Page 22 of Warlord’s Empire

“You will be the first to know when they contact me.”

She was used to dealing with overprotective relatives, so she softened, using her best manipulation tactics. “Look, Muhammed, I’m not going to turn into Nancy Drew and get myself in trouble. I have a healthy respect for my own life. I just want to see what Aurelia was working on, talk to Branislav, see if he has any idea what could have happened. He’s far more likely to talk to me than to you. You’ll need my help if you want to get anywhere with the Prime Minister’s office.” When he didn’t say anything, she thought maybe she’d won the point and decided to push her agenda further. “I should also get hold of Jozef, calm him down before he sends the entire Guard Dog security team to come looking for me. Believe me, you don’t want that.”

Radik stood, his chair scraping against the patio tiles. He moved with surprising grace as he circled the table, kneeling next to her and turning her chair so she was facing him. He was so tall, even kneeling, his head was above hers. His massive body blotted out everything behind him.

Her heart pounded as he took her hand in his. “Six years, two months, fifteen days.” She knew instantly what he meant. The first time they met face-to-face. “That moment changed the course of my life, Saskia. You changed the course of my life. I stopped living for war and started living for you.”

Tears rushed to her eyes and she nodded. She knew it. He’d spent years expressing himself through gifts and notes. Through his emissary, his sister, Ayaan.

He continued, “I haven’t brought you here to solve a murder mystery or get back at your cousin. I brought you here to see if you can love me the way I love you. I brought you here to become my wife.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “You are the most precious thing in my life. The thing here most worth protecting.” He pressed his fist to his chest over his heart. “It’s not in me to allow you a part in something as dangerous as murder. Nor will you any longer be affiliated with your mafia family. They’re too dangerous. They led me to your doorstep where my intention was to terrorize you, perhaps even kill you. I changed my mind, but others might not. From now on, you will stay here, with me, protected and loved.”

Chapter Ten

Radik knew as soon as he spoke that Saskia would reject his words. How could she respond any other way? She was all fire and passion, her drive for independence the thing that sparked her daily existence. He admired that about her, loved it even, but he couldn’t allow her stubborn, headstrong personality to put her in danger.

She shoved her chair backwards, pushing away from him before standing. She looked like an angel, the lights bathing her in a soft glow, her hair a wild halo of chestnut curls.

He remained kneeling, taking a position of disadvantage so she might feel less vulnerable.

“No,” she snapped, waving her hands wildly. “You did not bring me here just to lock me down harder than Jozef ever has. This isn’t happening.” She paced away from the table before whipping around to glare at him. “You think you can casually declare you’re taking me away from my family forever? Then what? I’ll magically fall in love with you?” She sounded so angrily skeptical Radik nearly smiled.

He stood, approaching her slowly, as he might with a wild animal. “I don’t think that.” She was soft, sweet and everything he’d been dreaming of for the past six years. With a little patience she would be his. “Taking you from your family was never a casual decision. I understand how you must feel, but this is necessary. The Kobas are an internationally renowned crime family. They’re in deep with the Bratva. Being around them is too dangerous. Look what happened to your parents.”

She gasped and stared at him with such loathing he thought she might hit him. As much as it bothered him to have her look at him like that, it was better to tear the Band-Aid away now than have her think he would allow her access to her family any time soon.

“How dare you mention my parents,” she hissed. “What happened to them… it was fucked up.” Her shoulders slumped and some of her energy seemed to drain.

She was still processing the deaths of her mother and father. He knew because she often wrote in her journal about it and he’d unabashedly read every word. Those pages had been his lifeline to her when he couldn’t be in her presence. Her cousin had killed both of her parents, traumatizing Saskia. She still loved Jozef, didn’t blame him for his actions, but she wasn’t entirely reconciled to losing her parents in such a horrific way.

A soft sob escaped her lips and his hands trembled with the desire to hold her. “You can’t take me away from the only family I have left.” She stared up at him with shining, imploring eyes. “I need them.”

He almost relented. He had a military at his disposal, he could find a safe way for her to spend time with her family, but he didn’t want to give her that hope. Not yet, not before her attachment to him grew strong enough that he could be sure she wouldn’t use her family to escape him.

He hardened his heart against her plea. “You only need me. I know it’ll take time, but you have everything and everyone you need here in the compound.”

“These people are not my family,” she snapped, her tone one of betrayal as she swept her arm out, indicating the compound. “I don’t know them.” She narrowed her eyes. “And I don’t know you either.”

Her words cut. She knew him, knew his heart, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. “You will come to know me and the people here. You will come to love us.”

“And if I don’t?” she asked stubbornly.

He wanted to pull her into his arms, to hug away her uncertainties and fears, but the time wasn’t right. She wasn’t receptive. Instead, he took her hand, leading her to the door into the house. “You must trust me, Saskia. In time, you’ll be happy.”

She yanked her hand from his. “I was happy.” Her teary eyes glittered in the patio lights as she stared at him with loathing. “And you took that away from me.” She paused, then added, “The people who killed Aurelia took that away from me, but you’re making it worse by holding me captive. I’ll never forgive you for this.” She spun on the spot, rushing into the house.

Radik strode back to the table and picked up her half-drunk glass of water. He held it up to the light and then pressed his lips over the spot where hers had been, draining the glass before setting it back on the table. Speaking into the darkness, he said, “You were never happy, Saskia Koba, but you will be.”

He strode into the house, making his way to the front door. “Stay sharp,” he said to Shola who was posted at the entrance. “I don’t think Saskia will be a problem tonight. Too exhausted and disoriented from her ordeal but give her a few days and she’ll make you earn your paycheck.”

Shola’s eyes glinted with anticipation. “I look forward to it, General.”

Radik strode down the front steps of the house and into the darkness. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Copy, General.”

Radik walked the darkened streets of Marifiya, noting the tidiness of his makeshift village. Not a single piece of trash littered the streets. The people who lived within the confines of Radik’s compound took pride in their home, keeping the grounds clear of rubbish and debris. The buildings were all neatly kept and brightly painted, flowering bushes planted in front.

He made his way to the compound’s command center. It was where he conducted most of his operations. Beneath the fortified building were a hub of tunnels that spread across the entire area and could be accessed from several strategic points, including the main house. They contained hidden rooms with weaponry, vehicles and security equipment.