Page 115 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

“Mikhail, Misha, Michaelangelo—you know who the fuck I’m talking about,” I say.Mishais the head of the Ukrainian Mafiya, and Axel has some connections with him, as well as his disdain for the people associated with Lakeland and Isla Cara.

“Yeah, I got you,” he says. He sounds hesitant.

“All right. We need firepower and an opening. Get Misha on the line,” I command, and neither Axel nor Riale moves.

“Did I fuckin’ stutter?” I roar, fingers twitching and ready to hit someone or grab my gun orsomething.

“Storm—” Riale starts.

“Nah, nigga. I definitely don’t want to hear no shit from you.” I swing to Axel. He leans forward in his chair, his hands dangling between his legs as he rests his elbows on his thighs.

“What progress have you made on spotting Lakeland?” I ask. Sweat starts to run down my spine, and I crack my neck from side to side, irritated.

“I have it on good authority that he’s in New England right now. It’s not confirmed.”

My eye twitches.

“When will it be confirmed?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“Within a few hours,” he replies.

I can only focus on one thing: Eliminating the threat to my family.

“We’ve got to end this shit with Lakelandnow,” I emphasize, pulling out the nuclear option. “We need to grab his daughter. That’ll draw him out, and we can end this for good.”

Silence falls over the room, and Axel makes a weary sound, not unlike the disapproving sound he made the first time I brought this up over the phone while in Versailles.

“What?” Riale grinds out, and I finally face him head-on.

“Lakeland has a daughter. I’ve known about her. He keeps her locked up somewhere around here.”

More silence from the room, and I feel a slight nudge of…something. Maybe it’s remembering how Lakeland talked about his daughter the last time he mentioned her.

“We need to abduct her and use her as bait to get a face-to-face with Lakeland. Then, we can end this. I know how he thinks. If he didn’t value her, even if just as a possession, he wouldn’t keep her locked away.”

More. Fucking Silence. Then, Axel sighs and says, “Storm?—”

“No, I don’t wanna hear it. Listen, you said it yourself that he’s on the run. Who’s to say that he’ll stay in one place long enough for someone to off him? This way, we control the terms and the turf.”

“Storm, you want us to kidnap a kid?” Riale asks, disbelief plain in his voice.

“The ends justify the means,” I snap.

“The hell they do! What you’re talking about is crazy, Storm,” Axel says, and I narrow my eyes in his direction.

“Well, this situation is crazy. Lakeland killing my parents is crazy. His sending assassins after the love of my fuckinglifeis crazy. There’s nothing about this situation that’s sane!”

Riale takes a step closer to me.

“We’re taking the girl,” I grind out. “If what I’ve heard is true, she might be looking for a way out anyway. But we can’t risk waiting.”

“That makes us no better than the monsters we’re trying to kill,” Riale shouts.

“And ask me if I give afuck!” I shout back, rushing him.

“Storm!” Axel shouts to get my attention. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him shout, which is why it stuns me into silence. Breathing hard, Riale and I glare at each other before my best friend takes a step away.

“I know I speak for Riale when I say we want to light that bastard up like a Christmas tree. But we’re not abducting anyone, and we can’t move now. You’ve got to wait. Let me get with Misha and we’ll form a plan.”