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I gasp, horrified that my brother could be so callous about people who mean the world to me. One of whom saved me.
“Hey, what about my brother and Ellie?” Lucca cuts in, his tone insistent and angry.
“They are not my problem,” Ilya says coldly, his eyes remaining locked on mine to show me he means business.
“Yes, they are your problem!” I shout, letting the jacket drop from one of my shoulders as I shove a finger in my brother’s face. “After all, it’s one ofyourenemies who chose to kidnap me in the first place. It’s notCassiowho put me in danger, and Ellie got dragged into this whole thing because she just happened to be with me. So we arenotleaving without them.”
Ilya stills, his eyes narrowing as he silently debates. “How do you know they’re my enemies?” he asks after a painstakingly long pause.
“Well, they’re definitely Russian, first off,” I list, ticking it off on my fingers. “And they were definitely using my name without either Ellie using it or me. The men came specifically for me. But when their leader spoke to me, she was talking about ransoming me back to you in exchange for your territory,” I say adamantly.
“Their leader is a woman?” Ilya questions, surprise making him frown.
“Yes, the men called her the Matron,” I state confidently. “She said something about her nephews starting a war and how you killing them put her on this path of revenge. She even talked about Artem and said she might do something similar to me. So see? This is onyou, brother. Ellie was just scooped up in the snare they set for me, and Cassio got caught while he was rescuing me, so youdon’tget to just leave them behind.”
Ilya cusses, a long string of explicit Russian words issuing from his mouth as he paces angrily.
“What?” Lucca demands after my brother’s tirade comes to an end.
“This woman, the Matron. I know her–or at least I know of her. She’s a formidable figure in the Russian drug trade,” Ilya says, combing his fingers through his dark curls. “If she is related to the Temkin, then this just got a lot bigger than a single act of kidnapping and ransom. We will need more men that I don’t have to spare if we’re going to save yourfriends.”
The way my brother emphasizes the wordfriendstells me he realizes Cassio is anything but. Still, he didn’t flat out tell me no to rescuing them, which is a good sign. My heart pounds more steadily at the thought of getting Ellie and Cassio back.
I only hope they’re both still alive to save. I don’t dare mention the amount of blood I saw on the forest floor. I can’t breathe life into the possibility that it might be too late.
“I can call Nico,” Lucca says, his eyes shifting to mine and holding them steadily.
“He’ll help?” I ask with relief.
Lucca nods confidently. “As far as Nico’s concerned, nobody puts a hand on his family. It’s just–if my brother gets involved, Bianka, it will only be a matter of time before my father finds out about everything….” His eyes are grave, almost sympathetic, as he silently waits for me to grasp his words’ full meaning.
But the translation is easy. If he calls Nicolo, their father will learn that I’m with Cassio, and I’ll be kicked out of Rosehill before graduating. Done. My education seems like such a paltry thing compared to Cassio’s life or Ellie’s. I nod without a second’s hesitation. “Do it. Make the call. I just want to bring them home safely. Whatever it takes.”
Lucca gives a curt nod, turning away and pressing his phone to his ear as Ilya growls, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I bite my lip reluctantly and flinch as the tender split tugs painfully. Looking up through my lashes at my big brother, I explain hesitantly, “Lorenzo Marchetti may or may not have threatened to kick me out of Rosehill if Cassio insisted on seeing me.”
Ilya’s hackles rise as the tendons in his jaw pop angrily. Despite his apparent wrath, I’m surprised to feel considerable relief. Lying to my brother for months has been excruciating. And though I could do nothing to stop it, I’m almost grateful that he knows about Cassio and me.
But that doesn’t stop me from curling in on myself meekly as he looms over me intimidatingly.
“We will discuss this later,” Ilya hisses through his teeth.
Lucca appears a moment later, relief written across his face. “Nico’s on his way.”
26
CASSIO
I’m screwed. It only took a minute from the time I turned back to help Ellie to find myself completely surrounded and outnumbered by Bratva men. Having twisted her ankle on the fall, Ellie could barely stand, let alone climb the wall without my aid.
I had her halfway to the top, her one good foot balanced on my shoulders when the gun cocked against my temple. They hauled Ellie back onto the forest floor with ease, and I fought back, trying to protect her.
I took down two good-sized Russian fuckers with my knife, slicing open one man’s belly and the other’s hamstring, before they overwhelmed me, wrenching the knife from my hand and confiscating the pistol in my waistband.
Then it was all feet as they kicked the living shit out of me. By the time their blows subsided, I could barely see through the pain. They bound my hands behind me and dragged me back the way we came as I clung to consciousness with every ounce of strength.
Flashes of Ellie tossed over one man’s shoulder crossed my vision, her face tear-stained and worried as she watched me stumbling along, leaning heavily on the two men with their arms looped through the crooks of my elbows, supporting my weight. Her lips silently formed my name–or at least I thought it was silent. I couldn’t hear much over the persistent ringing.
