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“Anton, Anton… So fierce, so protective,” he mocks, feigning admiration. “But you forget – you’re the one tied to a chair, beaten and bloody.”
I refuse to let his words break me. I’ve fought my way out of worse situations, and I’ll do it again.
“They have nothing to do with this,” I growl through gritted teeth. “This is between you and me.”
“Everything in your world is connected, Anton, you know this,” Sergei says coldly. “What were you thinking? That you could build a new life while we still had unfinished business?”
As much as I hate it, he’s right. I always knew the fucking Bratva would come for me eventually. And I’ve known they’d have no qualms about using my loved ones as pawns in their twisted game. They didn’t hesitate to take Katya. I just hoped that I’d get more time to make sure my son is safe.
If only I’d worked harder to keep the wolf from the door!
“Perhaps if you hadn’t been so…distracted by that pretty little thing,” Sergei snorts, his eyes flicking toward the door, “You might have seen this coming.”
“Hurt her, and I swear you’ll regret it,” I growl, anger and desperation mingling in my voice.
“Ah, so you do care for her,” Volkov muses. “That makes things even more interesting.”
“Listen to me, Sergei,” I say, my voice low and dangerous. “You can have what you want. Money, information, whatever. Just leave my family out of this.”
“And now she’s family too,” he chuckles. “This gets more and more interesting.”
I don’t respond. My words surprised me just as much as they amused him.
“Your desperate bargaining means nothing to me, Anton,” he scoffs, shaking his head. “You left us, betrayed the brotherhood we once shared. There’s only one thing I want from you – your suffering.”
“Then take it out on me!” I shout, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Enough!” Sergei snaps, silencing me with a vicious backhand. “Their fate is sealed, as is yours.”
He turns from me with a sneer, and then the door slams shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts – and my dread.
“I’ll get you for this,mudak!” I shout after him. It’s a ridiculous final act of defiance and I know it when I hear his mocking laughter ringing down the hallway. Again, I tussle against the ropes that bind me, cursing my weakness, the blood loss that’s left me so useless.
I stop short when I hear coarse laughter ring out. Volkov’s men exchanging vulgar comments in Russian. I understand the words and the meaning behind them, and it spurs on my struggles. There’s more shouting from outside, and then I hear her. Scarlett speaking. Pleading. Someone snarls something and her voice rises in response.
“No!” she screams. There’s a grunt and then a curse, and then a slap rings out. She’s fighting back – my fierce queen. I’ve always known she has teeth. But now I fear this bite will come back to haunt her.
Retaliation comes faster than expected. Fast enough to leave me reeling.
There’s a single gunshot. And then there’s silence.
My blood runs cold.
No.
Sweet Jesus.
My Zayka.
End of Part 1.
