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I don’t wait for an answer. I hide my gun behind my back where my sweatshirt can cover it, then exit the SUV. I stay some distance away in case I’ll need to make a run for it.
“Where is my son?” I ask no one in particular.
“Mr. McIntyre is waiting inside,” one man says with disgust.
His nasty expression grows when I demand, “How about he comes out here and shows me my son.”
“She’s up tae high doh,” another one adds.
“I don’t speak whatever you are. Get Cillian.” Again, my voice is demanding.
“You’ll need that fire in your belly for what will come next,” Cillian mocks as he exits the building from the left. Behind him, Grace follows, holding Niko. “I believe you’ve met Gracie. She’s a distant niece. I was surprised when you hired her without conducting a deeper investigation. It was too easy from there.”
How did I miss this? Even more so, how the hell did Viktor miss it too?
“We had a deal. Me for my son.”
His teeth gleam in the moonlight. “I have a better plan. I’ll keep you both and wait for Viktor to come and get you.”
“As per your instructions, he doesn’t know I’m here. He won’t come for me.”
His lip curls to one side when he snarls at me, “I’m sure he knows you’ve left the mansion by now. It will only be a matter of time before he comes,” he knows something I don’t.
“I want to see that my son is safe before I take another step.”
“You must think I was born yesterday. Check her,” He orders a goon to frisk me, and I go for my gun. “I wouldn’t pull a gun if I were you,” Cillian warns while pointing a gun at Niko. “Do you think I didn’t plan for this?”
My heart is raging against my ribs, but I play it cool. I have to keep calm so I don’t scare Niko. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
“Hands up.” The guard orders. When I do as asked, he removes the gun from my back and pats me down. “She’s clean.”
“Good. Let’s go inside where it’s nice and warm. I suspect Viktor will be here sooner than we think.”
As I’m led into the dark, dangerous space, I think, ‘what have I done?’
ChapterTwenty-One
Oliver
One hour earlier…
Viktor and I have been driving for ten minutes without speaking. A million things are running through my head. Ava’s rage was understandable. None of us saw Niko being taken. I’ve been so distracted with my own shit that I took my eyes off what is most important.
Diana’s confession turned my life upside down. If I hadn’t been stuck in my own head, I would have seen the red flags surrounding Grace.
Now that I think about it, my last conversation with her was suspicious.
“Hi, Grace,” I greet, entering the kitchen. She ends her phone call abruptly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No worries. I was done. How are you?” Her tone sounds off. It makes me wonder about her call. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was hiding something.
I need to stop being so paranoid.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. How about you? Everything okay?”
“Oh yes. Nothing new with me.” She quickly heads to the kitchen door.
“Are you sure everything is okay? You can tell me if something is wrong.”
