'd been right this whole time—that he was who I thought he was. Falling in love with the man who had murdered my parents in cold blood and carrying his child would have been a next-level disaster.

I'd never been happier about being wrong. Realizing my mistake lifted so much weight off my shoulders, freeing me from its burden.

I rested my head against the glass, absentmindedly gazing out the window as I headed back to Roman's.

That he wasn't responsible for my parents’ untimely demise didn't mean he wasn't guilty of a whole lot of other crimes. But I didn't embark on this mission because I thought he was a bad man who needed to face justice for all his atrocities. That was Anderson's reason. I, on the other hand, was only after him for revenge—I just wanted to make him suffer for what he'd supposedly done to my family.

The unveiling of this truth had changed a lot of things, and I no longer saw the need to harm Roman or incriminate him anymore. I was no hero, just a hurting girl on a revenge mission.

The mission itself hadn't changed, though; the target had.

Roman hadn’t killed my parents, but the perpetrator was still out there. Ivan Tarasov.

I'd vowed to exert revenge on those who hurt me, and I didn't intend to break that vow—especially now that the real culprits of that inhumane act didn't mean shit to me.

I just needed to shift my attention in the right direction and draw up another plan to take Ivan and his bodyguard down.

Do you think Roman knows that his uncle's actually behind the fall of the Grays? I thought, asking myself.

My brows knitted, mirroring my bewilderment.

Roman and my father had been direct rivals who never saw eye to eye. If Roman had wanted him dead, he'd have done it himself, not asked his uncle to take care of his problems for him. He wasn't a coward, nor was he one to let others do his dirty work. He was always ready to stain his hands if it came down to it.

So, no. I didn't think he was aware.

I didn't care what Ivan's reasons were for ending my parents’ lives, but one thing was certain: I would have my revenge. I would take from them what they took from my mom and dad: their lives. I wasn't sure how I would go about that yet, considering I hadn't even come up with a plan.

But in that moment, filled with rage, I seethed in silence, promising myself that neither of them—Ivan or his bodyguard—would live long enough to see the end of the year.

I heard my phone ring, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Agent Anderson. Just the man I was about to call. “Hey, uh, I've got news,” I said amidst chuckles, fingers rubbing my eyes.

“None of that matters right now,” he cut me off with a sense of urgency that caused my heart to skip a beat. “Where are you?”

I swallowed, sitting up with the phone clasped to my ear. My eyes widened at the concern laced in his tone. “I'm heading back to Roman's. Why?” I asked, brows furrowing as fear slowly crept into my mind.

“Don't!” he snapped in warning.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I asked, my heart pounding in my heaving chest, “What?”

“Turn around now!” he exclaimed, voice rising with intensity and accentuating the seriousness in his tone.

My breath hitched in my throat, a hand flying to my forehead as I struggled to stay composed. “Anderson, you're scaring me,” I confessed, my lips trembling at the horror his desperation had inflicted on me.

“You should be scared, Julia,” he blurted out. “He knows.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I'd just heard. “What?” My eyes widened, my feet turning to jelly as I panted.

“Roman knows who you are,” he said lowly. “While you were at the hospital, I trailed him as usual. He stopped at your place, and when he left, he was mad—like really mad.”

As Anderson spoke, a sudden chill enveloped me, causing my body to shudder. A dryness in my throat made it difficult to swallow as my eyes darted wildly as if searching for escape.

No, no, no, this can't be happening. Not now.

My hand settled on my head in a reflexive move as I prayed that this was all just a bad dream—that I would wake up soon.

I pinched my thigh.

It wasn't a dream. This was real

Anderson continued, “I needed to know what got him so upset. So, I went upstairs to your place. Your door was open. When I got in, I saw your family photo crumpled on the floor.”

“Shit,” I muttered, petrified, fingers digging into my temple.

“Yeah. Shit is right,” Anderson said. Almost immediately, he added. “Please, tell me you copied those files.”

I swallowed hard, struggling to catch my breath and overwhelmed with anxiety. “No…” I whispered, too numb to speak.

“Goddamn it, Julia, that was our only shot at taking down that family!”

The disappointment in his tone couldn't be any more glaring.

I'd never been so scared in my life, and my mind was flooded with the possible ways he'd make me suffer. My chest was heaving rapidly. With quivering lips, my eyes misted in fear as I realized he'd soon be coming for me.

Men like Roman weren't exactly known for their forgiveness—especially when betrayed. He must hate me now, and God only knew what plans Roman had cooked up already.

“What…what now?” I stuttered, struggling with the dryness in my throat.

He hesitated for a moment before uttering the words that amplified my fear, sending panic coursing through me.

“Run, Julia…run.”