Page 90 of Auctioned to My Bratva Boss

I gripped the phone, veins bulging on the back of my hand. Something I hadn't felt in years crawled up through my blood—rage, yes, at these bastards for touching my woman. But beneath that, something deeper.

They were challenging me. Threatening me with my woman. They'd better be ready for hell.

A second image came through. A hospital report. My eyes scanned the English text and numbers, stopping on one line.

"Twin pregnancy. Two gestational sacs visible with fetal heartbeats."

My breath stopped. All I could hear was my heartbeat, pounding hard enough to crack my ribs.

Pregnant. Riley was pregnant. With twins.

I stood so fast my chair toppled backward. My head spun. When had Riley found out? The test was weeks old—she must've known for a while.

Why didn't she tell me? Every time she pushed me away, every time her eyes went red as she cursed at me, every time she said "I'm leaving when this deal ends"—was she already... I closed my eyes. Those moments played through my mind frame by frame.

I thought pushing her away would protect her. Instead, I'd pushed her and my children straight into hell. I thought nothingcould slip from my control, but I'd failed to protect the one person who needed me most. Fuck.

The office door burst open.

"Pakhan, I've issued the lockdown order." Anton strode in, his face tight. "Every informant in the city is mobilized, but still—"

"Stop looking." I tossed him my phone. "She's at Victor's auction house."

Anton caught the phone, glanced at it, his expression darkening.

"Veronica... and Marchetti?" Disbelief creased his brow. "How did those two team up?"

"Doesn't matter." I forced myself to stay calm. "What matters is they have Riley. And the children inside her."

I had Anton pull up the auction house layout on his phone, looking for entry points.

"After we hit them last time, he's down to maybe twenty men. If we go in hard, we could take the place in half an hour."

"But?" I caught the hesitation in Anton's voice.

"But they have a hostage." Anton met my eyes. "Pakhan, the second we move, she's the first one they kill."

A hostage was the ultimate card in this kind of deal.

"Then I'll have to go negotiate," I said.

Anton's head snapped up. "Are you insane? It's obviously a trap!"

"Trap or not, I have to walk into it." I was calmer than usual. "As long as I go alone, they won't kill Riley immediately. Because if the chip dies, the negotiation's over."

I'd never been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve. My father taught me that weakness was fatal, that emotions were cheap. But now, I'd trade my life for Riley's and the children's safety. Even if the odds were fifty-fifty. No—even if there were no odds at all, I had no choice.

"And what about you?" Anton's fists clenched. "Marchetti may be weak now, but the auction house is crawling with his men. You won't get a toothpick past security. You'll never come back."

"Pakhan, I've followed you for years. I've never questioned your decisions. But this time, let me lead the assault team. You stay outside and command." He was practically begging.

"You think they'll accept that? They want me. Send anyone else in, and they'll start shooting immediately."

Anton stared at me for a long moment.

"Pakhan," his voice was heavy, "this is too dangerous."

I knew it was dangerous. But I couldn't sit back and do nothing while the woman I loved and my children were held captive. At the same time, my mind raced, calculating for a safer approach.