Inwardly, I cursed her stubbornness. I would’ve preferred she hadn’t gone to work at all.
“They were in her home,” he quietly continued. “They know she’s staying in your apartment. They’ve been watching—I can’t prove it, but my guts are never wrong. They haven’t done anything overtly. I believe they want fear.”
He didn’t need to speak the word “yet.” Nor did he have to say that this was likely an attempt to gain leverage over me. We both knew it lingered silently at the end of his sentence. My heart stuttered and I closed my eyes once. Just once. Then the steel slid back into place, and my heart hammered with purpose.
“Pull her now,” I insisted. “Get her the hell out of there. Don’t make it obvious that you’re leaving in a hurry. Once you’re on the road, no lights on inside the vehicle. No direct route.”
“Already moving,” Archer replied. “She’s scared. But she’s steady.”
“She will be,” I murmured. “Because you are there. Keep her safe for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let me speak to her once you’re safely in the SUV.”
“Roger that. I’ll call you back.”
In the background, I could hear muffled footsteps and rustling before the call ended. I hadn’t wanted to hang up. The not knowing what was happening was fraying my nerve endings. Then my phone rang, and I released a heavy breath I hadn’t known I was holding. There was the sound of a car door, quickly followed by another. The engine turned over and then, “Hello?”
Firm, not afraid. That’s my girl.
“You and our baby will be protected. I promised you this and I will not fail you. Trust Archer. Do exactly as he says. I will be home soon.” I said it as if I’d simply gone to the grocery store to get bread.
“Okay. I will.” Quieter, but still strong.
“I love you,” I murmured, the words coming out almost rusty-sounding. It had been a long time since I’d said those words to a woman. A lifetime.
I heard her softly gasp.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
“I’ll see you before you know it.”
“See you soon.”
I ended the call and turned back to Viktor and the two men with us. “Bring them inside.”
Immediately, we went to work. I was on a tight timeline now.
The older brother surprisingly broke first.
He cried like a little child when he realized this was the end of the road for him. When he realized the Armenians’ promises had turned to dust in the wind. When he understood that duplicity lined your pockets and sometimes bought you time—but never safety.
I didn’t raise my voice. There was no need.
“You let someone into her home,” I bit out. “You touched what is mine.”
“We’ve been here. In Russia. We didn’t let anyone in anywhere. Please,” he begged. They always begged at the end, when they realized mercy wasn’t part of the deal. Yet they tried. It never worked.
Viktor placed a hand on my arm. I glanced at him, and he gave me a silent but questioning look. We stepped back out of earshot. “What are you talking about?”
Blinking slowly, I realized I’d slipped. My emotions had gotten the better of me and my mind had blurred. We had proof that these men had betrayed the Bratva, not me personally, or that they had anything to do with Sofia.
“I’m sorry… I… my phone call disturbed me.”
“Maksim, this is not like you. Separate your emotions from your duty as you were taught. Your woman is… safe?”
“At the moment.”
