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I yelped as Ada came into view. I scrambled back against the wall, pushing myself closer to Dmitri. He groaned again, his eyes fluttering open. Unlike me, he seemed immediately aware of the situation as he tried to sit up and then just sat there, waiting for something to happen. I wished I could have his fucking strength. Then again, what it had taken to get there, I wasn’t so sure.
Ada stopped beside Chester, her arms folded tightly under her chest. I didn’t recognize this version of her, the hardened and terrified expression on her face. The dark clothes. The powerful aura that surrounded her. Whoever this woman was, it wasn’t my sister. “Where’s Tia?”
I didn’t say anything.
Chester threw his head back and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t you know anything, Ada? Your little brother here is tight-lipped as fuck. Time to try something else.” He meandered over to Dmitri and roughly grabbed him by the chin but he was looking at me. “Now, where’s Ada’s little girl?” I didn’t answer but this time Chester wound up a fist and punched Dmitri in the gut.
I cried out but my man just stared at Chester, unamused. Even as blood dribbled down Dmitri’s chin, Dmitri just stared forward, the slight pull of a grin on his lips.
Ada continued asking, wondering where Tia was, demanding to have her back. Questions see-sawed from the program to Tia and each time I refused to answer. My only strength was the look Dmitri gave me to hold on but with each kick and punch that Chester delivered, my resolve waned.
Chester wasn’t happy in the slightest that I wouldn’t break, standing up with bloodied knuckles and stepping over Dmitri. My man’s head lolled to the side as he winced, trying to sit up further and failing. A sob caught in my throat as I looked up to Chester, not ready for the blow that sent my head back against the wall.
Pain exploded behind my eyes as I bit my tongue to keep from making a sound but the pain magnified when another blow hit my cheek twice in succession. I screamed, mostly to whom I attributed the painful experience and not the pain itself. Owen had never hit me like this but fuck, it was the only person I could think of at this moment as I shut my eyes and drew into my head, trying to block out the scene unfolding before me.
It wasn’t until I heard three quick shots that I opened my eyes to see Ada standing over Chester. “We aren’t here to fucking torture the shit out of you, Rhys. He was getting on my nerves. Look, just give your niece back and the fucking program and I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll give you a headstart, alright?”
“Why?” I mumbled. My eye was closing up and the excruciating throbbing in the back of my head was threatening to take me under. We weren’t going to survive this, were we?
Her jaw pulled tight, the veins in her neck bulging. “Don’t give me that look. Reserve that shit for Liam. He’s as much at fault as I am for bringing you into this shit. Look, my father-in-law has deadlines to meet and you signed a contract. I just need the program.”
Her father-in-law?That didn’t make any sense but it did connect a few dots. Like the fact that everything that had led up to this point wasn’t just coincidence. “You brought all this shit?” I whispered, unable to say much more with my face swelling up. I was pissed at her but I couldn’t move and Dmitri was fading beside me. I wanted her to feel the pain and terror I had but without a fucking miracle, it’d never happen. With the last bit of strength I could muster, I spit at her feet. “You don’t deserve Tia.”
I was rewarded with a punch to the face and then darkness.
Chapter twenty-six
GIANNI
Eyes peeled for movement, I was painfully aware that something had happened to Dmitri and Rhys. Valentyn had been keeping me updated but the moment he texted ‘code red’, I sped down the street with two sleeping kids in the back, ready to make a getaway. Paval and Tia had once again been playing Simon Says, watching Blues Clues, and telling me all about it until they fell asleep. Valentyn had mentioned that we may need to stay on the move for a bit if things went south but I hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.
The plan was to meet at the cookie shop two blocks over but it had been hours and neither Dmitri nor Rhys had shown up. Rhys, I could understand not checking in, but Dmitri wouldn’t have gone dark unless something was wrong.
And with the strangled expression on Valentyn’s face, as he dialed Dmitri again, I knew shit had gotten fucked up.
I whipped out my phone, pinging his location, confused when I realized it wasn’t that far off from where we were currently located. It was closer to the water and the only thing I could think of was a warehouse – where people like us usually ended up dead.
Fuck.
“Val, we have to go. We have to fucking go!” I hissed and then muted myself. Neither Paval nor Tia stirred. Valentyn looked at me, his expression softening when he realized how panicked I was. Slowly, but surely, we were losing our perfect little family. Rhys and Tia had lost their entire support system and now Dmitri and Rhys were missing. I couldn’t handle any more of this chipping away at the life I had been yearning for, for so long.
Valentyn leaned over the console and wrapped a firm hand around the back of my neck, squeezing just enough to pull me out of my head. “We’ll get them back. For now, we stock and then we go in and save our men.” I nodded, eager to bring them both back. Dmitri was strong. He’d be fine but Rhys, fuck, this would break him all over again. He wasn’t built for this life and now I wished I had forced him to come with me, Paval, and Tia.
This wouldn’t have happened.
Then again, if someone really wanted Rhys dead, maybe they would have shown up at the house and done worse.
My gut wrenched at the thought, pure agony rising in my chest.
I took off toward the little blip on my phone. Silence fell between us as we skidded to a stop, mere feet from where the blip was located. Paval and Tia blinked a few times before curling up and falling back asleep when I told them we were just on a little trip. Paval was used to these little white lies and Tia was stressed enough not to fight it.
There was no doubt in my mind after this shit ended that we needed to fucking leave this line of work.
I ran my fingers through Paval’s hair and then softly patted Tia’s arm before dragging the blanket covering her a little higher. Valentyn’s soft grunt pulled my attention as I watched him slip from the car and walk to the trunk. “Don’t start,” I whispered. “I just needed to make sure they were okay. Besides, you’re usually the one freaking out about losing people. I’m surprised you didn’t fucking fight me on taking them to one of the safe locations.”
Valentyn’s jaw ticked and I knew I had struck a nerve. I hadn’t meant to but he was always so serious when it came to protecting the family. I had no idea how he was keeping on a brave face when he was most likely falling apart inside.
“Val?” I asked softly as I climbed from the car, gaze still focused on the kids.
