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“And if I do, will you let me go?”
“It all depends on you, Mrs. Barinov.” A knowing smile curls upon her lips. “You could leave here anytime if you only knew what to do.”
Chapter 5
Andrei
“Our informant searched Talia’s father’s house and hers, but Paige Geraldovna has not been spotted.”
“Did they check the basements, attics, and outer buildings?”
“They have thoroughly checked every inch of both houses. They have Paige Geraldovna well hidden.”
“Tell them to keep looking.”
I’m slowly going mad with worry, wondering where Paige could be. I threaten Talia via text because she won’t answer my calls, and her father refuses to tell me where she is. I’ve made it clear to both of them that Paige must be released. I’ve gone so far as to remind them that this is a personal attack.
Still … nothing.
Most of all, I am concerned for her and miss her. I stare at our empty bed, unable to settle down to sleep. I imagine her lying there, pretending not to watch me, and smiling when I catch her looking. My need to be with her is infectious, and I see small reminders of her everywhere I look.
My intelligence informed me what they did to a buyer’s daughter when he refused to pay an increase in goods after the deal was made.
If Talia harms Paige, she better run far and fast.
“Andrei Vasilyevich, we will find her. And when we do, what should we do with Talia Afanasyevna?”
“Nothing. I won’t fight a war with Igor over her. Over other things, yes, but I won’t waste my time teaching Talia a lesson, even if she deserves it.”
Dmitri shrugs his shoulders. “It wouldn’t be bad to fire off a warning shot …”
His unwanted lecture is interrupted by a shrill scream in the hallway, which sends us both running to the door. In the hallway, Viktor has Emma Reyes slung over his shoulder. He tries to catch the girl’s fist in his free hands as she kicks her legs. Viktor struggles to stand, and ultimately, they fall to the floor, sprawled in a heap of long limbs as if they’re playing. He pins Emma down fast, before she can scramble out the door.
“Bozhe moi,” Dmitri whispers, “You’ll have to show him the correct way to carry a woman.”
I try not to smile as I approach a winded Viktor, who is still struggling to keep Emma on the floor.
Through gasping breaths, he tries to explain. “It took me a day to find her, Andrei Vasilyevich. She wasn’t at her sister’s house but hiding at a neighbor’s place across the street.”
Lifting her by her shoulders, I place Emma on her feet. She freezes when she sees me, and then her face shifts in recognition of who I am.
“I didn’t want to be found. I took Paige’s warning to heart, so I hid.” She gives Viktor a sharp look. “I was safe there.”
“For a while,” I reply solemnly, “but you would have been found.”
Emma looks around the entry hall. “Where’s my sister?”
I take Emma by her arm. She tries to pull out of my grip, but I lift her off her feet, dragging her into my office. I motion for Viktor to follow, and Dmitri steps in, closing the door. With a gentle shove, I place Emma on the couch. Before she can rise, Viktor sits on her left and Dmitri on her right. She looks at the three of us and decides wisely to calm the fuck down.
She has good sense, this one.
I walk over to the bar and pour her a shot of brandy. It’s an old-fashioned remedy, but I’m unsure how well she handles liquor. Emma stares at the amber liquid I hold out to her, as if it were piss in a glass. I walk back to the bar, pour myself a shot, and down it, placing the empty glass on the bar.
“I thought you might want a drink after all that screaming,” I explain.
This time, she takes the glass, places it under her nose, and sniffs the liquid. With an uncertain look, she watches me like a lioness as she drinks it. She gasps repeatedly when the liquid hits her throat, and I let her catch her breath before I speak.
“You are here so I can better protect you.”
