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Emily giggles lightly. “I’m sure he did.”
I go grab another pumpkin tart and put it on a plate, putting it in for the same exact amount of time that I put Sierra’s in for. When I’m done doing that, I fetch her a tall glass of milk. Meanwhile, my phone goes off. I answer it without even looking to see who it is.
“Hello.”
“Brother, you need to get here. Our patience is wearing thin,” Ruslan’s frustrated voice greets me.
“I’ll be there within the hour. I’m finishing up breakfast with Emily and Sierra.” My brother knows how important Sierra being with us is, so I know he won’t be a smartass right now.
“Very well, but when you’re done, rush your ass over here,” Ruslan tells me, and the two of us say our goodbyes.
“Was that Ruslan?” Emily questions, and I nod as I hand her the glass of milk I got her.
“It was. There’s some business I need to tend to, but nothing is more important than being here with my girls.” I smile at the end, and Emily blushes. I know that my supporting her through all of this has been very important to her.
“It’s okay, you can go. We understand there are things you need to get done.” Emily gives me an out, and while I’m appreciative of it, I want to be here.
“I’ll leave when I’m ready, but I was telling Sierra about her room, so maybe the two of you can go look at some paint colors and pick out some furniture. Ludvik will be with you both, of course.”
“Of course, he will.” Emily laughs and rolls her eyes, but I know it’s all in good fun.
“Yeah, Mom! Dad said we could do it together.” Every single time Sierra calls me dad, I feel like my heart is going to explode. She has so much trust placed in me, and I hope Emily can see that I will be the best father in the world to her daughter.
I fish my credit card out of my wallet and hand it over to Emily. “Get whatever she wants, and I mean it.”
“I’m sure we will.” Emily laughs, and I go to get her pumpkin tart. I grab it from the microwave and place it in front of her. She touches it, but it’s so hot she pulls her hand away and then blows on it.
“I’m going to get dressed and then head out. I love you both.” I press a kiss to both of my girls’ foreheads and head upstairs. I get changed into one of my typical suits and head back down the stairs, say my goodbyes to my lovely girls, and then go to the address Ruslan told me to meet him at. Emily did tell me she might invite Amelia and Karim to go shopping with them today, and I told her that was a great idea. It’ll mean another guard is with them as well since Danill watches over Amelia and Karim.
We’re in some old, abandoned butchery building, and Ruslan’s in the basement, as well as Nazyr and Eset. Artos is in the center of the room. His face is swollen, and he has scabs, scars, and cuts covering his body. In the last couple of weeks, I can see my brother has been very busy with him. Not that I blame him one bit. Artos deserves everything that’s happened to him and what’s coming.
“Artos, it would be best if you answer my brother’s question,” Eset speaks up as she walks around him in a circle with an electric cattle prod in her hand.
He glances at my sister for a second before spitting at her feet. “I won’t tell you anything, bitch!”
Eset wastes no time pressing the cattle prod into his side. He jolts with every volt of electricity going through him, and when my sister takes the prod away from his skin, the aftershocks are still going through him.
“I take it he’s been difficult to deal with these past couple of weeks?” I question my brothers.
Ruslan grits his teeth while Nazyr nods.
“Where is Kirill’s daughter?” Ruslan roars at Artos, and all Artos does is laugh.
“Where is she?” Eset asks, jamming the cattle prod between his legs. Fuck, even watching it hurts. He screams and tells her to stop, and finally, he gives her something.
“I don’t know where the fuck she is. For all I know, she could be dead by now.”
“You know what I think? I think you’re a lying, desperate bastard who’s trying to stay alive. I think you know exactly where she is, and you’re holding out on us,” Eset snaps, then jams the prod against his skin again.
I never once thought my sister would be so ruthless, but I think the times have changed us. I think our mother choosing Anzor over her children changed us all, and I believe Ruslan going missing affected us all greatly. In a momentous way, actually.
“How long will you keep this up? I thought you wanted to kill him,” I whisper to Ruslan, and my brother turns to look at me.
“For however long we must… but I want him dead. First, we have to find out what he knows… and he hasn’t given us as much as we wanted in the first place.”
“So, this patience he’s wearing thin on… it’s attached by a measly string?”
He scoffs without hesitation. “Exactly, and until we get what we seek… mainly Eset, he will continue to draw breath.”
