“You won’t risk missing your aim and hitting her.”
That’s where this asshole underestimates my abilities. I was trained as a sniper in the U.S. Special Forces. I don’t miss. However, what this guy hasn’t seen is Yuri and Dmitri sneaking up behind his partner.
I watch as Yuri puts the second man in a chokehold, disabling him, while Dmitri shoots the man with his hands on Emma. Poor bastard didn’t see or hear it coming thanks to Dmitri’s silencer on his weapon.
I rush towards Emma, gathering her into my arms and pulling her head into my chest. Her hair smells of her honeysuckle shampoo, and she’s shaking with terror.
“Don’t look,lyubimaya. Don’t look,” I tell her, holding her close. She doesn’t need to see the three men we’ve killed trying to get her out of their grasp. I walk her away from the SUV and towards my car, while my brothers and Yuri take care of the remaining kidnapper. I know they’ll get information out of him before he’s disposed of.
I place her in the backseat of my car, then kneel down so I can look her in the eyes.
“Emma, focus on me, baby girl,” I tell her as I put my hands on either side of her face and focus her attention on me. She’s going to go into shock if I can’t get her to slow her breathing.
“You came for me,” she says as she throws her arms around me and cries into my shoulder.
“I told you that I protect what’s mine.”
“Who are those guys?” she asks through her tears.
“I don’t know,lyubimaya. I’m going to find out, and then I’ll make sure they never hurt you or anyone else again,” I tell her, holding her close.
Emma continues to hold onto me and cry into my shoulder when I see my brothers and Yuri walking towards the car.
“Emma, I need to talk to my brothers, and then I’ll take you home. Stay here.” I grab a blanket from the trunk and put it around her before walking a short distance from the car.
“These guys were Irish. Declan Callaghan sent them to collect her,” Dmitri informs me.
“FUCK!” I yell. “He’s up to something.”
“Don’t worry, Ivan. I’ve already called a clean-up crew to take of things here,” Maksim tells me. “They’re going to drop the bodies off the side of the road in Irish territory and scrap the SUV.”
“Good. Send a message to that fucker, and make sure he knows what happens when he messes with what’s mine,” I growl.
“I’m taking Emma to the Watertown house. Dmitri, you and Maksim stay here until the cleaners arrive. Grigory, you follow me home. Ilya will drive us. I’ll sit in the back with Emma,” I instruct everyone, then head back to my Mercedes. Ilya takes the keys and gets in the driver’s seat. Maksim will drive Yuri’s car to the estate and Dmitri will join us later.
Emma puts her head in my lap and dozes off on the drive home. I watch as she sleeps and think of what I would do if we hadn’t gotten her back safely. I’m going to do it anyway, because someone dared to touch her. As it is, I’ll be burning Declan Callaghan’s world for thinking he could take Emma and sending his minions to do the job.
Tonight, I‘m takinglyubimayato my home.
Where she belongs.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EMMA
NEVER IN MY life have I been more scared than I was sitting in the backseat surrounded by those strange men. I have no idea who they were or why they wanted me, but when I felt the gun press into my back I wasn’t sure what to do, so I went with them.
I felt relief when I realized Ivan came for me, safe when he pulled me into his arms after killing the men who took me. His arms were strong and gentle, and I just wanted to collapse against him.
Ivan whispered soothing words to me when we walked to the car. The scent of his cologne invaded my nostrils and it helped me push out thoughts of the previous hour. Wait, was it only an hour, or was is longer? I’m not sure.
When I sat down in the back of Ivan’s car, the tears started falling and I couldn’t make them stop. I could feel his hands on each side of my face, his fingers gently wiping the tears away while he tried to get me to slow my breathing.
When Ivan was finally satisfied, he stepped away to speak with his brothers, leaving Yuri beside me and the car.
“Ms. Murphy…” Yuri says hesitantly.
“Yes?” I answer while barely raising my head to look at him.
