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I turn to Zakhar, who hands me a phone with a regretful grimace. I stare down at the lockscreen that lights up when it changes hands. It’s a photo of all three kids, smiling back at the camera.
Emma’s phone.
“Blyat’,” I spit, twisting around. “The three of you stay here and clean up this mess. Recover Lazar’s body and make sure the cops stay out of our business. Say whatever you have to fucking say.”
None of them dare to say anything else. I storm back to my car and dial Kirill.
“Did you find them?” he asks as soon as he answers.
“I found Emma’s phone.”
“Fucking hell… so—”
“They’ve been taken. I severely underestimated Adrik.”
“You think it was Adrik?”
“Who the fuck else could it be?” I demand. “I didn’t think he was insane enough to try this shit, but he was released a week ago now. He’s had time.”
“But he doesn’t have the resources.”
“That we know of.”
“Should I go back down to the cellar and beat some answers out of Vadim?”
“First—we call an emergency meeting. Second—I’ll deal with Vadim. Third—I get my family back.”
53
EMMA
The van has no windows in the back, which means it’s near pitch black in here. But I can make out three little silhouettes and, if nothing else, that comforts me.
Caroline jumped on me the moment I’d been thrown into the van. All three kids scrambled around me as we’d grappled with the black cloth bags over our heads until we finally managed to rip them off.
“They did that to me, too,” Caroline told us in a small, terrified voice.
We’ve been driving for what seems like a long time. Or maybe that’s just the fear and adrenaline talking, stretching time into weird shapes. Reagan and Caroline’s heads are both tucked into my lap while Josh sits next to me with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs.
“Auntie Em, I’m scared,” Reagan squeaks softly.
Her eyes are so wide as they turn up at me that the whites of her eyes seem to shine. Her chin is trembling hard and all I can do is stroke her hair.
“I’m gonna protect you, okay?” I assure her. “I’m gonna protect all of you.”
“How?” Caroline asks. “You’re trapped here, too.”
She has a point.
“We need to figure out a way to call Ruslan.” Josh’s eyes meet mine. The longer we stay in the darkness, the clearer things become. “He’ll come for us.”
Tears prick unexpectedly at my eyes. Those four little words prove that, despite all his hurt, he still has faith in Ruslan. Deep down, he knows that Ruslan cares about us, even if he doesn’t always show it.
Our bodies teeter to one side as the van takes a sharp bend. I can hear muffled murmurs from the front of the van but we’re separated from it by a thick black partition.
As far as I know, Ruslan has Adrik in his custody. So… who the hell are these guys? And what do they want with us?
Are we slowing down?
