Page 49

CHAPTER 49

DINARA

As soon as the plane touches down on the private airstrip, three of Cillian’s men escort me out toward the SUV Konstantin sent. Just as I approach the vehicle, the tinted back window rolls down. At first, I can’t see who’s inside, but then a small face pops out.

“Hey!” Gregory waves excitedly.

I grin, pleasantly surprised. “Hey!”

Tatiana scoots closer beside him. “Hey, sis.”

“What are you guys doing here?” I open the door and slide inside, immediately pulling them both into a hug.

“Konstantin said we could come pick you up,” Gregory says.

His bodyguard, Vlad, starts the SUV, while Anatoly, Tatiana’s guard, is seated beside him in the front.

“Well, I’m so happy you did.”

Tatiana leans forward. “So…how’s married life?”

Gregory smirks, and I see a little of the man he’s becoming. “Yeah. Is he treating you nicely, or do I need to have a talk with him?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Not so bad, actually.”

Tatiana watches me for a beat, something softer in her expression. “I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.”

My chest tightens as I reach for her hand and squeeze. “We all do.”

As soon as I take my phone off airplane mode, a voicemail icon pops up. My heart gives a little kick when I see Cillian’s name. Without hesitation, I enter my code, pressing the phone to my ear.

The moment I hear his voice, my lips stretch into a wide smile.

“Hey, baby, prasti menya.”

He’s speaking Russian. Oh God. Why is that so sexy?

“Ya idiot. Ya nakalenih budu prasit tvayo prasheniya telayu mayu jzin.”

A full-bodied laugh escapes me now, drawing curious glances from Tatiana and Gregory, but I can’t stop listening.

Cillian, my very Irish husband, has just declared himself an idiot and promised to beg for my forgiveness on his knees for the rest of his life. I like the sound of that, actually.

He continues, a little uncertain now. “I hope what I said was right. Konstantin told me that’s how you say, ‘I’m sorry I missed you before you got on your plane.’ I probably butchered that. Anyway, I love you. Call me when you land.”

The way he said all that—so serious, so utterly convinced he was saying something entirely different—only makes this funnier. Wait until he learns what he actually said.

Tatiana raises a brow, amused, as I lower the phone, intending on calling my husband and enlightening him.

“What was that about?”

I shake my head, still grinning. “Oh, you know…just Konstantin messing with Cillian. The usual.”

Tatiana chuckles. “Of course he was.”

As I’m about to press Cillian’s name on my phone, the SUV jerks to a sudden stop.

My body slams forward, a cold wave of panic rushing through me as a wall of black vehicles surrounds us—four SUVs in front, two behind.

“Oh my God!” Tatiana cries while my stomach plummets.

Oh God. No, no, no!

“I’m scared,” Gregory breathes out.

Me too.

“It’s okay. Everything is gonna be okay.”

But I don’t even believe it myself.

The first shot rings out as a masked man in a backseat takes aim at us from the front. At the same moment, our bodyguards draw their weapons. This SUV is armored, but there are just too many cars out there.

Another shot fires, and my body jerks with absolute fear. Then?—

Chaos.

Gunfire erupts from everywhere, bullets hammering against the SUV, the relentless ping of metal on metal filling the air.

“Get down!” Vlad shouts as he pops open the window just enough to fire into one of the vehicles.

I don’t hesitate. I shove Gregory and Tatiana to the floor, shielding their bodies with mine.

“Stay low! Don’t move!” I command despite the terror racing through me.

Through the window, I find masked men pouring out of the attacking SUVs, their weapons raised—guns, bats, crowbars.

They’re coming for us.

“I’m texting Konstantin!” I tell them.

“He knows. He’s sending backup!” Anatoly shouts back, firing and killing another man.

But we’re outnumbered. How the hell do we survive this?

This has to be my father. No one else would be so bold. I can’t let him take Tatiana and Gregory. They’re my priority right now.

“Give me a gun!” I snap at Anatoly.

He doesn’t hesitate this time. He tosses me a pistol, and I grip it tightly, my hands surprisingly steady. I shift just enough to peek through the shattered window, aiming for the closest target.

Bang.

One of them drops.

But it barely makes a difference. More take his place, swarming the SUV like vultures.

The vehicle rocks as someone swings a crowbar against the reinforced windows. Another fires at the tires, trying to disable us completely.

Vlad slams the gas, attempting to get away.

Boom.

An RPG fires, and the SUV explodes at the front, sending us flipping through the air.

A scream rips from my throat as we crash onto our side, metal groaning, glass raining down. Pain jolts through my ribs as I’m thrown against the door.

“Tatiana! Gregory!” I scream.

But I don’t hear them. Their eyes are closed.

Oh my God. Are they dead?

No, they can’t be!

I reach for them, needing to check if they’re alive, to get them out so we can somehow get away. But suddenly, hands wrench open the door, two masked men dragging me out.

“Dvai suka.” A man calls me a bitch as he pulls me out while I thrash, kicking and clawing my way out of the wreckage.

I see them doing the same to Tatiana and Gregory.

Nonono!

“Please, leave them alone!” I beg, but I know it’s no use.

Gunshots ring out as one of the men points a weapon at Vlad and Anatoly and blood starts seeping from their heads.

“No!” I scream.

But it’s useless. They’re dead.

A fist slams into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. Before I can recover, a rough hand grabs my hair and yanks my head back.

“Enough,” another voice snaps. One I don’t recognize.

Then…darkness.

A woven hood is placed over my head, and I’m shoved into a vehicle. My body slams against the seat as it speeds off, tires screeching.

I don’t know where we’re going. But I know who sent them: my father and brother. There’s no doubt.

And I know one thing. This isn’t just a kidnapping.

It’s an execution. Mine.

* * *

CILLIAN

Something’s wrong.

Dinara landed thirty minutes ago, but every call goes straight to voicemail. I’ve tried Konstantin too, and nothing.

What the fuck is going on?!

I just got off the plane in New Jersey, planning to surprise her after wrapping up business in New York early. But now all I can think about is finding her. Making sure she’s okay.

I know she landed safely. My men saw her leave in Konstantin’s SUV. But after that? Who the hell knows?

I try her again, pressing the phone tight against my ear.

Fuck.

Straight to voicemail.

I call Konstantin, and just like before, it just keeps ringing.

A cold weight settles in my gut. Every fear spins in my head. Anything could’ve happened.

I tell myself there’s a reason she’s not answering. Maybe she’s busy. Maybe her phone died. But it doesn’t sit right. Not when I know the threats against her. Konstantin told me everything.

My fingers curl at my side. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I should’ve stayed with her. It’s my job to protect her, to keep her safe.

I hit call again. Voicemail.

“Damn it.”

Before I can try one more time, my phone vibrates in my hand.

Konstantin.

Fuck. Thank God.

I answer immediately. “Where the hell is?—”

“She’s just been taken.”

The words slam into me like a bullet, ripping through my world until I can’t so much as breathe.

I hit the gas, the car flying down the road. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“My men were ambushed. Her father’s people took her and her siblings.” His words are razor-sharp with fury.

Rage ignites inside me, hot and blinding.

“Where?” I demand, every goddamn awful thought of what they could be doing to her slamming into my mind. “I fucking hope you know where they took her!”

“We have an inside man. He told us where they’re being held.” He shoots off an address before his voice drops, low and lethal. “I’m bringing my army.”

“So am I.”

Silence.

Heavy. Deadly.

“Every man who touched my wife will die begging for her forgiveness.”