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I throw the photo to the ground and lift my foot to grind it beneath my heel. Hesitation hits, and with a frustrated growl, I snatch the picture back up.
We didn’t hire a photographer for today. We didn’t want to bring more attention to Valentina, in case someone like Liam was still lurking about.
I hate that we were right.
I hate that our caution didn’t amount to anything.
Now, this is the only picture we have of our bride.
Walking over to Mikhail, I tap his shoulder.
He lifts his head, a painful sound catching in his throat. When he notices the photograph, he snatches it from my fingertips.
“Malyshka,” he breathes, shooting back to his feet in an instant. “I will find you.”
As the three of us leave the room, my shoe kicks something small out of the way, the tiny glass object tinking against the doorframe.
We all notice it at the same time—a tiny syringe.
“Take that to the lab,” I order, fierce chills running down my spine. I have no doubt what they’ll find, and it makes me sick to my stomach.
“That bastard’s going to pay,” Mikhail hisses through clenched teeth, “but more importantly, how the fuck did he get inside the chapel?” He whips around the hallway, glaring at every single staff member in sight. Everyone was properly vetted. People who have been loyal to us for years. A few loyal to the family.
Katya.
I rub the back of my neck as shooting pain hits the base of my skull. Anytime I think of Valentina’s grandmother, a headache is inevitable.
We’ve been trying to track her down, again, to no avail. I have no doubt that she’s involved in Valentina’s kidnapping.
“Put the church on lockdown. Be discreet. We don’t want there to be a panic.”
Ezra jumps into action without question. Mikhail, however, lingers behind. “We need to be out there, Andrei, not chasing our tails in a fucking church.”
I glower at him. Now is not the time to push boundaries. “As your pakhan, I’m ordering you to lock the fucking building down.” I lean closer, our faces inches apart.
Lesser men would flinch.
Mikhail does not.
“Why?” His tone is layered, anguish reverberating beneath the indignation.
I draw as deep a breath as I can. Exhaling slowly, I sweep my gaze around the hall. People are starting to get curious. They’re lurking in the corners. Watching from behind curtains. Whispering.
Scheming.
“We have an infestation.” Removing my suit jacket and undoing my golden cuff links, I drop my jacket to the ground and slide the trinkets into my pocket. “It’s time we remove some of the filth.”
Mikhail’s frustration quickly morphs into malicious delight. He’s likely itching to spill some blood after what happened to our wife.
“No one will leave, pakhan. I’ll make sure of it.”
As he drifts off to help Ezra secure our new captives, I gaze out an old glass window. The outside world is distorted, and my heart seizes in my chest.
Nothing is right without my Valentina.
A woman screams from the chapel room, and people start pulling on the doors. They’re already locked. No one’s getting out until we’ve interrogated every single soul in this building.
We’re getting our wife back.
I don’t care how many sacrifices it takes.
She is ours.
The world will learn, or it will burn.
As I relocate to a balcony overlooking the wedding guests below, I gesture wide, catching the eyes of a few scared sheep below. Rats linger among them, and it’s time to sniff them out.
“Let’s begin, shall we?”
