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My eyes snapped shut as I sank down on the couch.
“Leila and I got to know each other, but she didn’t know who I was. Not my real name. We…we started an affair. It was forbidden, and we both knew it. But that didn’t stop us. It lasted for several months. I watched Ayla grow. She took her first step in front of me, and it was toward me.”
I heard Viktor swear, and Isaak paused. The room was suddenly filled with silence, and the silence was suffocating.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice harsh against the silent room.
Isaak took a deep breath before continuing. “Leila was mad when she found out the truth about me, but she understood why I did it. That night, we planned her escape. It was the only way to protect her and Ayla. But I was a little too late.”
“Leila died in a fire,” I said.
“No,” Isaak suddenly growled. “She didn’t.”
My head snapped up toward him as he turned to face me. “I heard her die. I heard her screams as Alfredo killed her. Shot her. The bastard fucking called me and made me listen. Three gunshots and then there was silence.”
Shaking his head, he ran a hand over his face, his body shaking. With anger. And deep sorrow.
“Leila had died, and I couldn’t do anything. But I knew I had to get to Ayla. I promised Leila that Ayla wouldn’t live the life that she did. Ayla would be free and happy. I vowed to protect her and take her out of that hell.” Isaak broke off with a harsh, emotionless laugh.
He shook his head, still laughing. “I was too late. Again. Ayla—”
“—died in a fire,” I finished off.
Everyone knew that story. Half of Alfredo’s estate caught on fire. So many lives were taken, including his wife and daughter. That was the story, but it clearly didn’t happen that way.
“Ayla was only a year old. I didn’t believe it at first. But I saw her casket. It was so small. She was so small. She looked so fragile as she was lowered into the ground next to her mother,” Isaak’s voice was a mere whisper now.
I had known Isaak for many years, but I had never ever seen him so broken. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to release the tension there.
It all made sense now. Why we never got anything on Ayla…no matter how intensive our research was. Why I never even thought for a moment that Ayla could have been an Abandonato.
She was a ghost. Alfredo had made sure of it.
“That fucking bastard,” Isaak hissed, his eyes suddenly sparking fire. “He knew. He fucking knew I was coming for Ayla. She might not have my blood, but I loved her as my own.”
“He made us believe that Ayla died. It was the only way to keep Isaak away. All these years we thought she was dead.” Lyov finally spoke again when it became clear that Isaak couldn’t say anything else.
There was only silence for a few seconds, until Isaak exploded. He reached forward and grabbed me, almost frantic in his actions.
“You have to find her. Please, Alessio. She won’t survive there. Not again. We have to save her. We have to find her. She…she…you…” Isaak begged me, his breathing panicked.
My chest went tight, so tight that it was almost impossible to breathe. And the anger, it clawed at my body, laughing, taunting, shaking me, begging for release.
My fists shook as Isaak stepped away when I didn’t answer him.
It was vicious cycle. Pain, suffering, and anger. It clouded us until we were blinded with it. But through it all, there was only one light.
Ayla.
Standing up, I walked to the large panel window. Lyov stood beside me, where he had been throughout the whole confrontation.
And then Viktor was beside me. Isaak on Lyov’s side. Nikolay next to Viktor. Phoenix beside Nikolay and Artur right next to Phoenix.
A brotherhood.
Taking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly. When I spoke, my words rang with finality.
“I’m going to bring Ayla home.”
Alberto didn’t know what was coming for him. He may have taken my Angel away, but I was coming for her.
I may have been a monster. A killer. Heartless. Ruthless. But what was worse for Alberto was that I was Ayla’s monster.
I wouldn’t stop until I had delivered all their corpses at Ayla’s feet. My blood roared with the need to seek vengeance against the men who caused Ayla pain.
I would burn everything in my path to find her. It was the beginning of destruction. A bloodbath.
And I wasn’t going to stop looking. Not until I found my Angel.
Chapter 33
My knuckles cracked when my fist made contact with his face. The sound was deafening in the silent room. I didn’t feel anything, and the poor bastard at the receiving end of my furious fist was whimpering in pain.
