Page 31 of Bratva Prince
“Be careful.”
The words hit harder than they should have.Only a few hours earlier, Dimitri had said exactly the same thing.The memory followed her all the way back to the car.
The drive home began normally.Rain tapped softly against the windows.Traffic remained light.The security escort followed behind them.Sofia checked her phone and considered calling Dimitri.Then decided she’d do it once she was closer.
The driver turned onto a quieter stretch of road.A mistake.She realized it one second before the shot.A crack sounded.The rear window exploded.Glass erupted through the cabin.The sound was deafening, and the driver cursed violently.
“What the hell?”the driver cried out.
A second shot rang out.Sofia heard a loud bang, then the front tire detonated.The entire car lurched sideways.Sofia’s stomach dropped.Fear clawed at her insides.The driver fought the steering wheel.
The sedan fishtailed across wet pavement.There was another shot, then impact.Someone was trying to kill her.The realization struck with brutal clarity.
“I need backup!”the driver was shouting into his cellphone.
Gunfire erupted somewhere behind them.Sofia couldn’t see the shooter or identify the angle.There was only chaos.The sedan skidded violently.Her shoulder slammed against the door, and pain exploded through her arm.
The driver fought to regain control, but he was losing.Sofia reached for her phone.Her hands were shaking.Sofia pushed the immediate fear away, training keeping panic at bay, but barely.
She found Dimitri’s contact, and pressed CALL.The line connected instantly.He answered before the first ring finished.
“Sofia?”Relief hit her so hard it almost hurt.
“Dimitri...”
A third shot shattered the windshield.The driver swore.The sedan jumped the curb, and everything tilted.Time seemed to slow.
“Sofia!”Dimitri was yelling now, cursing in Russian on the other end.
The car spun, metal screamed.Something enormous appeared directly ahead.A utility pole.It was too close.The driver’s horrified shout vanished beneath the impact.The world exploded, and darkness swallowed everything.
Chapter Nine
The meeting had justended when Dimitri’s phone rang.He barely glanced at the screen before answering.Sofia.A small knot of tension that had lived in his chest since she’d left that morning loosened slightly.
Across the conference table, Alexei was still speaking with the investor, wrapping up final details.Several Volkov captains lingered nearby.The atmosphere was relaxed for the first time all day.Then Dimitri heard Sofia’s voice.
