Plus-Size Bratva Bride (Vadim Bratva #9)

Chapter 22 - Abe

The shrill ring of my phone pierced through the quiet of my study. Adley's name flashed on the screen, and I answered with a grin. "What’s my brother done now? Told you that you were too good for him."

Her panicked voice wiped the grin off my face. "Abe! We're under attack at Pippa's new apartment. We’re on the roof and—" The line went dead.

My blood ran cold. Pippa. Adley. I’m guessing Emory is with them too. They’re under attack. The words ricocheted in my mind as I leaped to my feet, knocking over my chair. I felt terrified but there was no time for that shit.

I burst out of my study, bellowing, "Ivan! Vlad! We've got trouble!"

My brothers appeared in seconds, concern etched on their faces. I filled them in rapidly, my words clipped and urgent. "Adley called. Attack at Pippa's. Line cut off."

Understanding dawned in their eyes. We'd been through this drill before, but never with so much at stake. Pippa's face flashed in my mind, and I clenched my fists. If anyone touched a hair on her head…

"I'll grab the gear," Vlad said, already moving.

Ivan nodded. "I'll get our men and set up mobile tracking."

I grunted my approval. This was why we were the Unholy Trinity. No words were needed, just action.

We moved in perfect sync, gathering weapons and tech.

"We'll find them, Abe," Ivan said quietly, catching my eye as we headed for the garage.

I nodded, jaw clenched. "Damn right, we will. We’ll get our girls back home safe. And whoever's responsible? They'll wish they'd never been born."

***

The car tore through the city streets. Red lights. Meaningless. Horns blared. Irrelevant. My knuckles whitened on the wheel.

"ETA five minutes," Ivan clipped.

Vlad's voice was tense. "Weapons check complete."

My mind raced. Pippa. Soft curves. Sharp wit. In danger. Blood pounded in my ears.

"If they've hurt her—"

"We'll handle it," Ivan cut in.

I nodded, jaw clenched. Focus, Abrahim.

Screeching tires. We arrived. Immediately, Ivan rushed to the roof while Vlad and I went straight to her apartment to see if any of their attackers were still there. On entering, I stopped in my tracks. The place was in chaos. Shattered glass. Overturned furniture. No sign of life. My heart hammered.

"Roof." Vlad pointed.

We sprinted up and found Ivan gently talking to Adley and Emory who were huddled together in a corner, pale-faced and shaking.

"Where's Pippa?" I demanded, scanning frantically.

Ivan and Emory exchanged quick glances and Adley's voice cracked. "They… they took her."

My blood turned to ice at Adley's words. They took her. Pippa was out there, in the hands of god knows who. I felt my knees buck under me but Vlad squeezed my shoulder and helped me back to the present.

With Adley’s words, my entire world had tilted.

"Who?" I growled, fists clenching.

Emory shook her head, tears streaking her face. "We don't know. It happened so fast. We noticed strange sounds from outside and Pippa peeped out. There were masked men, downstairs pouring out of vans, outside her apartment. By the dozens. She blocked the door and bought us time. We were escaping to come up here via the fire escape from her bedroom, and Pippa was right behind us. She told us not to look back, but when we got here, she wasn’t there."

Fear clawed at my throat, quickly replaced by a cold, seething rage. I turned to my brothers, seeing my own determination mirrored in their eyes.

"We find her," I said, voice low and deadly. "Whatever it takes."

They nodded in unison. The Unholy Trinity, united in purpose.

"We need to move," Ivan stated firmly, his eyes scanning the horizon as though willing Pippa to appear.

I nodded, my mind already racing through our options. "Vlad, track them down. Fast. Adley, what kind of vehicles were they?”

“Grey vans. Nearly black. No plates. They all looked the same. We saw them from the roof.

I nodded, my mind already racing. "Ivan, Vlad—"

"On it," Ivan said, pulling out his laptop. Vlad was already on his phone, barking orders to our tech team.

I paced the roof, my body thrumming with pent-up energy. "How long ago?"

"Twenty minutes, maybe?" Emory offered.

Twenty minutes. An eternity. My fists clenched.

Ivan's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Accessing traffic cams… Got it. Three vans heading east on 42nd."

I leaned over his shoulder, eyes scanning the grainy footage.

Vlad joined us, his face grim. "I've got our guys tracking the van's route. We're closing in, Abe."

I nodded, a cold determination settling over me. "Good. Because when we find them…" I trailed off, the threat implicit.

Ivan glanced up, his eyes mirroring my own resolve. "We'll get her back, Brother."

"Damn right we will," I growled. I turned back to the city skyline, my voice dropping to a whisper.

“Look, look here,” Vlad said excitedly.

I watched as the laptop screen flickered during a download that revealed a grainy image of the vans pulling into an abandoned warehouse. Ivan's voice cut through my racing thoughts.

"Abe, we've got them. It's the Amatos. The warehouse is theirs"

"The fucking Amatos?" I snarled, my blood boiling. I thought the new Italian mob had learned their lesson, but kidnapping Pippa? That was a death wish.

Vlad's eyes narrowed. "Looks like they're trying to make a statement."

"Oh, I'll give them a statement," I growled, cracking my knuckles. "Written in their blood."

***

The abandoned warehouse loomed before us, a decrepit monument to rust and neglect. My heart pounded, not from fear, but from the raw anticipation of what lay ahead. Pippa was in there, and nothing would stop me from getting her back.

Besides, the revenge would be sweet.

"Ivan, you're up," I whispered into my comm.

A moment later, his voice crackled back. "Security's down. You're clear. They won’t see your team approaching.”

I nodded to Vlad, who melted into the shadows. When my unit entered, men would come as backup. Vlad and his guys would handle that.

As we approached the main entrance, I couldn't help but smirk. These Amato idiots had no idea what was coming. I motioned at my men to crouch low.

The door gave way with a satisfying crunch under my boot. Inside, chaos erupted instantly. A dozen men rose, weapons raised right at me. I kicked out and fell to the ground, my hand outstretched, and shot at the first leg I saw. My men entered and chaos erupted. Screams and shouting filled the echoing warehouse, bodies colliding with one another.

I broke free from my roll on the floor, intent on measuring the distance between me and my target. I sprang up and dove forward, tackling a man to the ground as my unit dealt with the others. This was our territory now—no fear, just determination.

The Amato men were not prepared for our surprise attack; it showed in their faces.

On reaching my target, I jumped back to my feet and kicked out till he spun to hit his head against the wall, holding it for support. I pinned the man in place, his panting breaths hot against my cheek. "Tell me your boss's name," I growled, cold and merciless. "And where I can find him."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "Leo Amato. He… he’s upstairs with the girl.”

“Why?” I hissed.

“He…he said he wanted her to show our strength. He didn't mean to hurt her."

“I thought we killed you all,” I said, coldly.

“There were another s…small group we j…joined forces with,” he cried as my gun reached for his temple. “Please…forgive me. My boss told me I had to do this for Leo. I didn’t know what we were doing.”

I let my hand fall, taking in this new information. “You’re not one of the Amatos?”

He gulped and shook his head. “I’m from the small group. We’re the… the Rossis. Please, Amato forced us. Said he’d take us all out if we didn’t.”

I looked around and saw a dozen dead bodies on the floor. Some of which had it coming. Some, I realized, did what they had to in order to survive. I let the man go.

“Run,” I glared at him. “Get the Rossi guys out of here. Anyone still here will be killed. Mess with us again, you’ll be killed. Stay in your fucking lane, you hear me?”

“Th…thank you,” he gushed in relief and scattered. I watched him run right out with four other men at his heels.

"Abe!" Vlad's voice rang in my ear. "Second floor, east wing. That's where they're holding her."

“Done. Vlad, listen. Some of these guys belong to a smaller group. Let the survivors off with a warning. Kill any of Leo’s men.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Done. I’ll pass the orders,” he barked.

I moved swiftly, my body on autopilot as I dispatched anyone foolish enough to get in my way. The sound of gunfire echoed from other parts of the building—Ivan and Vlad doing their part.

As I reached the top of the stairs, a burly man with a thick Italian accent bellowed, "Stop right there, you Russian piece of shit!"

I turned slowly, sizing him up. “You are?”

“The man who brought you down.” He laughed in my face.

"You must be Leo Amato. Gotta say, I'm not impressed. Why ever did you think we were down?"

His face contorted with rage as he lunged at me. But I was ready. I sidestepped and let him pass, then grabbed his lapels to hold him in place.

"You took something that belongs to me," I growled, landing a vicious uppercut that sent Leo staggering.

He spat blood, glaring at me. "The girl? She's nothing. This is about territory, you fool."

Something snapped inside me. In a blur of motion, I had him pinned against the wall, my forearm crushing his windpipe. "She's everything," I snarled.

The light faded from Leo's eyes as I applied more pressure. Part of me wanted to drag it out, to make him suffer for daring to touch Pippa. But I had more important things to do.

With a final, sickening crack, Leo Amato slumped to the floor. I didn't spare him another glance as I raced down the hall.

"Pippa!" I called out, my voice echoing through the empty corridors. "Pippa, where are you?"

A muffled sound caught my attention. I kicked down the door, my heart in my throat.

And there she was. Bound to a chair, her light brown curls in disarray, but alive. Those bottle-green eyes I'd been dreaming about widened as they met mine. I quickly strode over and pulled the rag out of her mouth.

"Abe," she whispered, her voice hoarse but filled with relief. "You came."

My hands shook as I worked to untie her bonds. "Of course I came," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll always come for you."

As the ropes fell away, I noticed a small, wiry man cowering in the corner without a weapon in sight. How juvenile. I now needed to explain to him what I needed to tell my brother.

"You," I barked, pointing at him. "Stand up."

He scrambled to his feet, trembling. I could smell the fear radiating off him.

"Listen carefully," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "You're going to deliver a message for me. Tell everyone what happened here today. Tell them how the Unholy Trinity wiped out the Amato family. And tell them that anyone who even thinks about touching what's mine will suffer the same fate."

I stepped closer, looming over him. "Do you understand?"

He nodded frantically, his eyes darting between me and the door.

"Good," I growled. "Now get out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you live."

He bolted from the room, and I turned back to Pippa. The adrenaline that had been fueling me suddenly drained away, leaving me exhausted. But as I looked at her—disheveled, a bruise forming on her cheek, but alive—a wave of relief washed over me.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, reaching out to touch her face.

Pippa leaned into my hand, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I am now," she whispered.