My fingers cling to Jagger as he carries me down the stairs. He steps carefully, making sure I don’t bounce, and I place a soft kiss against his neck, silently thanking him for taking care of me.
We cross the foyer in a tight formation. Sly sweeps the space to the left, his gun tracking every shadow. Pete covers the right, moving backward a few steps at a time so nothing can approach from behind. Dex pivots between them, angling his weapon down each hallway as we pass, their movements sharp and practiced.
They look like a single unit, shifting effortlessly to cover every direction at once, creating a wall of protection around us as we push toward the door.
Elias reaches the front door and pauses, listening, gun raised. No one breathes. Even the air feels suspended. He cracks the door open inch by inch, eyes narrowing at the empty step and quiet stretch of lawn beyond it.
He gives a small nod, pulling the door wide, gun still raised as Sly moves first, sweeping the doorway.
Dex moves through next, then Jagger carries me out after him, the cool air rushing over me like a welcome breath. Elias and Pete spill out right behind us, all of them spreadingjust enough to cover every angle as we move toward the vehicles parked off to the side.
For a single heartbeat, it feels like we made it.
Then I hear it, sharp metallic clicks snapping through the air around us. My stomach drops in fear as Jagger tenses beneath me. I grip him tighter, both of us turning to try and find where the danger is coming from.
A dozen figures step out from behind the vehicles, and every muscle in my body locks tight. Their guns are already raised, aimed straight at us, their movements sharp and confident like they have been waiting for this exact moment.
We skid to a halt as Elias lifts his weapon. Dex shifts in front of us as Sly and Pete spread out, guns raised just enough to form a protective line.
Then one of them steps forward. My stomach drops in recognition as Jagger squeezes me tighter against him.
Ivan’s smile is slow and deliberate, his eyes fixed on me with a calm certainty that makes my skin prickle. His voice hits me like a wave of cold dread, telling me my nightmare isn’t finished.
“Going somewhere?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
WREN
Jagger slowly lowers me to the ground, then nudges me behind him, so he’s blocking me completely. My guys shift slightly, letting Jagger move in line with them as he pulls a gun out that’s been tucked in the back of his pants.
They’re in a standoff against Ivan’s men, except we are outnumbered at least two-to-one. I cling to the back of Jagger’s shirt as I peek out between him and Dex, fear coiling in my stomach. How the hell were we going to get out of this?
“Well, well,” Ivan says in his thick Russian accent. “Fancy running into you here,” he says when his eyes find mine. Then they look to Jagger, and a small frown pinches his brow. “Maybe I won’t have to leave empty-handed after all.”
He grins, beckoning me forward. “Come now, and I won’t harm the others.”
For a second, I consider it, but before I can offer myself up, Jagger spins around and wraps his arms around me,trapping my arms at my side as he hugs me, like he refuses to let me go.
“You’re leaving me no choice here,” Ivan says with the same annoying sigh that Robert did when he was annoyed.
“Why do you even still want me?” I yell back, frustrated by the situation. “Why come all the way here for me? I’m not gonna be some perfect docile wife to you. I’ll fight you every moment of every day!”
I watch as he seems to grow amused by my rant. He even chuckles when I’m done, shaking his head. “My dear girl, how naive you truly are. I didn’t come here for you.” I frown in confusion. “I came here to tie up a loose end. However, it seems you’ve already taken care of that for me.”
Loose end?What is he talking about?
“You came here to kill Robert,” Elias says, putting the pieces together, his gun aimed right at Ivan. “Why?”
Ivan sighs before answering. “He’s outgrown his usefulness. Besides… he’s grown too big.”
“And you wanted to take out the competition,” Elias finishes for him.
“I had hoped to use Wren to control him, but this situation works much better for me.”
“Just let us go,” I beg, unsure how else to end this standoff.
“I already told you what I want.”
