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“Where’s Heidi?” I snarl, my anger an effective mask for the fear coursing through me now. “What have you done with her?”
Aleksandr releases a low, sinister chuckle. “Don’t worry. She’s here with me. I have your girl, Maks. And if you ever want to see her alive again, you’ll come alone, unarmed, to the Starlight Casino and Lounge within the next hour.”
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I snarl, my voice reaching an almost feral tone.
“Listen to you coming to your little slut’s defense. I think I’ve finally found the one you’re ready to die for. So, what do you say, Maks? Do we have an agreement?”
My stomach churns with a mix of rage and fear. I tried to have the best of both worlds, to keep Heidi and also protect her from my sick, twisted world, but she’s fallen right into the middle of it. And now I see no way of saving her without laying down my life.
“Why should I believe you won’t harm her if I come?” I hiss through gritted teeth, my fingers clutching the phone so tightly it feels like it might shatter.
“I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it,” Aleksandr replies. “But if you bring anyone else, if you try anything funny, I promise you’ll never see her again.”
He hangs up before I can say another word, and I’m left staring at my phone, my heart pounding in my chest. I can’t believe I’m reliving my worst nightmare, but I won’t let anything happen to Heidi. I refuse to watch her die in my arms like Symphony. No, Heidi doesn’t get to die. She has too much life in her.
I glance up at my brothers as they watch me expectantly.
“He has her at the Starlight Lounge,” I synopsize. “He wants me to come alone, unarmed, within the hour, or he’ll kill her.”
Volatile Russian insults stream from my brothers in sync as they rip Aleksandr apart with their insults.
“He can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine if he thinks we’ll let you go in there without backup. That’s as good as handing you to him on a platter.”
They both look at me with determination, ready to follow me into the fire. And I know I can’t let them. I won’t get us all killed trying to save the girl I love. If I die, I need them alive to bring Heidi home safely.
“Let’s go, Maks,” Dimitri says, his voice firm. “We’re with you. We have a forty-five-minute drive to figure out how we’re going to get your girl back safely.”
Alexei nods, his expression grave. “We won’t give that bastard an opportunity to hurt her.”
I’m torn between the relief of having their support and the fear that they’ll be drawn further into this mess. I know I can’t do this alone. I can’t leave Heidi in the hands of a monster like Aleksandr. But I also know my brothers can’t come with me. Not this time.
“I’m going alone,” I state firmly, stopping my brothers in their tracks. “And we’re doing this exactly as he said. I refuse to risk Heidi’s life by deviating from his demands.”
“You can’t be serious,” Dimitri says flatly, his expression deadpan.
“I am.”
“And you think we’re just going to let you hand yourself over for some girl? Without even trying to fight back?” Alexei demands, his usually cheeky countenance replaced by a ferocity I’ve only ever seen him demonstrate once before—on the night he stepped in front of a bullet to save his wife.
“You will if I tell you that you will,” I command, striding purposefully toward the door.
And to my surprise, Dimitri bars my path.
“Get out of my way,” I command through clenched teeth.
“Not until we find a better way.”
“Listen, we don’t have time for this. I have an hour to save Heidi, and I will not stand by and let her die. You two have families, women you would die for. And they need you to stay alive. Well, I’ve finally found a woman I’m willing to die for. And right now, she needs me. Which means I need you two to be ready to get her out of there as soon as I have Aleksandr distracted.”
My younger brothers share one of their silent looks, and I clench my fists as I see them debating whether my argument is worthy of the price I’m willing to pay.
“Fine,” Dimitri says. “But if that’s the plan, you don’t get to just lie down and die.”
“I assure you, I refuse to die without killing Aleksandr first.”
37
HEIDI
