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I didn’t know him well at all, but given our few short exchanges already, he didn’t seem like the warmest character.
Regardless, we piled out as Kir was escorted out and given medical aid, and I knew time was of the essence. We got into an all-black Range Rover, and another one of Anastasia’s cousins, Luk, jumped in the back.
I felt wired as Ari drove off, speeding through traffic while the others followed, making detours for supplies or heading straight for the mansion. After everything, I needed to know that she was alright.
The blast had rocked everyone, and it seemed Kir likely needed stitches, but beyond that, there hadn’t been too much blood spilled because of it. That gave me hope that Anastasia was alright. And if she were hurt, it was in Erasmo’s best interest to keep her alive anyway.
“We’ll get her back,” Ari murmured from his side as he glanced over at me, then returned his focused stare to the road ahead. “But consider this your first test. What you do here will decide your fate with the Levov family. Keep that in mind before we hand you a pistol.”
“I told Andrei my allegiance has shifted, and that’s especially true now,” I said, unable to stop the faint tremor in my hands despite clenching them. “Erasmo has gone too far. Alive or dead, I don’t care, but he won’t have that power much longer.”
“If he hurts a hair on her head, Erasmo will wish he had croaked in his sleep,” Ari said through grit teeth. “Between Yaro, Vik, and the rest of us, he’d be reduced to a pile of meat. And that’s a promise.”
“I’m glad Anastasia has family willing to do that for her,” I murmured, feeling more guilty about having kept her away from them for those few weeks.
“There are so few women in the Levov bloodline that they’re treated like royalty,” Luk said from the back. “We’d all do anything for her.”
“We’re on the same page there,” I returned, wishing we would get through the city faster.
Eventually, the swarm of vehicles pulled up to the Capris mansion, and the property was surrounded at once, mimicking what looked like an entire police force. With us being among the first there, I wasted no time popping the door open.
“Wait,” Ari said before I could get out. Glancing over, I spotted the sleek pistol in his hand. He looked at me with a measured stare. “Take this. We’ll be right behind you. Don’t do anything stupid.”
It seemed almost like a peace offering, and with a single nod, I took it from his grasp and then hurried out of the Range Rover.
Wasting no time, I ran closer to the front gate that had been lodged open by one of the Levov’s vehicles, and several of their men were already on them.
Amidst the ornate display of Erasmo’s wealth—culminating in perfectly trimmed hedges, fountains, garden beds, and whatever ornaments he desired—he stood behind Anastasia, surrounded and unable to move. He looked alarmed and thrown off guard by the sudden influx of Levov men.
It seemed they had been on their way to the car already, surely to take Anastasia to a secondary location, but they were perfectly intercepted. Two guards had already been shot and killed right on the front steps, leaving just Erasmo and Anastasia there.
Seeing Anastasia up and moving offered me as much reassurance as it could, and the relief on her face instilled hope within me. We were so close, and I just needed to get her away from him.
She looked exhausted, but that glimmer of happiness to see me was enough to fill me with conviction.
But my gun went up the moment Erasmo shoved his men out of the way and held his pistol against her head. Her eyes squeezed shut at the sudden intrusion, spooked by the metal pressed against her.
Her fear spiked the anger within me as I aimed at Erasmo. There was another wave of guns pointing in his direction. From Andrei to Yaro and Vik, to Ari and all the others, everyone was there and prepared to do whatever it took to get Anastasia back.
To watch as Erasmo threatened her with his gun was enough to reignite my fury. That was my wife. The woman I cared about most in the world. I’d be damned if I let anything happen to her.
“Let her go, Erasmo,” I called out to him, several paces away from them.
Even if Erasmo had been caught by surprise and wasn’t prepared to take on an entire army's worth of men on his own front lawn, it seemed he didn’t intend to go down without a fight. His eyes were set with conviction as he held Anastasia there, pinning her on the spot with the gun.
“You know I can’t do that. Not now,” he returned, shaking his head. “I’d rather have her blood on my hands than let you feel a shred of happiness again.”
“Shoot her and you’ll be hit with unrelenting force right in your own home,” I warned him, hoping the thought of being killed in front of his family might persuade him. “You won’t make it out of here.”
Seemingly very aware of his predicament already, Erasmo let out a bitter laugh. “Shooting her won’t make a difference. Don’t assume I’m a fool.”
“Then prove you aren’t and hand her over.”
“And what do I owe a traitor?” Erasmo sneered, reaching for that raw anger deep within himself. “After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me? I offered you prestige, power within our ranks, and more money than you’d ever need, and in return, I only ever asked for your loyalty. You were offered everything, and you chose to squander it. You wasted all of it! I trusted you with it all, and you decided to run off to the Levovs anyway. Because of that, I can’t let you get away with this!”
“It is all more complicated than that, Erasmo,” I said, aware that I had gone against my word. I knew I never should’ve gone through with the promotion and the pay bump, given that my loyalties were already shaking by then. But I didn’t have any other choice at the time. I never could’ve told Erasmo exactly why I couldn’t accept.
I would’ve been dead on that golf course, and my fate would’ve been unknown to everyone in my life.
