I haven’t slept in three days. That’s not an exaggeration.

Every time I close my eyes, I see her face, imagine her calling my name, and my mind spirals into a thousand different outcomes where I fail to bring her home.

I roam these halls like a restless ghost, snapping at anyone who dares ask how I’m doing.

I’m not doing well. I’m barely functioning.

Still, I keep moving because I don’t have a choice.

Cecily is missing, and I can’t rest until I find her.

Every single day, my men report no sign of that suspicious car near the estate, no indication of anyone matching her description in the usual places.

Each dead end grinds down my hope. But I can’t give up.

I swore to protect her, and I failed. The guilt eats at me every waking moment.

The nights are worse—dark hours where I’m left alone with the memory of her eyes, of the hint of sadness I ignored.

I’m in my office, slumped behind the desk with a half-finished report from Maksim.

He keeps handing me updates on the Bratva’s affairs and reminding me we can’t let business slide.

He’s right, but I can’t concentrate on shipping routes or supply lines.

All that matters is Cecily. Without her, nothing else matters.

I keep thinking about how I handled things. Should I have let her have more freedom? She made it clear that she felt trapped here. Was I too heavy-handed or too protective?

I sigh and rub my forehead. There are a hundred paths I could have taken, and they all ended in the same place—her slipping away.

A soft knock at the door sets me on edge, and I push up from the chair, praying for some good news for a change. “Enter.”

Maksim steps in, but his weary face doesn’t inspire confidence. “You need to eat something,” he says.

I glance at the clock. It’s nearing midnight. I haven’t eaten since morning, but my stomach roils at the thought of food. “Later,” I respond, waving him away.

He sighs but doesn’t move. “We’ve tried everything. Informants, local watchers, old contacts who might know Thorne’s movements. Nothing leads to her. We’ve combed the city four times.”

I press a hand over my face. “Then we comb it again.”

“We will,” he promises. “But you need rest. You can’t keep going like this.”

I slam a fist against the desk, rattling the lamp. “She’s out there. Either she ran, or Thorne took her. I can’t stop.”

Maksim tilts his head. Growing up, we were the closest of all our siblings, and that hasn’t changed much now that we’re adults. He knows better than to push me when I’m this wound up. “I’ll have the men double-check the outskirts. If we don’t find anything by morning—”

“We keep searching.” My voice comes out in a rasp. “She’s not disposable, Maksim. She’s my wife . I can’t let her slip away.”

Something unspoken passes over his features. Pity, maybe. I grit my teeth. I don’t want pity. I just want her back. He leaves without another word, pulling the door shut behind him.

Silence descends. I pace to the window and look out at the shapes in the darkness.

Guards patrol. Everything is too calm, mocking the turmoil in my head.

I replay the day she vanished, recalling how we fought and how I insisted on confining her to safe corridors.

She hated it—I'm sure she hated me for it. If she left of her own accord, it’s because I didn’t trust her enough. That realization burns.

I sink into a chair once more, hanging my head.

My chest feels tight; there’s an ache that’s become constant since she disappeared.

Cecily. I never told her how I felt, how I need her strength, wit, and the spark in her eyes.

I love her, though I kept that hidden. Now she’s gone, and I’m left with a regret so heavy it nearly crushes me.

The desk phone rings, startling me. I snatch it up. “Yes?”

A muffled male voice stammers out something about seeing a woman matching Cecily’s description near the old rail yard. My heart leaps, but I keep my tone controlled. “When?”

“Earlier today,” he answers. “Could be nothing.”

“Check anyway. Report back.” I hang up, gnawing on my lip. Another worthless lead, most likely, but I have to chase it.

Time crawls. Minutes turn into an hour, then two, with no follow-up. I step into the corridor, passing staff who glance at me with lowered gazes. They know not to engage me right now.

I find myself outside her room again. The door stands ajar.

I push it open gently and observe the small details she left behind.

Her perfume bottle on the dresser, a folded sweater on a chair, and her scent in every single damn corner.

It hits me how much I miss her presence, the way she’d fill a space with her quiet defiance or her sudden bursts of humor.

A guard intercepts me as I leave the room. “Mr. Barkov, we have no new information,” he says softly, as if he’s bracing for my outburst.

I just nod. Words fail me. I wander back to my office. The loneliness is suffocating. Usually, I thrive in silence, but now it torments me because it reminds me of what I lost.

Just after midnight, I’m slumped over the desk, head in my hands, when my phone vibrates. Not the desk phone—my personal one. Very few people have this number. The screen shows a series of random digits but no caller ID. I jab the answer button. “Dimitri.”

A crackle of static. I hold my breath. “Dimitri?” a voice says, faint but unmistakably hers. My body jolts as though struck. Cecily. Relief and dread collide in me. “Cecily,” I whisper. “Where are you? Are you alright?”

She exhales in a shaky burst. “Listen. I don’t have time. This call is encrypted, but if my father finds me talking to you—”

I tighten my grip on the phone as adrenaline spikes through my body. “Cecily, talk to me. Are you hurt?”

“Not yet,” she replies, though fear is evident in each syllable. “He has me in some old compound that used to be a resort outside the city. The Old Marina Lodge; do you remember it?”

She doesn’t give me a chance to confirm before she rushes out with, “He set up a perimeter with guards, but there’s a blind spot.

You can get in from the pool deck at the back.

There’s a maintenance gate near the fence.

If you come in from the south, you’ll avoid the main guard posts.

I have someone who will make sure it’s unlocked for you. ”

I scramble for a pen and scribble the details on a spare envelope. My hands tremble so hard I can barely write. “Got it. Old Marina Lodge, maintenance gates. Any idea how many guards?”

“A lot. He keeps some near the main building on rotating shifts. They’re all armed. You’ll need to be careful.”

My heart hammers. She’s risking everything to feed me this intel because she knows I wouldn’t just abandon her. When she needed help, she called me . Her husband. That has to count for something.

“I’ll come. Just hold on. Are you—?”

“I’m scared,” she confesses. “He hasn’t done anything yet, but I know him. He’s furious I married into the Bratva. He’s waiting for something, maybe trying to lure you into a trap. But I had to try. I had to let you know where I am.”

My throat knots. “Cecily, I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to—”

“I know,” she cuts me off as her voice cracks. “Just promise you’ll come. Please. I… I’m—” She halts, and I sense her fighting tears.

“I promise,” I assure her, pushing desperation aside to sound confident. “I’ll bring you home.”

She sniffles. “He’s always been cruel. But this is different. He’s…planning something big. If you wait too long, he might move me.”

“I won’t wait,” I vow. “We move tonight.”

She draws a shaky breath. “One more thing. The cameras around the pool are old. Probably easy to jam. But inside the compound, he upgraded to a newer system. Watch for a set of cameras near the eaves of the main house. If they catch you, he’ll sound the alarm.”

I scribble more notes. “We’ll jam them. We’ll find you. I swear.”

Her voice grows quieter. “Dimitri… I—” A clatter erupts in the background. A door slams. Another voice roars, menacing and cruel. “No!” she yelps. Then a crash. The phone connection sputters, and static blasts in my ear.

“Cecily!” I yell, but the line cuts out.

I stare at the phone in horror. My worst fear has been realized.

Thorne discovered her call. I grip the phone so hard my fingers ache.

She gave me the intel I needed, but at what cost?

He could punish her for this. The rage that burns through me is unlike anything I’ve felt before. I want to tear Thorne limb from limb.

I burst into the corridor, nearly running into Maksim. “Gather everyone,” I command. “Cecily called. Thorne has her at that old resort of the interstate. She gave me a route in.”

“She’s alive?”

“Yes, but he found out she called, so she might not be much longer. We have no time.” My heart pounds as I storm toward the foyer. “Get the rest of our brothers and all the men we trust, whether they’re in our family or not. We move out immediately.”

Maksim nods, no questions asked. He vanishes to rally the troops while I hurry back to my office to collect gear.

My mind seethes with images of Thorne hurting her.

I won’t let that happen. She’s mine to protect.

I rummage through a locked cabinet, grabbing a sidearm, extra magazines, and a rifle.

Each piece of equipment I handle with a single purpose: rescue.

My phone dings. A text from Grigor: On my way with men .

Will coordinate with Aleksei. That’s all I need.

We’re going in. Pool deck, maintenance gates.

We’ll slip in quietly, jam the cameras, get her out before Thorne can bring his network down on us, and then I’ll find the son of a bitch and kill him myself.

A wave of guilt and relief tangles in me. She’s alive. She wants me to come for her. Despite everything, she trusts me enough to risk that call. If I fail now, I don’t deserve my title as her husband. I don’t deserve her.

I jog to the foyer, weapons in hand. Men gather, suits or black gear, each armed. Maksim stands at the front with his phone pressed to his ear, relaying instructions to a second wave. Before long, all of my brothers and their respective men fill the space, waiting for my word.

They all turn to me, their silence thick with anticipation.

“She called,” I announce, my voice echoing against the high ceiling.

“She’s in Thorne’s possession. She gave us a way to slip in without triggering an alarm.

There’s someone on the inside helping her, and we need to be cautious of the cameras.

If we jam them, neutralize the guards, we can find her. ”

A ripple of tension goes through the men. They know this could be a trap. They also know we can’t stand by.

“We’ll keep the second wave outside the compound, block any backup,” Akim offers. “Keep Thorne pinned while you extract Cecily.”

I nod and look over each face. “We go now, no time to waste. Thorne might hurt her for calling me. We move in stealth if possible. If it escalates, we fight our way out.”

Nikolai slings his rifle over his shoulder. “Understood. Vehicles are ready.”

I glance at the clock. It’s late, perfect for a covert approach.

My pulse quickens with the knowledge that in a few minutes, I’ll be on Thorne’s doorstep.

Fear and fury mix inside me, but I push them aside for focus.

She needs me to be strong. She needs me to be the man who’ll tear down kingdoms for her. That’s exactly what I intend to do.

I check my pistol one last time before flicking off the safety and making sure everything’s set. The men around me do the same—clicking magazines into place and securing their vests. After what feels like forever, I exhale and turn to my brothers.

Akim comments, “We’re risking a war with Thorne. The question is whether we care.”

“If he wants a war, he’ll get one,” Aleksei answers. As the head of the family, his word is gold. “But first, we get her out.”

He inclines his head. That’s the end of it.

We all know the consequences. We don’t care.

She’s worth every bullet if that’s what it takes.

I pivot and march toward the front door.

The men follow in a tight formation. We pass the final set of guards, who open the door to the night.

Our SUVs wait outside, engines idling, headlights dimmed to avoid drawing attention.

The memory of Cecily’s voice resonates in my mind, how she said, “I’m scared.” The urge to soothe her drives me forward. I can’t fail. She’s out there, counting on me. On us.

Hoisting my rifle across my chest, I set my jaw and step outside. My men file in behind me, weapons ready. Each step is a promise: I’ll find her, no matter what stands in my way.

We climb into the vehicles, closing the doors with a muffled click.

Aleksei takes the driver’s seat of the lead SUV and Grigor slides in beside him.

Akim coordinates from the second wave as the rest of us settle in, radios in hand and guns at our sides.

The night envelops us like a cloak, providing perfect cover for the operation.

I meet Akim’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Let’s roll.”

He shifts into gear, and we surge forward. Our convoy exits the estate gates with each vehicle loaded with men prepared for anything. We have a plan, and we have the fury to back it up.

Cecily, hold on. I’m coming.