Why the fuck has her live location ended?
I slam the steering wheel, my veins laced with frustration. Maybe one of us lost signal. Maybe the live location hasn’t had a chance to update. I go to look again, noticing that the blue dot has stopped pulsating.
Yob tvoyu mat' v koryto!
My breathing becomes shallow, the edges of my vision going hazy. I glance in the rearview mirror, hoping that the police have gotten tied up in something more serious, but I see those blue, whirling lights coming my way.
My foot hits the floor again with a mind of its own. I’m glad my registration plate is just one of many I keep. I speed away and manage to maneuver my way to Baker Street, hoping that she’s still there. Cruising up to the spot where her location last blinked, I feel queasy, my vision seeing double when I finally step out of the car to search for her.
I glance at my phone.
Active eight minutes ago.
I’m only a few feet away from where the dot was blinking. I look up from the device, scanning the surroundings. According to the app, she’s in the café across the road. I sprint across, earning myself two beeps and a, “get off the fucking road.”
Entering the café, I whip my head left and right, searching for her face in the crowd. Every single person’s eyes are on me, conversations stopping. I head straight to the counter, the barista looking at me with a strange expression on her face.
“Was Lauren here?” I’m breathless.
“Lauren?”
“Lauren Watson. Twenty-seven, brunette hair. Below shoulder length. Green eyes.”
The woman looks at me confused. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t-”
I’m darting back out of the café before she can finish talking, crossing the road to get back to my car.
I shut the door and check my phone.
Live location ended twelve minutes ago.
Pizdets!
I kick open the driver’s door, leaving my car double-parked. Watson & Co. Investments is only a block up ahead, so I start towards the office, my footsteps pounding against the pavement. I must look insane, passersby double-glancing at me as I storm past them.
Reminding myself that I had cops on my tail, I drop into a run, hoping that I wasn’t seen by anyone leaving my car. Adrenaline brings the run into a sprint. The people that pass me start turning to stop, wondering why a six-foot, tattooed guy is darting across the street like he’s ready to kill someone.
I have never run this fast in my life. Sure, I’ve been through some pretty fucked up shit during my early days in the Bratva, but this is different.
This is Lauren’s life.
Our child’s life.
Now might be a good time to face that they mean more to me than my own goddamn life. I blink my eyes for a moment, shaking away the image of her laid beautifully underneath me as we made love the other night.
Our entwined bodies…
Could it have been our last time?
Cut it out, mudak.
You’ll find her.
I clear my vision and focus on what needs to be done. My thoughts are just getting in the way of what should be my focus.
Head in the game, dolboyob!
I barge into the office building, the receptionist bolting upright at my unannounced appearance.
