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“Scarlett.” Luka turns to them. “She disappeared.”
“Tough luck, bruh. You sure she’s not chained to your bed?” Cody smirks, but his expression quickly fades as I shoot a deadly glance at the insolent little shit.
“She was gone when I woke up,” I say curtly. “I’ve checked the house. The grounds.”
“Maybe she went for a walk?” It’s the woman now.
“She’s fucking gone!” I half-yell, then adjust my tone. “I have been through the gardens. Security hasn’t seen her.”
“We’ll find her, Anton.” Luka nods, and the others follow suit. “We’ll search the entire property, every nook and cranny. She can’t be far.”
“Spasibo,” I say, but I can’t shake the sense of impending doom. Hardwired that way, no doubt. Maybe I shouldn’t expect the worst.
You’re overreacting, mudak!
Or am I? Will I ever forget those moments when I realized that Katya was gone? Was I wrong to worry then?
I never worried enough, goddammit.
Fuck, I need to find Scarlett!
As we split up to search the estate, my heart hammers against my chest. The warmth and satisfaction from last night now feel like distant memories, replaced by a gnawing dread for Scarlett’s safety.
“Anton!” A shout reaches my ears, and I turn to see Carl sprinting toward me. His face is pale, his expression grave. “You’re not going to like this, but…” he hesitates.
“But what, for fuck’s sake?” I roar, the tension in me taking the better of me.
“Scarlett’s been taken by Cartwright.” His words come out in a rush as if he’s afraid of what I’m going to do to him.
“Cartwright?” I stare at him in confusion. “Who the fuck is Cartwright?” The name seems familiar somehow, but my mind is foggy.
“Victor Cartwright. He…uh…” Carl looks uncomfortable. “Well, we took something of his, and…well…I don’t think he’s happy about it.”
“Blyad. The fucking stone!” The diamond she’d come back for. Of course, that’s what this is all about. I rake a hand through my hair.
Carl swallows hard.
“How do you know?” I press, hoping against hope that he’s got it wrong.
He nods, then holds up his phone. “I just got this.”
The image on the screen makes my blood run cold in an instant. The screen displays an image of Scarlett, bound and gagged. The sight hits me like a physical blow, bringing with it a flood of memories I’ve suppressed for too long. Katya’s blood-spattered body, her ruined face. Bad things happen when people get too close to me. But how? Why? Volkov is gone. This make no sense.
“Where?” I snarl, snatching the phone from his hand to take a closer look at the image.
Carl’s throat moves as he swallows hard. “No idea. But the message is clear. They will kill her if they don’t get the stone back.
“Then we’ll fucking give it to them.” I turn around. Luka is making his way to us.
“What’s up, boss?”
“Scarlett’s been taken. Fucker called Cartwright.”
Jesus, I still have the fucking diamond.
“Set up a meeting,” I tell Carl. “Do whatever it takes.”
“Well, it may not be that simple.” Carl clears his throat, looking uneasy. Some of the others have joined us. Luka moves closer to my side.
