“No offense, but you’re better off here, where you won’t get killed. What good does it do for your children if Roberto or his men shoot you?”
I understand his position, and while he’s probably right, I can’t just sit and wait. I hurry off to the playroom, to check on Sophia.
“Mommy.” Sophia sits on the floor, her stuffed animals around her as she plays school with them.
“I have to go get your brother,” I say, bending down and giving her a hug and kiss.
Her bottom lip trembles.
“It’s okay. I won’t be gone long.” I press a kiss on her cheek. “Be good for me. Stay in here, okay?” I need to know that Sophia will be safe. I can’t bring her with me.
Sophia’s eyes are wide. Her blonde curls bounce as she nods in agreement. “I love you,” she says, throwing her arms around me for a tight squeeze.
“I love you too,” I say and drop a final kiss to her forehead.
I head to the kitchen and snatch a knife. I don’t have access to any other weapons in the compound. Quietly, I grab my coat and am grateful I never removed my boots. I hurry to the garage and slink away in the backseat of Mikhail’s SUV.
I need to rescue Liam and make sure Mikhail doesn’t betray me. While I don’t think he’d sacrifice Liam, I also can’t trust that he won’t put Liam’s safety well below the men who work for him, the bratva.
* * *
I’m silent and stealthy. I hide in the back of the SUV, making sure not to be seen. I don’t want Mikhail handcuffing me or finding another way to incapacitate me.
I wait for the doors of the vehicle to slam shut.
The bratva aren’t the least bit quiet on their approach.
Gunfire erupts from all around, but the vehicle remains untouched.
I’m safe.
But I can’t stay in the confines of the SUV and find my son. I wait until the gunfire becomes more distant and poke my head up, making sure there’s no one nearby.
I unlock the back door and slip out, leaving it ajar. I don’t need to slam it shut. I hurry inside the main entrance where my brother and his men have burst through the open door.
Mikhail brought his army with him, guns blazing.
He isn’t here to talk or negotiate. He’s here to kill.
Liam was an excuse to attack the Morettis. Any reason that Mikhail can get, he’ll take to go to war.
The bratva are bloody savages. They’re barely men, interested in only their selfish interests.
I keep the blade of the kitchen knife close. It’s the only weapon I have, but it’s nothing compared to the guns blasting the men to pieces. I don’t want to come close to one of Moretti’s men. If I’m lucky, I’ll remain invisible as I search their compound for my son.
Gunfire echoes, and men’s shouts in Italian follow down the hallway.
More men are coming. I sneak into the nearest room. It’s dark, black as night. I’m invisible, hidden from view as several of Moretti’s men, armed with guns, hurry toward the firefight.
“Aleksandra,” Antonio says.
His voice startles me.
I lift the knife and glance over my shoulder in the darkened room to realize it’s an office. “What are you doing in here?” he asks. He’s seated at his desk in the dark.
“Why are you in the dark?” I ask.