Innocent Prisoner of the Bratva (Tarasov Bratva #16)

Chapter 1 – Blair

“Oh, come on!” Scarlett groaned, her hazel-gold eyes narrowing to accentuate the frown perched on her heart-shaped face. “I don’t have time for this,” she mumbled under her breath, struggling to drag her suitcase across the hall.

“Keep pulling like that, and that thing’s gonna sue you for assault,” I said, leaning against the door frame with my arms across my chest.

She paused, her brows furrowing at my response. “Would it kill you to lift a finger and help me out?” she huffed, tugging even harder.

“You’re abandoning me. Why would I do that?” I teased, a small smile playing on my lips.

“Okay, now you’re just being melodramatic—I’m only leaving for a few weeks,” she said, straightening her spine and keeping her eyes on me.

“Four weeks to be exact,” I answered, “that’s a whole month, Lettie—a whole freaking month!”

Her brows arched almost in disbelief, a bright grin spreading across her face. “Oh, my God, do you miss me already?”

I pushed my head back, blowing a raspberry to mask my emotions. “Yeah, you wish.”

Scarlett laughed and added in song form, “Denial.”

“That’s not true.” I wore a plastic frown. “I just hate the fact that I’m stuck here with our leaky sink while you’re having fun in the sunshine and sipping overpriced cocktails for a whole month.”

“Hmm.” She crossed her arms, tapping her finger on her jaw as if she was thinking. “That’s weird. I thought you hated fun and only cared about chasing truth like an addiction—even if it’s nearly gotten you killed so many times.”

I pushed off the door frame, lips twisting into a faint smirk. “Are you kidding? That’s my idea of fun.”

She heaved a soft sigh. “You, Blair Blake, are one of the weirdest people I’ve ever met.” She grabbed her suitcase and resumed dragging it across the hall.

“Thank you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

I laughed, following up behind her with a radiant smile on my face.

Scarlett Carter was my roommate and my best friend. She was the definition of beauty with brains—quiet, observant, and underestimated by almost everyone. That alone made her more dangerous than people realized.

She favored soft dresses and cardigans, like the one she had on tonight—a cream-colored silk gown and a brown cardigan that draped elegantly over her petite frame.

Her blonde hair was cut blunt just past her shoulders, and her hazel eyes stood out, their colors shifting between gold and green, depending on the light.

Scarlett groaned as she struggled with the suitcase like she was wrestling a grizzly bear. It was fun to watch, especially because I loved getting under her skin.

“Clearly, heavy lifting isn’t your forte,” I teased, catching up with her.

She shot a glare at me, her lips pursed to suppress the faint grin twitching at the corners of her mouth. “If you’re just gonna gloat, you might as well just get back inside.”

“And miss out on all the fun? I don’t think so.”

She chuckled. “I hate you so much.”

“I know.” My arms wrapped around her from the back, but before she could savor the moment, I grabbed the handle from her. “Move over before you give the poor suitcase a complex. It’s embarrassed enough being seen with you.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny,” she deadpanned, letting out a sarcastic laugh, dry and witty.

I blew her a kiss and dragged the suitcase effortlessly down the hall. “See? That’s how it’s done.”

“Show off,” she murmured under her breath.

I wrapped my free hand around her neck, our laughs echoing off the walls. We stepped outside under the moon’s ethereal glow, the cool night air grazing our skin like a soft whisper.

The waiting cab gave a short honk—almost impatient. We walked down the steps at the building’s entrance, then headed toward the parked car. The driver popped the trunk open, and I helped load her suitcase inside.

“So, this is goodbye, huh?” I asked, eyes boring into hers.

“For now.” Her lips curled into a faint grin. “I’m sure you’ll be fine without me. It’s just four weeks anyway.”

“A lot can happen in four weeks—I could burn the whole place down trying to make a meal.”

She laughed. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that.”

A soft chuckle escaped my lips. “Text me when you land. Or don’t. I’ll just assume you joined a cult and start auditioning new roommates.”

“I’ll miss you too, Blair Blake.” She embraced me for a moment before letting go. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She tapped my face, beamed at me, and then walked toward the car’s backseat door.

“No promises, Lettie,” I answered.

She yanked the door open, stepped inside, and closed it behind her. Scarlett turned her head, looked at me through the rear windshield, and gave a slight wave with her hand.

I responded with the same gesture as I watched the car drive away into the night. I stood there on the sidewalk, eyes fixed on the vehicle until it disappeared out of sight.

My hands flew into my soft brown curls, securing them into a messy bun while heading back into the house. I scanned the surroundings for a moment; aside from the incessant barks of Mr. Fisher’s dog, the neighborhood was awfully quiet tonight.

Once inside, I closed the door behind me, drew in a deep breath, and rubbed my eyes. It was quieter inside. Lonely. Scarlett wasn’t the talkative type—not at all. The girl could be in a house full of people and still be invisible; she wouldn’t speak until spoken to.

However, I’d gotten used to having her around, and now that she’d gone on a vacation, her absence lingered in the space like a ghost I couldn’t shake off. I glanced at the portrait of her hanging on the wall next to mine, and a smile lit up my face.

“I miss you already, Lettie.”

Just then, my phone chimed softly in my pocket, and when I withdrew it, I realized it was a text from her.

“I meant what I said, Blair. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

It was safe to say that she knew me better than anyone else.

And if I were being honest, she played a major role in keeping my reckless curiosity in check.

I was a freelance investigative journalist with a knack for getting into trouble.

She, on the other hand, was an art history student with a knack for showing up just in time to save me from trouble.

I chuckled under my breath, fingers rattling across my phone’s lit screen as I typed in my reply. “I meant what I said, too, Lettie. No promises.” I added a devil’s face emoji and hit the send button.

The three tiny dots on my screen bobbled, indicating that she was typing on the other end. A sticker of a bunny flicking me off appeared on my screen, drawing a low throaty laugh from my mouth.

I hit the power button and slipped the phone back into the pocket of my faded jeans. The smile on my face gradually vanished, replaced by an expression as dark as the night. This was my chance to finish my mission without Scarlett’s emotions and fears getting in the way.

By now, I was already sick and tired of all the atrocities happening in the city.

Every day, people went missing—girls and children alike.

I knew these disappearances were tied to the criminal underworld—the Mafia gangs that ran the city.

I just needed proof, concrete evidence—enough to have the Feds looking into their businesses.

Chicago was home to three Mafia organizations—the Irish syndicate, the Italian mob, and the worst of them all, the Russian Bratva. These powerful families had slowly taken over the city and were cohorts with some of the city’s most revered businessmen and women.

It was clear that those in power, those who swore to protect the citizens of the city, didn’t give a flying fuck about us. All those bastards only cared about keeping their bellies full and their bank accounts fat enough to support future generations.

They were the definition of greed and selfishness.

Those dogs had mastered the art of manipulation and control.

They would start a fire, let it spread across the city, and consume as many things as it could.

And then, when all hope was lost, they’d step in and save the day, taking the credit for quenching the fire that they started.

Yet to the general public, they were our saviors—our heroes in tailored suits. If only the masses knew half the things I knew about these monsters, they’d hate them as much as I did.

However, those manipulative pieces of shit weren’t my problem at the moment. It was the Mafia I was after.

Crazy. I know.

Those assholes were involved in a lot of shady businesses—human trafficking, drug dealing, extortion, money laundering, prostitution, and a strategic network of bribery and corruption to keep them afloat.

They were untouchable because they owned half the cops and were in bed with our political leaders.

Someone had to do something about their crimes, and for some time now, I’d taken it upon myself to track down their operations. I’d been gathering intel on their hidden warehouses and systematically dismantling their infrastructure, burning each one to the ground.

My activity hadn’t made the news yet, and within the criminal underworld, every organization was a suspect. Those devils in suits didn’t trust one another anyway. They all hated themselves and wouldn’t hesitate to burn their enemies’ empire to the ground.

No one in the Mafia world knew that an outsider—a twenty-one-year-old female—was the mastermind behind their recent losses. I intended to keep it that way for as long as I could.

My target tonight was an abandoned warehouse downtown. I’d been following whispers of a trafficking ring for weeks, and this location finally seemed to match my leads.

I went into my room, grabbed my boots, and slipped into a black leather jacket. My eyes darted across the room and settled on the worn rug beside my bed. Quietly, I walked over there, lifted the rug, and yanked open the hidden panel in the wooden floor.