Page 35 of Vicious Angel


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My heart pounds intensely in my chest, and my throat threatens to close because I want to scream, but in what reality will screaming actually do any good? I’m sure he has me tucked away someplace where no one can hear me, and now I’m wondering if he tricked me under the premise we were finding Meryem. He must have, right? Or does he actually know where she is?

“Miss Eset!” Goran’s voice rings out again, and finally, I clear my throat. I lean on the floor and act like I’m out of it because I really don’t know what else to do in this situation. He took my purse, and that’s where my gun is, and I doubt he didn’t search me all over. I usually keep a knife strapped to my inner thigh when I go out some days, and while today I put it on after Santos and I had sex, I’m certain Goran would’ve used his training to ensure I didn’t have any surprises for him.

Then I realize. How long has it been? How much time has passed by? Is it the same day we left to go to the Czech Republic? It might be, or it could be a week later, for all I know.

Santos! Oh god, Santos. The last thing I got from him was a text message telling me to be careful, and now look at what sort of mess I’m in.

A shadow blinds part of the light coming in from underneath the door, and the clattering of keys on locks tells me Goran has me tucked away very nicely. After about two minutes, the door opens, and blinding light floods into the small room.

“Ah, you’re awake! Good! I was starting to get worried I overdosed you,” Goran comments with a chuckle. “I was hoping not. Then I can’t have fun with you for as long as I want. You see, I have watched you for a long time, Miss Eset, and when Santos came into the picture, it infuriated me. I had been there all along, and you chose to overlook me, while it only took days with him before you gave him anything.”

“It was an arranged marriage, Goran. What do you expect? I can’t marry someone on my fucking payroll. I’m a woman in a mafia family, so my marriage has to mean something. What, did you expect me to sacrifice my family’s safety to marry you?” I cackle at that, ensuring he knows what he’s suggesting is a fucking joke.

Goran takes a step into the room and then pauses for a moment. “No, I can’t get angry with you. Not yet. You’re only upset because I lied. You’re upset because I tricked you, and that’s why you’re speaking to me this way.”

Bullshit. “I speak to you in whatever way I want to, the same way I always have. In some aspect, you must like getting degraded by me time and time again because you always want to add some input in somewhere when it really isn’t necessary in the first place.”

Goran sucks in his lips for a second. “Miss Eset, I am trying not to hurt you, but you’re making me want to hurt you.”

“Don’t you realize you’ve already done that, Goran? You had me fly to a completely different country under the guise that Meryem was here, and all you did was lie.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t lie about that part, Miss Eset. Meryem was here, but I got rid of her. She was too much of a nuisance. I don’t know why they wanted to keep her alive. She was useless after Kirill died. Still, I was under instructions to have my men keep her alive until I was told otherwise… but with Artos and Anzor dead, it didn’t make sense to keep her here. You know what I mean?”

“You killed a child?”

“I’ve killed many. Children. Women. Men. None of it matters. Only the job does… and when I took Meryem’s life, I thought I should have someone else here now. It seemed fitting that choice would be you. I know you only need time to learn how to love me and to know we’re meant to be together. You just need time, you see.” God. This man is delusional. How did none of us see it before?

“Goran, I have a question for you.” He’s delusional, sure, but he’s already given up the fact he was loyal to my father and Artos.

“Yes, what is it, Miss Eset?”

“I was told there is an army coming after my family and that there are people who support my mother taking over Ruslan’s position. Is there any truth to that?”

Goran swallows hard. He’s debating whether or not to tell me.

“Surely, you understand I can’t trust you unless you’re honest with me. That’s how this will work someday, on the basis of trust.”

“Miss Eset, I don’t want to tell you things that will upset you, but yes… there is a ploy to take Ruslan out of power and then, in turn, to give it to your mother. Your father’s allies believe Ruslan doesn’t know what he’s doing. They think he’s only going to take Chechnya back in time and not lead it into the future.”

Fuck, so what that man told us is the truth. “What did… how did they plan on taking Ruslan out of power?”

“By killing you. All of you. It’s why I brought you here. I made it look like we were in a car accident because I couldn’t bear to kill you. No one will know you’re alive, so no one will come to kill you. Don’t you see? I saved you, Miss Eset. I saved you so we could be together.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Santos

It’s been three fucking days since anyone has heard from Eset, and no one seems to know a goddamn thing. I’m still in London, and things with her brothers have only become more tumultuous over time. Nazyr thinks my father had something to do with her disappearance, and when I called my father to speak to him about Eset being missing, he used it as a “lesson” on how important the women closest to us can be. Even though he was a foul bastard when I spoke to him, I don’t believe he had anything to do with this.

In fact, she left with Goran the day she went missing. I’m now sitting in Ruslan’s penthouse hotel suite with the rest of her family members, and we’re all trying to figure something out. “You said she left to go find Meryem?” Emily prods, and I nod.

“Yes, she left with Goran… and I’ve had a bad feeling about him since the moment I met him. He’s always staring at Eset for far too long, or he’s been eavesdropping. I don’t know how to explain it, and I know it doesn’t look like it’s a big deal, but he’s given me this strange vibe for a while. Eset always wrote it off as him doing his job, but I don’t think he’s just doing his job. I think there’s more, and I really believe he had something to do with this.”

I wait for someone to say something to me. Anything, really, but no one speaks at first. I can’t be the only person in this family who doesn’t believe Goran is as good as they come. “We know what Guerrero told us. He said there was a war coming to the Umarovas and that the allies of Anzor were trying to get your mother to be the leader. Think about it, if it’s true, it means they have to take out the members of the Umarova family. Now Eset is missing. You can’t assume that they’re going to let you live after they take everything you hold dear. They’re going to pick you off, one by one, until there isn’t one of you left.”

At this point, Ruslan clears his throat. “I know it doesn’t look like I’m doing much, but I’ve made calls to numerous allies and have had anyone who’s anyone looking for Eset. Yes, we know she landed in Prague with Goran. Yes, we know what Guerrero told us in his last moments. Do I think they’re connected? Yes, I do. I need to know if there’s any sort of information anyone here can give us. We have all of the information we could find, given the circumstances, but Nazyr… I’m about to ask you something deeply personal.” Ruslan looks over to his younger brother, who cocks a brow in return.

“What’s up?”

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