With a grunt, I pulled myself upright.
I am a Popov. I am not weak. He won’t beat me.
With that chant in my head, I hobbled toward the door, my thigh throbbing the entire way.
Damien was about to learn that he should never underestimate a Popov.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Adrik
Damien answered after the second ring. “Hellooo, brother. Are you ready to play?”
“I want to talk to Annika. I want to know she’s okay.”
Damien huffed. “No can do. She’s temporarily…detained. You can see her when you get here.”
I clenched my jaw. “What did you do to her?”
“Well, we had a little disagreement, I guess you could say. I had to put her in her place. If you follow my directions and hurry the fuck up, you might get here before she bleeds to death.”
Fear clenched at my gut. Damien wasn’t my baby brother anymore. Not even close. I needed to start thinking of him as my opponent or I’d never be able to do this.
I expelled a long breath. “Then tell me how to get there,” I growled. “And stop wasting time.”
He tittered. “Is loverboy anxious to see the little piggy? There’s a fork in the road up ahead. Take the left turn. Call me when you reach the end of the road.”
The line went dead.
Uneasiness crept in. Was he leading me on a wild goose chase?
Didn’t matter if he was. I had no choice but to do what he ordered.
Because he had Annika.
I headed down the road again and minutes later, I came to the fork. I took the left turn and followed it deeper into the forest. The Bratva vehicle I was driving had a tracking device on it, and I was certain the Popovs were monitoring my progress and likely had soldiers following at a distance. But as long as Damien held Annika hostage, there wasn’t much anyone could do except follow his orders. Because no one wanted her to be hurt.
Damien held all the power here, and he knew it.
If we found him and stormed the gates, he’d likely kill Annika before we could get to her.
We had to be very careful how we handled this. It was up to me to make sure he didn’t hurt her. It was up tometo bring her back to her family alive. They were counting onme,and I could not let them down.
The pressure built, intensifying until I felt I would explode. I have to save her. I have to get her back.
I slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road and breathed in deeply, then out, trying to calm myself. This was not the time to have a breakdown.
Get a fucking grip, man. You have to find her. You have to save her. Everyone is counting on you.
After several moments, I’d composed myself, forcing my panic attack aside.
I can do this. I won’t fail her. I will do whatever I have to.
Finally, I headed down the road again, driving slowly until I reached the end.
Nothing but dark forest in all directions. No sign of human life.
Where had Damien sent me?