Kidnapped by the Bratva (Sharov Bratva #5)

Chapter Fourteen - Sophia

I sit in the car, my wrists tied tightly together, the rough rope biting into my skin. The cold leather seat beneath me feels unwelcoming, but not as unwelcoming as the man sitting beside me—Maxim. His presence fills the confined space, his silence only making the tension thicker.

The road stretches endlessly ahead of us, barren and desolate, with no signs of life around. I glance out the window, the anxiety bubbling in my chest growing by the second.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask, my voice steady, though my heart races. I need answers, something to latch on to in this nightmare.

Maxim’s eyes remain fixed on the road, one hand gripping the steering wheel with an eerie calm. He doesn’t look at me when he speaks, but his words cut through the silence like a knife. “Cheer up, Sophia. You’re going to see your father again.”

My breath hitches, a knot tightening in my stomach. The way he says it, as if it’s supposed to be some kind of twisted gift, makes my skin crawl. A thousand possibilities flash through my mind, none of them good. If I see him, what will happen next?

I swallow, my throat dry. “See him and what then?” I ask, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. “Do you plan to kill me in front of him? Then kill him too?” The words spill out, raw and filled with fear. My mind is spiraling, picturing the worst possible outcome.

Maxim smirks, finally turning his gaze toward me, though it’s devoid of warmth. “Good idea,” he muses, his voice laced with amusement. “No. I have other plans.”

Other plans. The weight of those words sinks into me like lead, and I feel my heart plummet. My skin prickles with dread. “What plans?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes flicker with something dark, something dangerous. “We’re going to use you as bait. When your dear father comes to save you with his precious money, we’ll catch him.” He turns back to the road, his tone calm as if he’s explaining the weather. “After that, we’ll have a little fun. Torture him, break him. And when he’s at his weakest, I’ll harm you right in front of him before I kill him.”

I stare at him, horrified, my mind reeling. He’s a monster. The thought pounds in my head, over and over. I had known he was dangerous, that his world was built on cruelty and power, but hearing him say it so plainly, with such cold precision, terrifies me in a way I hadn’t expected. My hands shake in my lap, the rope cutting deeper into my wrists as I try to stay calm, to think of a way out.

“You’re insane,” I breathe out, barely able to speak.

Maxim chuckles, the sound low and menacing. “I’ve been called worse.”

The car continues down the deserted road, and I can feel the hopelessness settling in. There’s no one around, no one who can save me. I’m trapped. Maxim is taking me to my father, but not for a rescue—only to use me to destroy him. I’m powerless to stop it.

Finally, the car slows, turning off onto a dirt road that leads to an even more remote location. My heart sinks further as we pull up to a small clearing surrounded by trees. There’s nothing around—no buildings, no signs of life. Just us. Maxim kills the engine and steps out of the car, motioning to his men, who had been following us in another vehicle. They immediately fan out, taking positions in the shadows, weapons in hand.

Maxim turns to me, his expression hardening. “Out.”

I hesitate, but I know I don’t have a choice. My legs feel shaky as I maneuver myself out of the car, the ropes still biting into my wrists. The cold air hits my skin, making me shiver, though it’s not just the chill that makes me tremble.

He steps toward me, his tall frame casting a shadow over me, and for a moment, I think he’s going to strike me. My body stiffens in anticipation, but instead, he grabs my arm roughly, pulling me closer to him. His grip is firm, possessive, and I wince as he yanks me toward the center of the clearing.

His eyes bore into mine, cold and calculating. “You’re going to stand right here. When your father comes… well, I don’t know what will happen, but it’ll be fun.”

I swallow hard, my voice trembling. “You won’t get away with this.”

Maxim’s lips curve into a slow, chilling smile. “That’s what they all say.” He releases his grip on my arm and steps back, motioning for his men to get into position. “Now we wait.”

I stand there, rooted to the spot, the weight of the situation crushing me from all sides. My father. My captor. The trap closing in. The forest around us seems to grow darker, the silence pressing in on me like a vise.

All I can do now is wait. And hope.

The tension hangs thick in the air, the minutes dragging on like hours. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears as I stand in the middle of the clearing, the cold biting into my skin. The sun is beginning to set, casting long shadows across the ground, and my nerves are on edge. Maxim’s men are stationed around the perimeter, hidden among the trees, their weapons ready. They’re waiting for my father. I’m waiting for him. He was supposed to be here by now.

I glance at Maxim, standing a few feet away, his posture stiff with irritation. His eyes are fixed on the road, scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. The silence feels suffocating, my fear growing with each passing second. Where is my father?

Just then, the low hum of an engine breaks through the stillness. A car approaches, its headlights cutting through the growing darkness. My breath catches, hope and dread mixing in my chest.

The car pulls up to the edge of the clearing, and for a brief, fleeting moment, relief washes over me. It’s my father’s car. The familiar black sedan that I’ve seen a thousand times before. As the door opens and the figure steps out, my heart drops into my stomach.

It’s not my father.

Kristen, my father’s deputy, steps out of the car, carrying a black briefcase. My stomach twists in knots. This wasn’t the plan. Kace was supposed to come. He was supposed to face Maxim, to exchange the money for me. This is wrong—so, so wrong.

“Kristen?” I breathe, my voice trembling with confusion. “What are you doing here?”

He approaches me quickly, concern etched across his face. “Are you okay, Sophia?”

I nod, my throat tight, my eyes darting nervously toward Maxim, who watches the scene unfold with a cold, calculating expression. I can feel the shift in the air, the tension thickening. Maxim is not happy.

Kristen stops a few feet away from me and holds up the briefcase. “I brought the money,” he says, his voice steady but tense. “Let her go now.”

Maxim’s eyes narrow, his jaw clenching. “That’s not what I asked for.”

I freeze, my heart pounding in my ears. This is bad.

“I told Preston to come personally,” Maxim says, his voice calm but laced with a dangerous edge. “Where is he?”

Kristen sighs, his shoulders sagging slightly. “You wanted the money. I brought it. That should be enough.”

Maxim takes a step forward, his expression darkening. “No, it’s not.”

Without warning, Maxim’s fist flies out, striking Kristen hard across the face. The impact is brutal, sending him stumbling backward. I gasp, instinctively stepping forward, but my hands are still tied, and I can’t reach him. Blood trickles from Kristen’s nose as he straightens up, his expression grim but determined.

“Stop it!” I scream, my voice shrill with panic. “Please, stop!”

Maxim doesn’t listen. He’s furious, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. “I asked for Kace , not you!” His voice is sharp, filled with rage as he lands another punch, this time to Kristen’s stomach. Kristen doubles over, coughing, but he doesn’t fall. He’s tough, I’ll give him that, but I can see the pain in his eyes.

“Maxim, stop!” I beg, tears stinging my eyes as I watch Kristen take the beating. “It’s not his fault! Please!”

Maxim’s breathing is heavy, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His rage is palpable, radiating off him like a heatwave. “Kace sent you to do his dirty work, did he? Too much of a coward to face me himself?”

Kristen spits out blood, straightening himself up with visible effort. “I’m just here to deliver the money,” he grits out, wiping the blood from his mouth. “That’s all.”

Maxim takes a menacing step closer, his hand still curled into a fist. He’s barely holding back, and I can see it in the way his muscles tense, the way his eyes blaze with fury. He wants to kill someone. He wants to make my father pay, and he’s willing to take it out on Kristen if he has to.

“Maxim, please!” I shout, stepping between them as best as I can. “This isn’t going to solve anything! Please stop!”

For a moment, Maxim’s gaze locks on mine, and I see the conflict in his eyes. His anger is still there, boiling inside, but there’s something else—something darker, more dangerous. It’s the cold calculation of a man who enjoys control, who takes pleasure in making others suffer.

He stares at me for what feels like an eternity before finally stepping back, his fists unclenching. “Fine,” he mutters, his voice low and dangerous. “For now.”

I breathe a shaky sigh of relief, my heart still racing. Kristen is breathing heavily, but he nods at me, signaling that he’s okay.

Maxim turns to one of his men, his expression hard. “Take the money.”

Maxim’s men snicker as they take the briefcase, and the taunting starts almost immediately.

“Can you believe it?” one of them sneers. “Kace couldn’t even man up to come get his own daughter.”

“Pathetic,” another adds, shaking his head. “Sending someone else to clean up his mess.”

I stand there, my breath shallow, my heart racing. Each cruel word they say digs deeper into me, and I can feel my chest tightening with panic. My father wouldn’t just send Kristen—he wouldn’t abandon me like this. There has to be an explanation.

Finally, Kristen speaks, his voice hoarse and filled with grief as he wipes blood from his face. “He couldn’t come,” he says, glancing at me before turning his gaze back to Maxim. “Kace passed away this morning. He had a heart attack.”

The world stops.

I blink, my mind struggling to process the words. “What?”

Kristen’s face is ashen, the weight of the truth heavy in his eyes. “He’s gone, Sophia. Your father… he’s gone.”

For a moment, everything around me fades away. The sneering voices of Maxim’s men, the cold wind biting at my skin, even the tension in the air—it all disappears, replaced by a deafening silence. My father. Dead.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head, taking a step back as if trying to escape the truth. “That’s not possible.”

Kristen steps toward me, his expression filled with sympathy. “It’s true. He passed away early this morning. I came here on his behalf. I would have said so earlier, but… you understand this makes us vulnerable.”

I feel like the ground has fallen out from under me. My body trembles, the knot in my throat tightening until I can’t hold it back anymore. I break down, the tears streaming down my face as I collapse to my knees.

My father is gone. The man who—despite all his faults—was still the one person who had been there for me. The one person I thought would never leave me. And now, he’s just… gone. The grief hits me like a wave, suffocating, relentless.

I barely hear the men around me, but their voices cut through the haze of my sorrow.

“Dead that quickly? Seems convenient,” one of Maxim’s men scoffs.

Another one steps forward, pulling out his phone to fact-check the news. After a few moments, he looks up, confirming what Kristen said. “It’s true, Boss. Kace Preston’s dead.”

Maxim grunts, his jaw tightening. He doesn’t seem surprised, but there’s an air of disappointment around him. He steps toward me, his presence looming, but I’m too consumed by my grief to care.

“I wanted him alive,” Maxim mutters, his voice low, almost to himself. “Wanted him to watch this all fall apart.” He exhales, clearly irritated by the change of plans.

Kristen kneels beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Please,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “Let me take her to her father’s funeral. She needs to be there.”

Maxim’s eyes flash with something—annoyance, maybe even sympathy—but it’s quickly replaced with that cold, detached look he always wears. He doesn’t respond immediately, turning his attention to his men instead.

Before he can speak, the roar of an engine cuts through the air, and a car pulls up. The door opens, and Timur steps out, striding toward us with purpose.

Maxim raises an eyebrow, his irritation shifting to curiosity. “What is it?” he asks, his voice sharp, clearly frustrated by the interruption.

Timur’s face is serious, and as he gets closer, he glances down at me briefly before turning his attention to Maxim. “I have some news,” he says, his tone grim.

Maxim sighs, his fingers flexing as if he’s holding back his temper. “What now?” he mutters.

Timur leans in closer, speaking quietly to Maxim, though I catch fragments of their conversation. Something about… plans. About Kace. About timing. I can’t focus, not with the overwhelming grief crushing me from all sides, but I sense the shift in the atmosphere.

Maxim’s expression hardens as Timur continues, and whatever Timur’s saying, it’s serious. I can see the tension rising between them, but I’m too numb, too broken, to make sense of it.

All I know is that my father is gone.

Maxim turns to Artem and Timur, his expression unreadable, then jerks his head toward the car. Their voices break me from my stupor.

“We need to talk,” he says curtly, his voice laced with irritation. “Kristen, you’re coming with us.”

Kristen hesitates, glancing at me, and I feel a surge of panic. They’re going to talk, make decisions about me and my future, and I’m being left in the dark. I push myself up from the ground, wiping my tear-streaked face. “I have a right to know what’s going on,” I snap, my voice stronger than I expected.

Maxim stops in his tracks, turning slowly toward me. His eyes are cold, hard, and his patience is clearly wearing thin. “No, you don’t,” he says sharply, stepping closer. “You’re staying in the car. This isn’t your concern.”

“I am the concern!” I argue, feeling my frustration and anger bubble to the surface. “You’re making decisions about my life, about my father’s—”

“Enough!” Maxim cuts me off, his voice booming as he towers over me, his presence suffocating. His eyes bore into mine, and for a second, I feel the weight of his fury pressing down on me like a physical force. “Get in the car, now.”

I freeze, my heart racing. The sheer force of his anger silences me, and though every part of me wants to fight back, wants to demand answers, I know I can’t win this battle. Not here, not now.

With trembling hands, I turn away and walk toward the car, swallowing the bitter taste of defeat. Two of Maxim’s men stand by the doors, their faces blank, not even acknowledging me as I climb in. They follow me inside, sitting in silence, their expressions impassive as if none of this matters to them.

I sit there, my body stiff with tension, watching through the window as Maxim, Artem, and Timur lead Kristen into a nearby office. The door closes behind them, and I’m left alone with the two guards, who say nothing. The only sound is the ticking of the car’s engine cooling down.

I hate this. Being shut out. Being treated like I’m just another pawn in their game. My father is dead, and I deserve to know what’s happening next, but all I can do is sit here, waiting for them to decide my fate.

The minutes drag on, and through the windshield, I see Maxim’s men still stationed around the area, weapons at the ready. The car feels like a prison, and the silence is suffocating, but I can’t escape it. Not yet.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, the office door swings open. Maxim steps out first, his expression hard but focused. They’ve made their decision. I just don’t know what it is yet.