The woman I spent months watching just like this through camera feeds, or from a distance when I had the chance. The one I slowly managed to break down over time, gaining her trust little by little, even when she didn’t want to give it. The woman carrying my child, and the one I’d kill for.
Immediately and brutally, that panic morphs into wrath, already set on what I have to do.
Lowering the phone, I turn back around, jaw tight.
Mikhail’s brows furrow as I approach, obviously having watched me. “What happened?”
“They have her,” I utter, not recognizing my voice as it comes out too tight. “Her brothers. They called me down.”
Silence settles between us as the group of them takes it in, and Mikhail curses under his breath, already knowing what that means.
“You’re not going alone,” Nikolai says, gaze firm.
“I am.”
“No way,” Mikhail interjects, giving me that usual older brother scrutiny. “If they want you to come to them, then they’re not planning on leaving until you do. We’ll call in backup. That’s non-negotiable.”
“I’m not waiting around,” I say without hesitation as every instinct in me screams to run to her right now. To not waste another precious second.
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t have a choice other than going right now,” I fire back, feeling as my patience crumbles under the pressure. I glance between them. “She’s pregnant.”
Immediately, the pieces fall into place, and none of them can question it now. Nikolai’s gaze sharpens while Sergey scrubs a hand over his mouth. Mikhail’s expression drops.
“We were going to mention it when the time was right, but it was too soon to say anything yet,” I tell them, shaking my head as the weight of it all settles so heavily on my shoulders.
“Fuck,” Mikhail utters, taking a moment to think before he huffs out a deep breath. “Okay, fine. We’ll lock the place down as quietly as we can to make sure they can’t leave. Nikolai will watch the feed, and we’ll call the others while you head down.”
“Just don’t send them in until I’m ready,” I mutter, glancing between them. “They want me, and I won’t risk her safety by disobeying that.”
My brothers look at me hesitantly, mulling it over with the limited time we have. Then Mikhail nods. “Go, before Roman knows.”
Catching on to that slight mercy, I don’t stand there a moment longer than I need to.
I’m already heading down the hall, finding the nearest stairwell and hurrying down as fast as I can, using the cameras to navigate the wings.
All the while, I see Mila’s face in my mind, along with her fear, her worry, and the trust she was so precariously putting in me. I see her in the bathroom after patching me up, trying so hard to believe my promises to her. I feel the surrender in the way she leaned against me.
I told her I’d protect her and the baby, and I meant it. That, above all else, is what this is about.
My legs want to run so badly with every corner I turn, heart in my throat each time I think I’m about to stumble upon them. But as tempting as it is, I don’t want to cause alarm or bring unnecessary attention to myself.
Soon enough, my brothers will have the place on lockdown, but for now, I don’t need to get held up anywhere.
Going as fast as I can, the adrenaline flooding my system feels almost bitter despite how it sharpens everything with near-painful clarity. My fingers twitch at my sides, itching for the violence I want to unleash more than anything.
The Grimaldi twins have been nothing but a point of pain and fear in Mila’s life, and now, they’ve gone too far. Soon enough, they’ll regret crossing that line.
Finally, I push through a set of heavy doors, emerging into an empty hallway where the three of them stand, holdingMila like they’re afraid she might fade into smoke and slip away again.
Once I’m closed in with them, I stop, jaw tight.
Carlo’s gun rests carelessly at his side, but the moment his eyes land on me, he raises it in my direction. He grins. “There he is…told you he’d show up.”
Mila blinks back at me, eyes wide as they meet mine. While panic dominates her features, relief settles in too, seeming somewhat desperate and devastating at the same time.
“Ivan,” she manages to say, voice hoarse with fear.
