Page 63 of Savage Little War

Immediate frustration pulses through me as I glare at the door. “Who the fuck is that?”

Cara climbs off me, to my disappointment, and adjusts her hair and shirt.

I don’t even bother buttoning up my shirt as I storm over to the foyer and throw open the door, ready to berate whoever interrupted us. The guards let them up so it must be someone we trust.

“Andrei?”

Andrei stands there breathing hard, like he ran the last block. “Shit. Sorry. I was nearby and figured I would just come by and talk to you in person rather than over the phone.”

“It better be important.”

Andrei glances down at my open shirt and flashes a sheepish grin. “Oops. But yes, of course it’s important.”

I roll my eyes at him and turn away to stalk back toward the living room, hearing his footsteps following behind me.

“Hey, Andrei,” Cara greets him as she sits on the far corner of the couch, trying to look casual.

“Hey, Cara,” Andrei says as he nods to her. “Sorry for dropping in like this, but I need to talk to you both.”

“What is it?” I ask him, remaining standing as I turn to face him.

“You and Sean have been digging through Ferro’s background and the rest of the Italians linked to him. So, I started digging into another family to try to find any clues or information about who else was in that farmhouse,” Andrei explains.

“Who?” I question him. We all thought digging through the Italians’ business would grant us some answers.

“The Suyunovs,” Andrei replies. “They have just as much reason to hate you two as the Italians. Maybe even a little more.”

“I haven’t heard anything about them or from them in a while,” I tell him with a shrug. “I figured they backed off after the wedding fell apart.”

“More like disappeared,” Andrei says.

I look over at Cara whose face fills with shock. “What do you mean they disappeared?”

“Artur is missing,” Andrei replies. “My men have searched the whole city, and we haven’t seen any sign of him.”

I exhale slowly as I start to pace around the living room. “I wish that comforted me. I’d like to think that they fled back to Russia, but…”

“You’re not stupid,” Andrei finishes. “That’s not a coincidence. Their disappearance has to be strategic.”

“What about Annika?” Cara speaks up as she stands from the couch. “Where is she?”

“We haven’t found any sign of her either,” Andrei tells her.

Cara chews on her bottom lip as her eyes drop to the floor, her silence adding even more tension to the room.

I walk closer to her, my hand grazing her arm. “What is it?”

Cara shakes her head, her brow creasing in uncertainty. “The thought crossed my mind a while ago, but I thought it was crazy. Maybe it isn’t…”

“What?” I ask her as I tilt her head up with a finger under her chin.

Cara meets my gaze, her eyes clouding with uneasiness. “Do you remember how I said I think that the person who kicked me in the stomach was a woman?”

The realization hits me like a punch to the chest. For a moment I forget to breathe. “You think it was Annika?”

“She’s hated me since the start, and her father has hated you since you called off the wedding,” Cara tells me, the words rushing out of her as fast as they filter through her mind. “She never said a word when she was down in that basement with me. Maybe she didn’t want me to realize who she was.”

“The Suyunovs are as slimy as they come,” I mutter bitterly. I can’t believe I ever considered working with them. “We can’t rule out the prospect of them being involved with Ferro. They probably hate me more than the Italians.”