Then that just brought me back to square one, didn't it?
All I had left was to wait for him to strike. Fuck, did I screw up so royally in my previous life that I had to go through all these hoops to get my happy ending?
Dominic frowned, checking the time on his golden watch.
“What’s wrong?” I questioned, as he shook his head, took out his phone, and raised it to his ear. “Dom?”
“Rosa was supposed to message me from the ice rink two hours ago. Why the hell is she not picking up her phone?” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as I froze.
What?
“Jake. Jake is with her.”
He cursed, and dialed again while pacing back and forth. I took out my phone as well, and Vitya picked up on a second ring.
“Check all the cameras. Call Vlad. Find Rosa and Jake.”
He already knew they’d gone outside, so he grunted, “On it.”
I prayed nothing happened to my son when I promised to keep him safe.
Vivian
The commotion in the main room snapped me out of my haze as I padded downstairs and noticed several agents, freaking FBI at that, paced the room while Dominic barked orders and Bratva members kept getting their guns ready.
He didn't even spare me a glance as they rushed outside. A second later, Radmir joined them with a pale expression while fear shone in his eyes.
“What’s going on?”
He didn't answer me, but took out his own gun while the hair on my neck prickled as I felt someone at my back. Radmir nodded, and at once, strong hands wrapped around me, blocking my movements. I tried to shift, but it was useless. He wouldn't even budge.
“Radmir!” I demanded, and he came closer, raising my chin.
“I’ll fix this, Vivian. But you have to stay.” Then he addressed the man behind my back who turned out to be Kostya. “Watch after her until I return.” His voice was void of any emotion as if he were a robot speaking and, with that, he quickly followed the guys, ignoring my shouts.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Lock the door from the outside,” Kostya ordered to one of the enforcers left with us, and once it was done, he spun me around to face him. “Calm down, Vivian.” I tugged on my hands harder and finally untangled them from his grip, stepping back while maintaining eye contact. I didn’t miss his grim facial expression or how he gritted his teeth.
“Why am I alone here with you?” I asked carefully, hectically thinking for a way out but not finding anything. I rubbed my hand on my chest, wondering why it heaved so much. Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
“You need to calm down and focus,” he repeated and then raised his arms in a defeated stance. “I won’t hurt you.”
“What’s going on? What happened? Where's my son?” And finally, I noticed the remorse and worry in his gaze as panic swept through, overshadowing any other emotion.
I knew I shouldn't have trusted them to keep Jake safe.
After all, they had failed to do it all those years ago.
Why would this time be any different?
Radmir
I held my sobbing child in my arms and left the fucking rusted house on the outskirts of the city, while the sirens screamed loudly all around me and paramedics rushed inside to help Rosa while Dominic stayed with her.
FBI and FSB surrounded the building, barking orders at everyone who would listen while the person who kidnapped Rosa and made her life hell for the past year was taken away somewhere by Vitya and Yuri.
