Page 36 of Sin in My Inbox (Sexting Spark #1)

Dmitri

The night wind carried a chill as I stood by the lake where Avery and I had first made love, watching ripples spread across the water's surface.

The memories were still so vivid—I could still picture that night's starlight and her bright eyes. Back then, I thought as long as it was her, I'd accept even little lies because I loved her. And I truly believed she loved me, too.

Every look she gave me, every tiny gesture, made me believe it completely.

But ever since witnessing her conversation with Ella this afternoon, I wasn't so sure anymore.

I couldn't help wondering—can love really be faked? Maybe I'd been wrong about her all along? But another part of me was questioning myself deep down: you're still doubting her? Have you forgotten all those countless nights of whispered promises?

Logic told me I should go back immediately, confront her face to face, and use every method I had to pry the truth from her lips.

But my body wouldn't move. I was painfully aware that I'd become the kind of pathetic coward I'd always despised.

Whether her reaction would be angry denial or honest confession, neither was a result I wanted to face.

The inner torment made it almost impossible to breathe. I needed time, needed space to untangle this mess. I couldn't go back like this, couldn't face her with this tearing pain.

I walked toward the car parked by the roadside. Nick was already waiting in the driver's seat.

"Back to the manor, boss?"

"Yeah." I slid into the passenger seat.

Nick started the engine, and we began cutting through the night.

The moment I pushed open the estate's front door, I immediately felt the silence of this place. The air lacked that living presence that only existed when she was here.

Petty emerged from the living room, and the expression on her face instantly confirmed my worst fears.

"Where's Avery?"

"Sir, Miss Carter went out this afternoon and hasn't returned. I thought she was with you."

Avery was missing. And the timing was right after her meeting with Ella.

This coincidence cut through my last shred of hope like a blade. Terrible possibilities began growing wildly in my mind—had she been forced to leave? Or had she discovered her cover was blown and chosen to disappear?

"Did she say where she was going?" I tried to keep my voice calm.

"No, sir. She just said she was going out for a bit and would be back soon. But that was six hours ago."

Six hours. Enough time for a lot of things to happen.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

One ring, two rings, three rings, until the busy signal kicked in.

No one answered.

I started pacing in the foyer, each step accompanied by my accelerating heartbeat. My brain was spinning frantically. Avery met with Ella this afternoon, then disappeared. Her phone was off, no message left behind.

"Get the car ready," I told Nick. "We're going to her apartment."

By the time we reached her apartment, my heartbeat had become irregular. This old five-story building looked especially lonely in the night, its weathered walls and mottled windows telling stories of time's passage. But now everything looked ominous to me.

When we stood in front of her door, I paused for a moment.

"Nick, open it."

Nick nodded and kicked the door straight in. The sound of splintering wood was especially sharp in the silent hallway.

The door burst open, and I flicked on the lights, revealing the room's layout clearly.

No signs of struggle, no evidence of being searched. Avery's traces of life were still clearly imprinted in this space—the open book on the table, those photos she'd hung on the walls herself, the cheap but carefully arranged cosmetics on her vanity.

Every item told the story of her simple but hardworking life. I walked to her vanity, my fingers lightly touching her belongings. The unease grew stronger.

"Sir." Nick's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Miss Carter's ID and important documents are all still here."

Just then, slow footsteps echoed from the hallway. Nick and I both became alert, hands instinctively moving toward our weapons.

A figure appeared in the doorway—a middle-aged woman. Her face was pale, her frame thin, but she had eyes identical to Avery's.

Seeing us two uninvited guests, she was clearly terrified, her body swaying violently and having to grip the doorframe tightly to stay upright.

"Who are you?" Her voice was weak but full of worry.

I understood immediately—this was Avery's mother, Helena Carter. The "friend" she visited at the hospital every day.

"Are you Avery's mother?" I stepped forward, reining in all my hostility and intimidation, using every ounce of effort to make my voice sound as gentle as possible .

But she recoiled like a frightened bird, pressing against the wall, trembling all over. "Yes, I'm her mother. Who are you? Why are you in my daughter's home?"

"I'm Dmitri," I took a deep breath. "Avery's friend."

Helena's body instantly stopped trembling and she quickly came up to me. "Oh! You're Dmitri?"

I hadn't expected this reaction. Had Avery mentioned me? To her mother?

Before I could sort through my thoughts, Helena urgently grabbed my arm. "Dmitri, Avery's in danger!"

Her tears fell in big drops. "Please, save her."

"What happened? Where is she?" I asked urgently, my voice almost trembling.

"To save me, she was kidnapped by a bunch of mafia thugs." Helena gripped my hand, those fingers made skeletal by illness now exploding with surprising strength, her nails digging deep into my skin.

I sucked in a cold breath, knowing things had developed in the worst direction I'd anticipated.

As if confirming my guess, my phone suddenly rang.

That sharp ringtone thundered through this small, dead-silent apartment like a bolt of lightning, making every nerve in my body instantly tense to the extreme. When I saw the unfamiliar number on the screen, my instincts told me this call was about Avery.

I answered almost immediately, holding my breath and focusing intently on any sound from the other end.

"Dmitri Belov."

Just as I thought.

The voice that came through was one I'd never forget, carrying a certain smug amusement.

"Missing your little lover?"

I gripped the phone tighter, trying hard to suppress the rage and anxiety inside.

"Vladimir, if you touch one fucking hair of hers, I'll blow you to pieces, along with your old man's grave."

It had been a long time since I'd been provoked to this degree since taking over the organization. That savage desire to tear everything apart was burning wildly inside me.

"Threats?" Vladimir laughed, that sound scraping across my nerves like broken glass. "Dmitri, you're in no position to threaten anyone right now. Want to hear how your little lover's doing?"

From the other end, only faint breathing sounds came through.

"Avery? Are you there?" I shouted.

No response, then I heard a man apparently curse, followed by a dull sound like someone being dragged. Then Avery let out a pained moan. Though quiet, it clearly conveyed her current suffering.

"Oh dear!" Helena heard Avery's voice and collapsed, thankfully caught by Nick.

"Vladimir!"

I ground out that name almost syllable by syllable through clenched teeth, each sound carrying my determination to tear him apart.

"I'll hunt you down and then torture you in the worst way possible, you'd wish you were dead."

"Calm down, Dmitri. Your little lover is safe for now, as long as you do what I say."

"What do you want?"

"Simple." Vladimir's tone became casual, as if discussing the weather. "That abandoned warehouse in the suburbs, where we used to do business. Come alone. You've got one hour. Remember, alone."

"If you don't come, you'll never see her again." Vladimir paused, his voice becoming more sinister, carrying a bone-chilling pleasure. "Oh, and there's good news I should tell you. Your little lover might have a little life in her belly. I'll handle them very gently, I promise."

The call ended.

The whole world spun before my eyes. Avery was pregnant. My child. Our child.

An unprecedented fury exploded inside me. I violently hurled my phone against the wall, watching it shatter. Then my fist slammed hard into the dining table, the wooden surface splitting on impact.

"Boss!" Nick exclaimed .

My eyes were blood red as I remembered some of Avery's recent changes—details I'd noticed but hadn't thought deeply about.

She'd been tired often, would refuse certain foods, and sometimes had slight nausea.

Now these symptoms reassembled in my memory, forming a complete picture I'd failed to recognize.

"Nick, get me weapons. I'm going to tear Vladimir apart piece by piece."

"Boss, this is obviously a trap." Nick's concern was clear in his voice. "You can't go alone."

"I know." I quickly drew the gun from Nick's holster, checking the chamber. "But I don't have a fucking choice!"

"We could gather more men, surround that warehouse—"

I cut him off, sliding the pistol into my waist holster. "There's no time, and if they see I brought backup, Avery and the baby are dead."

The baby.

Our baby. That little life I hadn't even met yet but who had already become the most important part of my existence. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside.

"At least let me stay nearby on standby." Nick insisted. "If things go wrong, I can—"

I shook my head, unwilling to compromise on this. "Vladimir's not stupid. He'll definitely have people watching the area."

I grabbed Nick by his shirt collar, pulling him close. "Listen, if I die in there, you take everyone and storm that place. No survivors, understand? Not a single one!"

Nick looked at me in shock at my loss of control, then slowly nodded.

"Give me half an hour." I released him, my voice regaining some rationality, but the madness still burned in my eyes. "If you don't hear from me, contact Andre and have all his men mobilized. Level that warehouse."

Nick nodded, though his eyes were still full of worry. I knew what he wanted to say, wanted to talk me out of this near-suicidal act. But he also knew that in this situation, any persuasion would be futile.

Avery's mother was almost collapsed on the sofa, her gaze empty, tears silently falling. I stopped, took a deep breath, and went over to hold her hand.

"I will bring her back. I swear."

The car raced down the empty highway as I floored the accelerator, the engine roaring like a wild beast. The speedometer needle kept climbing, but it still felt too slow for me. Way too slow.

The abandoned warehouse appeared in the distance, that massive concrete structure looking both sinister and solemn in the moonlight, like a stage prepared for this final showdown.

I walked toward the warehouse's main entrance, each step carrying murderous intent.

Vladimir, you made the biggest mistake of your life, and you're going to pay ten times over for it.