Page 92 of Dark Desires

“Christian de la Rosa is holding her. He thinks this will break me, that we’ll give him whatever he wants to keep her safe.”

Grigori speaks up. “So, we kill him.”

Luk shakes his head. “It’s not that simple.”

I glance back at them. “We don’t act rashly. Not yet. Christian has Isabella and our leverage is limited. We need to be smart, deliberate.”

Lev steps forward. “Whatever you need, Alexei. You know we’ve got you.”

“Family before everything,” Grigori says.

“Family before everything,” I repeat.

Yuri speaks up. “What’s the play?”

I let the silence hang for a moment. “The details aren’t important yet. What you need to know is that I’m going to get Isabella out. And I’m going to make sure our family comes out stronger on the other side.”

Lev nods. “You’re not doing this alone.”

“No,” I agree. “I’m not. But the risks are mine to bear. You all know what this means.”

Luk claps a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve faced worse, Alexei. This is nothing.”

“This won’t be easy,” I say. “If we fail, and Christian manages to execute his plan…”I trail off.

“Not going to happen,” Lev says. “When we work together, there’s nothing the Ivanovs can’t accomplish.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“We’ll get her back,” Yuri says. “And then we’ll make Christian regret ever touching her.”

I nod. “We move soon. Be ready.”

They file out one by one, leaving me alone with my thoughts.For the first time in a long while, I feel something close to hope.

Because no matter what comes next, I know I won’t face it alone.

CHAPTER 30

ALEXEI

The gates of the Mancini mansion open slowly as my car approaches.

I pull into the driveway, rolling to a stop in front of the house. My phone buzzes on the seat next to me. It’s a text from Yuri:Omar’s on the plane. All set. I’m on standby for the girl.

Good. One part of this plan is in motion, but it’s the easy part. The rest? The part where I negotiate with a man who might prefer me dead, try and convince him to send his niece halfway across the world?

That’s going to be more complicated.

I pocket the phone, killing the engine. As soon as I step out of the car, the Mancini guards close in. They’ve always been wary of me, but tonight, there’s something more.

It’s like I’m being treated as an enemy.

“Relax,” I say. “I’m here to chat.”

One of them jerks his head toward the door. They don’t speak. They don’t have to. Their body language speaks loud and clear.

I follow them inside, my boots echoing against the polished marble floors. The house is eerily quiet, like it’s holding its breath. By the time we reach the den, I’ve counted six guards.Six guns trained on me, even if they haven’t drawn them yet.