Page 132 of Contract of a Billionaire

I pushed the button to snap the pictures and for the first time in months, the clicking of the camera soothed.

Both Salma and I heard the steps behind us at the same time and we jumped to our feet.

A swish of air left my lungs. “Kian, you scared us to death.”

He handed me a device. A bulky device that looked like an ancient telephone. Without cords.

“What’s that?”

“Satellite phone. Call your son.”

My eyes snapped to him, meeting his dark gaze.

“Why haven’t we used it before?” I hissed. “We could have been out of this hellhole.”

“We had to reach the area where it’s safe and I could connect to an untraceable satellite. The local regime is tracking all calls out of the country.”

It sounded all fucking Greek to me. “But now it’s safe?”

“I sent our location coordinates to someone who will hopefully come and get us.” He didn’t look very certain about it. “There are a few minutes left. Call your son.”

He didn’t have to say it twice. I snatched the phone and turned it over in my hand. There were numbered keys there.

Without wasting any time, I punched in Alessio’s number with trembling fingers.

Gunfire sounded in the distance, filling the air. My eyes locked on the horizon and I waited, holding my breath. Each ring made my heart sink a bit. What if Alessio didn’t answer?

My heart clenched in my chest. Weeks without Kol and Alessio felt like a lifetime.

Chapter44

Alessio

Two months without her.

Fear and fury at my failure rolled through me with ice and fire. I should have been able to secure a way into that goddamn country. I should have gotten her out by now.

Instead nothing.

Dante DiLustro was fucking refusing to provide me a direct contact for his Afghanistan supplier who could get me in.

I guess he was paranoid that I’d take him out of the equation and make a deal directly with them. It didn’t even cross my fucking mind. I just needed a way into Afghanistan, so I could get my woman out.

The Olympic reports on gold medals played on the screens. The U.S. won the pair figure skating gold and the whole country raved about the female ice skater. Annoying as fuck.

Byron wanted to meet. He had news and was on his way back from visiting one of the DiLustros. I hoped it was Dante. I needed a way in.

So here I was, at a small coffee shop in downtown D.C. ready to hear the news. It better be good news, because the next step was kidnapping the little fucker and torturing the information out of him. I regretted not starting with that method. I hoped to go about it the right way and not earn more enemies.

“Cookie?” Kol eyed the assortment of croissants, chocolate chip and sugar cookies.

“How about a croissant?” I suggested softly.

I should have left him with Branka or Autumn’s parents, but I couldn’t stand to leave him all day. A few hours here and there were fine. Besides, my little guy loved airplanes, and I took the opportunity to take him on my private jet.

It was the first time since Autumn was gone that I’d seen him so excited. He couldn’t decide which window to look out of. And then when I took him to the front of the plane where the pilot was, his eyes lit up like the brightest star and he smiled so happily, he reminded me of his mother.

“Daddy, cookie.” Kol pushed his palms against the glass separating him from the cookies. “Please, please, please. Daddy, cookie.”