“Which is why you need our help as well.”
Sounds caught my attention and while I bristled, a strange sense of relief flowed through me.
My brother and sister, my cousins, and at least two dozen soldiers surrounded us. All willing to risk their lives to save two of our own.
And to end a war that should have been done generations before.
Noticeably absent?
My father and uncle.
Well, I guess I knew where they stood.
Mikhail approached, a weapon in his hand and his arms crossed at his wrists in front of him. His eyes burned with the same kind of rage I’d felt for days. “You are family, Sasha. Never forget that. We aren’t the past. We are the future. But if you ever doubt me again, I will kick your motherfucking ass.”
The spark in his eyes was the one I’d remembered from years before when we’d been little more than delinquent teenagers spreading our wings and using the power we’d felt entitled to. Thank God we hadn’t gotten into much trouble. Maybe because both our fathers had used iron fists to control us instead of a firm hand.
That had made us into men of loyalty, virtue, and respect.
Now we’d become those reckless teenagers with no care for what happened to us in the process of our mission.
I was not only appreciative to have what would now forever be considered an extended family by my side, but also honored.
“Let’s roll. We have a job to do.”
“How are we going to fit on one plane?” Alexsey asked in jest.
Mikhail laughed. “I already took care of that. We have two. Alessandro confided in Vissarian so I was allowed to prepare. Sasha is right. Let’s do this. We aren’t coming home unless we have Lainey and Nina with us.”
I glanced at my brother then at Alessandro who shrugged. This time, working behind my back could mean saving my girls.
“What about Uncle Yuri and our other cousins?” Vissarian asked.
Mikhail kept his eyes locked on mine as he considered the question. Gregor, Konstantine, and Nikandr were three loyal sons, only Mikhail likely to remember Gregor the oldest. Our lives were completely different, our beliefs and cultures based on freedom on one side and tyranny on the other.
Yet we were family. Should that matter?
I had my opinion, but the only one that counted in the decision on how they’d be handled was Mikhail. Our Pakhan.
“We do what’s necessary to get Lainey and Nina back. No matter what it takes.”
As we jogged toward the awaiting planes, my thoughts drifted to Lainey, where they’d been almost every minute of every day since I’d last seen her.
I’d taken so much for granted in seven years. Or maybe most of my life. In enjoying the perks of being from a powerful family, I’d forgotten the true meaning of what life was all about.
Simple things.
Enjoying time together. Celebrating anniversaries and birthdays. Holidays and just any day.
That would change. Why? Because she’d changed me. With every song she’d poured her heart into, every brush of her hand, and every soft kiss, she’d turned me into a ravenous beast.
For her.
Only her.
The woman I loved.
CHAPTER 27
