Maksim nods grimly. “Alright. I promise.”
“And… help my family out, okay?” My voice cracks at the edges. “Don’t—Don’t let them struggle again. Not because of me.”
“They’ll be taken care of. I swear.”
“And the other thing we talked about, too?—”
“Mia.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand once. “I’ll take care of it. All of it. You have my word.”
“Thank you.”
We don’t say anything else on the way over.
Finally, after what feels like hours or days, we pull up in front of the hospital.Myhospital, in Brownsville.
The car rolls down the ramp to the underground parking lot. It’s eerily empty. I’ve never seen it like this before. I wonder how much Brad offered to the hospital’s administration to rent it out for the night. He’s always had way too much money to throw around.
I see him at the end of the parking lot. A pressed cream suit, an arrogant grin, the body language of someone who knows he’s won.
Then I see someone else.
“Kallie!”
I throw myself out of the car and rush over to her. She’s tied up, hands and feet bound, gagged so she won’t be able to scream. The gorgeous sari she was wearing earlier tonight for our celebration is all dirty, covered in floor dust.
I may not want to kill Brad, but right now, I’d punch his daylights out without a second’s thought.
Brad steps between us. “Not so fast, sweet thing.”
“Let her go,” I say, “or I swear?—”
“What? You’ll call your big, bad boyfriend?” He glances theatrically around the lot. “I don’t see him.”
Of course he’s not fucking here,I want to yell.I drugged him to save your ungrateful ass!
Though that’s not quite how that went, either. When I stepped out onto the balcony, part of me was holding out hope we could work this out together. That we could handle it like a team.
But then?—
“I need you to trust me.”
“I don’t think I can.”
Then I was left with no choice. There’s a lot I’m willing to bargain with, but Kallie’s life isn’t it.
And neither is my son’s future.
While I’m grinding my teeth into dust, Maksim steps out of the car, gun drawn. “How ‘bout you worry about the boyfriend of the woman you kidnapped, you piece of shit?”
“Maks, no?—”
“He hurt my girl,” he snarls. “He?—”
“He’s gonna let her go.” I place my hand on Maksim’s and gently lower his gun. “Isn’t that right, Brad? You’re gonna let Kallie go.”
Brad’s face goes pale at the sight of the gun, but he stands his ground. “Why should I? I don’t see Eli.”
“It’s not Eli you want.” I take a step forward. “It’s never been him. Isn’t that right?”
