Page 136 of Brutal Reign

“The moment this plane takes off, you’ll have to contend with the Syndicate. Pavel will search to the ends of the earth to find us. You should be afraid of my husband, not whomever you owe money to.” Absolute certainty fills my voice because if Pavel is alive, and I hope and pray he is, nothing will stop him from coming after us.

Simon’s expression darkens at the word “husband”. “Oh, how sweet. ‘My husband.’” He grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head back painfully. “In what world do you think your marriage was real? Pavel forced a priest to marry you at gunpoint in a foreign country. It’s not official, which means you’re still engaged to me. You’re going to become my wife, hand over your inheritance, and smile while you do it. I’m going to look like a hero, the man who rescued you from the Russians. And if you cause any trouble, your son pays the price.”

The threat against Kin drains all fight from my body. I nod numbly, hating myself for the capitulation but knowing I have no choice.

“Good. Now we move,” Chen commands from behind us.

Simon tangles his fingers in my hair. His mouth crashes against mine in a kiss that tastes like brutality and violence. “Can’t wait for our wedding night, wife,” he whispers against my lips before shoving me toward the back of the plane.

I stumble toward Kin’s seat, my legs barely supporting me. He’s still sleeping, his small chest rising and falling peacefully. I reach out with shaking hands to wake him gently.

“Mama!” Kin’s face lights up when he sees me, but his expression quickly falls when he notices my bound hands and bruised cheek. “Mama’s hurt.”

The fear clouding his innocent face breaks something inside me. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I promise. I’m here now, and I’ll protect you.”

And I will. With everything I have.

Kin nestles against me, and I fight the swell of emotion that threatens to choke me. I wish I could assure him that Pavel is coming for us, that he’ll find us before Simon can take us away. But I can’t make that promise.

“Runway is clear. Prepare for immediate departure,” the pilot announces over the PA system.

The engines come to life, and I feel the aircraft begin to taxi toward the runway. The life Pavel and I could have together dissolves like mist. A future that seemed so real just hours ago, the happiness that was finally within reach, all of it gone in a heartbeat.

Just as despair threatens to consume me completely, the world outside plunges into absolute darkness.

CHAPTER

FORTY-NINE

PAVEL

Ice-cold focus replacesevery other emotion as the airfield materializes from the darkness. It’s a simple runway, bordered by basic infrastructure and chain-link fencing.

The jet waits on the tarmac, engines coming to life, and all I can think about are the two people inside who matter most to me—my family. The possibility of losing them cuts through me like a blade.

“Cut the lights,” I order our driver, keying my comm to relay the same command to Niko and Vadim’s vehicle.

We approach the airstrip under cover of darkness, our SUVs moving in tight formation toward the perimeter fence.

I run through my gear one final time: Glock in its shoulder holster, backup pistol at my ankle, combat knife on my belt.

“Jet engines are hot. Estimated three minutes to takeoff,” Eva confirms through my earpiece, her drone feeding us real-time intel.

Fuck me.Three minutes. That’s all the time I have to save the two most important people in my world.

The thought of never waking up to Kin’s laughter again, never making pancakes while he sits on the counter stealing berries, and never holding Hope as she sleeps is unbearable. All those perfect mornings we’ve shared—teaching him to swim while Hope watched from the pool’s edge, her smile brighter than sunlight… I refuse to let that future slip away. I won’t live in a world without them.

“Dinara, what’s the status on the power grid?” I ask.

“I’m close, but I have to get through their protection protocols,” she responds, strain evident in her voice. “Give me another minute. I’m working as fast as I can.”

I exhale slowly, forcing myself to stay calm while every second stretches into an eternity.

“Here, take a look.” Roman hands me a pair of night-vision binoculars, and I study the airfield through them. The jet is positioned about two hundred yards from our location.

“They’ll have to taxi past that hangar before takeoff. That’s our window.”

“What’s the plan?” Roman asks, checking his own weapon.