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Chapter 17 - Alexei
Vanessa wailed on the passenger’s seat, pulling her legs to her chest, and murmuring, “It’s all my fault,” repeatedly. She had been that way since the phone call with Sarah. Not acknowledging or speaking to me but rocking back and forth with the mantra.
The sight of her tears ignited the anger burning through my chest like a hot iron rod, and there was something else. A dull, hollow ache. It was the same thing I felt when she escaped years ago. But this time, it was more intense. I stretched out my hand, in an attempt to console her, but retracted it when my phone rang.
Angrily, I snatched it from the cupholder. It was an unknown number.
“Alexei Petrov...” The caller drawled.
My forehead creased as I tried to place a face to the voice. I was in no mood for games. The sun slowly set, and that meant time was running out. I had to find my son.
“Who the fuck is this?” I snapped.
He laughed dryly and coughed. “Ah, this should be fun!”
What the hell?
“How about we play a game?” he suggested. “I’ll drop clues and you figure out the rest. Is that good? I think it is.”
I waited.
“One. Dumpster.”
My fists tightened around the device, and I snarled into the phone.
“Now, now. Hold on, with the animal spirit. I’m not finished yet.” Silence. Another cough. “Two. Brother. If I’m correct, the picture’s getting clearer now.”
Oh, it was. It was clearer than my reflection in the fucking rearview mirror.Fucking Joe Brown.
“It’s you.” I mocked. “The wanna-be bad boy.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to throw jabs, Lexxie. You fucking owe me, remember? A life for a fucking life. You know what that means? It means the next time your phone beeps, it will be a picture of your sweet precious son’s body in the fucking dumpster. How do you feel about that?”
My heart stopped and red flashed through my eyes. I sniffed blood in the air. Joe Brown’s fucking blood.
“I swear, if you touch a hair on his head, I’ll chop your fucking fingers off and shove them down your throat. Then I’ll fucking cut your balls off and shove them up your ass, you hear me!”
“We’ll see about that.” He sounded calm. “Six o’clock. Old Berkley’s site. Come alone if you want him safe.”
The call disconnected and I slammed my fists on the steering wheel. “Fuck!”
Vanessa turned to me, shaking, and crying. “What’s going on?”
I started the engine. “I know the bastard who has our son.”
Relief crossed her eyes and, as soon as it came, it disappeared. She choked out a sob again. Her lips quivered. “I’m so sorry,” she whimpered. “It’s all my fault. If I’d been more careful, none of this would have happened. I should have waited until Sarah showed up. Oh my God, I’m such a terrible mother—”
“Stop.”
Covering her hands with one hand, I wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the other. “You are not a terrible mother, Vanessa. Heck! You’re the best mother I know. None of this... hear me,noneof this is your fucking fault. You did everything right. This war between Joe and me started a long time ago. I’m only sorry our son got dragged into it. If anyone is to blame here,it’ll be me. And that’s why I’m going to fix it. I’ll make sure he returns safely, even if I don’t.”
The weight of my words hung heavy in the air.
A new fear washed over her. Her eyes grew to the size of squash balls. I turned away and gripped the wheel, and her hand latched onto my arm.
“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t... don’t do this to me. Instead, let’s go together.”
“I’m not asking, kitten. And I will not take you with me. It’s too risky.”
