Bratva Beast: A Dark Romance

I followed his gaze and spotted it. The house looked like all the others: red brick front, tall windows, black bars. The door looked new though, the paint fresh, in contrast with its surroundings.

“That door looks new.”

“I’m guessing they have security. There, up toward the top. See that little black square?”

I frowned, squinting, then spotted it. A small black rectangle sat at the very top of the building, near the roofline. “Security camera?”

“Definitely. I’d bet there are a few more out there too.” He sighed and pulled back out, driving slowly to get around the guys working in the street. “I’d bet anything your brother’s in there.”

“Are you sure?” My heart pattered rapidly.

“Most safe houses don’t have that kind of security. Only the ones with important people inside have cameras.” He sped up when we were straight across from the building then went around the block again.

“Can you get inside?”

“Not without watching the place for a while.” He parked a block over and killed the engine. “That’ll be dangerous though. If they’ve got cameras on the outside, they likely have men watching the street as well. We’d stand out right away if we stuck around.”

“Then what can we do?” I felt my initial excitement start to wane, replaced with the panic again. I had to squeeze my fists harder to keep from screaming in frustration.

We were so close. Connor was in that building, probably hidden down in the basement tied to some chair, hungry and in pain. I could almost hear his voice, his infectious laugh and his big, goofy smile.

He never should’ve joined the family like this. He wanted it more than anything in the world, grew up idolizing all the Doyle cousins and uncles, but Connor didn’t have that killer inside of him like everyone else did. He was a soft kid, always got beaten up by his peers, even though he worked hard and was universally liked. He wasn’t tough, wasn’t dangerous, and that made him a bad fit for the family.

Cormac didn’t care and neither did Father. As soon as Connor said he was ready, they threw him into action.

It didn’t take long for that to go wrong.

I still hated them for it. I hated them for taking my little brother and turning him into a gangster.

I hated them for all of this.

If it weren’t for Connor, I would’ve left a long time ago.

“I could go in there right now,” Mack said softly, so quietly I barely heard him. “I could kick down that door. Kill whoever’s guarding your brother. Pull him out.”

I stared at him, mouth hanging open. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t know how many they have inside. It could go wrong.” His grip on the wheel tightened and he looked at me with flames in his gaze. I melted under those eyes and thought back to the first night we met—his fingers pistoning between my legs, my arousal dripping down his wrist, the orgasm that wiped my mind from my brain.

“You can’t just… kick your way inside. It’s too dangerous.”

“Why the fuck not?” His voice was a strangled growl. I flinched back away from him. “All the shit we’ve been through, Fiona, why not just kick down that door and end it all? Maybe I get killed in the process and maybe not, but aren’t you ready to be done?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head—and it was true. I wasn’t ready to be done. “I don’t want you to get killed for this, Mack.”

“Maybe that’s all I’m worth.” He leaned toward me, pinning me back against the door. Nobody was around, the block was eerily quiet. The sun began to dip behind the buildings, and the shadows stretched long and low. “Lately, all I’ve done is kill. And why not? It’s what they made me.”

“Mack,” I said softly. His face twisted in anguish and rage, and I reached out to him suddenly, not sure what I was thinking. I touched his cheek softly, felt the stubble under my fingers—and the tension in his jaw. “That’s not true. You saved my life.”

“Killed Peter. Got thrown out of the family. What the hell is the point of all this? I try to do one good thing for once in my life and it all turns to shit.” He grabbed my wrist and pushed it back against the window. I sucked in a breath, surprised.

“I’m not going to let you throw your life away because you’re upset.”

“Who says I’m upset?” He stared at me, came closer. His lips brushed against mine and his grip on my wrist tightened. “I’m angry, princess. I want to rip all those Lionetti fucks into pieces and give you everything you want. I’m sick of waiting around.”

I let out a strangled groan as he kissed my neck, then nibbled on my ear. He came closer to my lips, and my heart raced. I tried pushing him back with my other hand, but he only grabbed that and pinned it up next to the other one. I was alone in this car with a monster, at his mercy, and the tingling between my legs traveled up my spine, making my breath come in hitching gasps.