Page 64 of Darkest Game

“You have a gun on me. You’ll kill me the first second you get. I won’t attack you. I’ll give you Irina. You’re right. My mom means more.”

And while I do technically mean that… Irina does mean a lot to me. More than I ever imagined. I know for a fact that I cannot hand her over to Elaine to be killed.

So I need a plan. But it’s going to require giving Irina up temporarily.

“Good,” Elaine says, smiling like she thinks she’s won. “So bring Irina here.”

“Let my mom go.”

“Oh my god! We’re going around in circles. If you do not bring Irina here, I will stab your mother in the neck. How does that sound?”

“Don’t,” I growl.

“Then get Irina.”

I know Elaine is not going to bend and I cannot risk my mom’s life. With a sigh, I finally nod. “Ok. I’ll bring her here. If you kill my mom in the process, I will make you pay. Got it?”

She sneers at me. “Got it. Now go get the girl.”

I give my mom one final look, hoping she knows that I’ll do whatever I can to save her, and go back out to Irina.

“What’s happening?” she asks when I get into the car.

“My mom is tied to a chair. They have a knife to her throat. Elaine is going to kill her unless I give you to her. I can’t get my mom out of that situation. Not without a distraction.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…” I look into Irina’s pretty, sweet, caring face and know that I have to hurt her. And it hurts me more than I’ve ever felt before. “I’m saying I need to give you over to Elaine.”

She sucks in a breath. “I… figured something like this would happen.”

“I’m sorry, Irina. I have to save my mother.”

“I know. It’s why I came. Elaine wants me. I’ll give myself over to her if it means saving your mom.”

Fuck. Guilt flares through me. “You don’t even know my mom and yet you’re willing to sacrifice your life for her?”

“It’s the right thing to do. Your mom doesn’t deserve this. She never wanted any part of this life. But I’ve known my destiny. I’ve known that I would always belong to the mafia.”

“You’re an innocent in this too, Irina. You never deserved any of this.”

“I know. But she’s your mom. And… I care about you, Liam. You’ve saved my life so many times now. It’s only fair I return the favor by saving your mom’s life.”

“I don’t want you to do this,” I say gruffly.

“We have to. It’s why you came here. Because you know Elaine won’t stop until she’s killed us both. Don’t let your mom be collateral damage. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I was partially responsible for her death. So I’ll do this. For her. For… you.”

“I’m the bastard who kidnapped you. I don’t deserve your help.”

Her smile is tinged with sadness. “You’re also the man who’s made me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt. I was taught to be a good person and a good person helps those in need. Your mom needs us now. I’ll do it.”

“No. We’re not going down without a fight.”

“Your mom will be killed if we fight.”

“Then we put on a show,” I say. “We just have to distract Elaine long enough to save my mom. That’s it.”

“How?”