“Privet, epitomes.” (Hello, pet.)
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“You know exactly who I am,Dani,” Andrei replies, a hint of anger bleeding into his tone. “And now you’re mine.”
“Fuck you, asshole!”
There’s a loud bang, followed by heavy breathing. “Kayden, what the fuck do I do?”
“How many men did you see with him, Dani?”
“I don’t know, two maybe. I slammed the door in his face and locked it. Oh God, Kayden, they’re going to kick the door down.”
“Dani,run. Find another exit, and run,” I plead with her.
“OK, OK. Fuck, they’re in the house, I’m not going to make it to the door.”
“Ty mozhesh’ ubezhat’, no ne spryachesh’sya, suka.” (You can run, but you can’t hide, bitch.)
“Kayden!” Dani screams and the phone disconnects.
“FUCK!” I yell, chucking the phone across the parking lot.
Everyone looks as worried as I feel, and despite my military training, I don’t have a clear fucking thought about what to do. My thoughts are racing and all rationality has fled my brain. Thankfully, Emilia steps in.
“We need to get a car.”
“I texted my driver, Henry, on the flight over,” Jaxon replies. “He’s the same one that drove Dani to the house. He should be here any minute.”
Jaxon runs over and grabs his phone off the ground, inspecting it for damage. He mumbles something but rejoins us near the jet.
As though on cue, a black SUV floors it through a gate and onto the airstrip, coming to a halt a few feet from where we stand.
The window rolls down and an older gentleman, Henry I presume, shouts to us, “Better get in quick. Everyone at the main building is dead. They sure left a slew of bodies in their wake.”
We all exchange a glance before grabbing our duffel bags and hauling ass to the SUV.
“We need to get to the house you took Dani to, as fast as possible,” I say as I get in the passenger seat and shut the door.
“Well, son, you’re lucky this is such a remote area. I’ll get you there in under ten minutes,” he replies with a wink.
“Whatever you gotta do, do it,” I respond with a nod of my head as he floors it off the airstrip and onto a gravel road.
“Better buckle up back there.” He peers at Jaxon, James, and Emilia in the rearview mirror. The SUV bounces along the road as gravel flies in a cloud behind us.
I take my phone out of my pocket and send a text to Donovan.
Me
We landed. I was on the phone with Dani when they came and grabbed her. We’re headed to the house now. Three tangos, maybe more.
I keep my text short and sweet, getting right to the point. Dani has always bled me of all rational thought, and tonight is no exception. Luckily, Emilia and James have the planning covered.
“Henry or Jaxon, tell me about where this house is located. What are we getting into?” Emilia asks.
“I don’t know much, honestly,” Jaxon replies. “We bought the house on a whim, our property manager has been taking care of things for us until me and Melody could fly out.”
“I can help with that,” Henry says. “So the house is surrounded by a dense forest as far as the eye can see, no neighbors for miles. There is a river that cuts across the western portion of the woods which runs through a deep gully. The north side of the house has a large natural cliff—might be a good vantage point if you can get around to it. The back of the house is all floor to ceiling windows, it should give you the perfect view into the house. To the east of the house is just more woods, nothing significant that way.”
