Page 91 of Daddy Brigadier

We step out from behind the vehicle, my heart racing with fear.

“I was so scared,” Ivy cries, rushing over to wrap her arms around us. “This wasn’t your best plan!” She rolls her eyes at Elise, who acknowledges the truth with a taciturn nod.

Bratva soldiers sift through the bodies strewn about, searching for any residual signs of life.

Nikolai appears, wiping blood from his brow. “Where the fuck is Valentin?”

I wipe more blood from my face, blinking rapidly, glancing around the room. A few final bursts come from the far side of the warehouse, and I realize it could be Valentin.

Instinctively, I find myself running toward the gunfire, hearing the shouts and screams of various voices, but none of them are his. “Alexis!” Elise cries out, but I block her out, too desperate to find Valentin.

I dash through the scene, bullet holes marking the walls, bodies scattered across the floor. My heart races as I examine each lifeless figure, desperately searching for him. Tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision as I push through the chaos.

“Valentin,” I choke out. “Valentin.”

Then another round of gunfire erupts, and my eyes flash with terror as I advance toward the noise with measured steps. I can hear a man groaning, his voice trembling with fear.Valentin.His name strangles me, trying to rip free.

I turn the corner and find myself staring at the barrel of a gun. “Petrov,” I gasp, my breath coming in short, frantic bursts.

“I knew you were a little fucking cunt the moment I saw you,” he sneers, his knuckles whitening as he prepares to fire.“My only regret is not fucking you and leaving you for dead that night,” he snorts.

“Please, don’t do this,” I pray, my hands lifted in surrender, desperate to save my life.

Valentin races around the corner, almost crashing into me. He grabs my arm and tugs me behind him, our fingers intertwined as he positions himself defensively between me and the gun barrel aimed my way. “Your fight is with me and the Savins, Petrov. Leave her out of this,” he pleads, his voice filled with desperate hope.

“You’ve lost your killer instinct, old man. Back in the day, you wouldn’t have blinked before thinking about killing her,” Petrov responds, tauntingly.

But Valentin stands firm. “I love her,” he declares, his grip on my hand tightening as if it alone can protect me.

My heart rate spikes at his words, and by the time he says them again, it’s racing. There’s energy in the air, like static electricity that clings to my skin.

“I love her,” he whispers again, turning his head slightly to make sure I hear him. “If you want to fuck the Bratva, then kill a Brigadier, not her!” he roars defiantly, and in that moment, he releases my hand.

I nestle into him, kissing the back of his neck, my hands sliding against his waist. That’s when I notice the gun. I seize it, pulling it from the back of his pants and unclipping the safety. But it’s too late.

“You’re such a disappointment. You should have retired while you had the chance,” Petrov hisses, his voice thick with malice, and then he pulls the trigger.

The bullet flies toward us in slow motion, although I know it’s racing through the air. I hold my breath, feeling as if I might suffocate. I can’t let anything happen to Valentin. I have to save him.

I launch myself around Valentin just as the bullet strikes his chest with brutal force.

My breath hitches, and I watch him crumple to the ground, caught in a painful clash of horror and heartbreak.

I stare up at Petrov, gun pointed at me, and he pulls the trigger. There’s a click, but I’m still alive. He’s run out of bullets.

Then, a hail of bullets pummels Petrov with full force, the bullets tearing his skin apart, blood and body tissue flying everywhere. I stand over him, his face between my feet, and point the gun at him at close range as he lies there, his eyes almost lifeless, moaning.

I feel a hand close around mine, tugging the gun away. “You can’t have all the fun,” Elise snickers.

Now armed, Elise kneels, aiming the barrel directly at Petrov’s forehead. “No one fucks with the Walsh sisters,” she growls, then pulls the trigger.

“Valentin!” I desperately cry out. My heart pounds in my chest, pleading for him to stay alive. I sink to the ground, holding him tightly, as if my very breath could be the lifeline that saves him.

He fights to lift his eyelids, his voice a weak whisper. “I love you, Krasotka.”

“Please, stay with me,” I plead, my hand trembling as it rests against his heart. “I need you.”

For just a moment, his eyes flutter open, and a faint smile graces his lips. “I love you.” Finally, his eyes close in darkness.