Page 89 of Daddy Brigadier

Petrov’s composure cracks for a split second. “I’m just playing around, Valentin. You know that.”

A gentle sob escapes Lexi, and it shatters my heart. I can almost feel the weight of her fear deep within me.

Outside the warehouse, I hear the footsteps of men shuffling around, only hoping Lev has arrived.

Petrov advances toward me, his weapon held tightly in his grip, but I stand my ground, refusing to flinch. “If we’re going to kill Elise, we’ll need more men.”

Do I catch a flicker of doubt in his eyes?

Petrov narrows his gaze, letting the weapon hang loosely at his side. “Seems we’re on the same page.” His men materialize from their concealed spots, creating a solid wall near the door.

Their presence weighs heavily. I maintain a calm exterior, but my gut is twisting.

A thunderous bang jolts us, and his men shift around uneasily.

Petrov gestures toward the door, and one of his men swings it open. Lev strides in, seizing Elise with a firm grip. She desperately fights against him, but he strikes her across the cheek, her anguished scream cleaving through the silence like a knife.

I steal my voice, forcing a level tone. “Looks like the plan worked. She came running to save her sister.”

Lexi’s cheeks are wet, and she clearly can’t tear her gaze from Elise. In contrast, Elise remains utterly expressionless, her scowl indicating that she may already be planning our downfall.

“Look what we got here,” Petrov snaps, grabbing Elise from Lev by the hair and throwing her on the ground next to Lexi. Then Petrov shifts his weight, arms crossed tightly over his chest. “You expect me to believe that you came here all alone?”

His gaze shifts downwards, landing on Elise.

“I’m never alone. But that bastard killed Ivy!” Elise retorts fiercely, her eyes blazing with intensity as they narrow on Lev.

Petrov exhales sharply, the tension crackling. For a moment, I think he almost believes her. But then he jerks his chin at his men. “Go outside, and you’d better return with a dead assassin.”

“Well, we might as well get this over with,” Petrov snarls, fixing his intense gaze on Elise. Slowly and deliberately, he stands and aims his gun directly at her.

Elise nods stiffly, then lifts her head toward Petrov. “Andrei won’t let you get away with this.”

Petrov’s mouth curls in contempt. “I’m counting on it.”

I put my hands in the air in a surrender.

“We might need her to negotiate,” I caution. “Keep her alive.”

Petrov maintains his calm demeanor, but I can sense the simmering anger in the fists clenched at his sides.

“You think you have everything all figured out, don’t you, Brigadier?”

Petrov’s gaze darts to Lexi, his eyes shadowed with an unsettling gleam as he notices the tears glistening on her cheeks. It’s the way he observes her, as if he’s concocting some devious scheme in his mind, a dark agenda lurking beneath the surface.

Then, Petrov’s bloodshot gaze shifts to me and he barks a harsh laugh. He’s quick to move over to Lexi, pulling her hair and yanking her face to meet my eyes.

He grips the weapon tightly, the cold steel of the barrel pressing firmly against her forehead, sending an obvious chill of fear through her.

Lexi’s scream stretches endlessly, and her eyes widen with a suffocating sense of fear.

I’m seething with anger. My nerves are frayed, and my stomach is in knots. “Don’t you fucking touch her,” I spit out my words, my fist clenched so tightly that my knuckles are cracking.

He lets out a cruel laugh.

“You almost had me, Valentin.” His jaw clenches, and he gives me a disdainful sneer. “I actually thought Andrei fired you and believed it when you said you wanted your revenge.” The gun remains trained on Lexi’s head. “You exposed yourself when you made me think this girl was nothing to you.”

My heart pounds in my chest as I cry out, desperate and hoarse. “Please, don’t hurt her.”