Page 4 of Revenge

“Nothing,” Oliver tells me.

“It’s been a week. You should have found her by now. There are a million ways to track her. How hard can it be?”

“I have men looking for her, but nothing yet. She doesn’t want to be found. You know I need to be careful. If I can find her, so can our father’s hitman.”

“I refuse to accept that. I want results. I can’t sit around and wait.” I run my fingers through my hair.

“You don’t have a choice. The goal is to find her before our father does. I have to be smart. You are not helping, and I cannot be reckless. I know you’ve been texting her. You need to stop.”

“Are you going to tell me how to live my life? Because last I checked, I make the calls, not the other way around,” I snarl.

“All I’m saying is to be smart. It’s not just your life, and you know it.”

If Ava had given me a chance to explain myself, I would have told her Fiona tricked me into sleeping with her by pretending to be Ava. Ava is everything to me, and I would never do anything knowingly to hurt her.

“I want her found,” I demand.

“Viktor—”

“Fine. I’ll stop trying to contact her. But I want her found.” I glare at him through narrowed eyes.

“Have you thought about our other problem?” Oliver asks, changing the subject. He means my father and Fiona.

“I’m not marrying Fiona,” I growl, rubbing my hand across my chin.

“I’m going to tell you something. Please don’t bite my head off.” Oliver rests his hands on the desk. “You’d better sit for this.”

“I don’t want to fucking sit. If it isn’t about finding Ava, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Brother, Bobby called this morning.” I stop pacing. Oliver only calls me brother when something bad is coming.

“What does he want?”

“Our father gave the kill order. Half a million if Ava reappears anywhere near you. This isn’t an assumption anymore. He wants her dead and is looking for an excuse to pull the trigger.”

“Fuck, Oliver. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I’m filled with hatred toward my father.

“That’s why I came to talk to you.”

“You need to find Ava. She isn’t safe.”

“I’ll find her. But for her sake, you need to stay away from her.”

“I won’t allow my father to dictate my life.”

“He’s put a death sentence on her. It doesn’t matter what you want. As your brother and advisor, I have to tell you, you need to marry Fiona. At least until things cool down.” This isn’t what I want to hear, and I see in his eyes that he knows.

“Did you confirm Fiona’s pregnancy?” This is what started this mess I’m in.

“She’s pregnant,” he confirms apologetically.

“Schedule a meeting with our top men. I’m seeing my father. This ends today. I’m tired of his bullshit.”

“Don’t do something stupid. You need to be smart.”

“He’ll be at the restaurant. I want everything ready to go.”

If Oliver wants to argue, he doesn’t. I’ve made up my mind. Oliver is right, and I have to accept the fact I need to marry Fiona for Ava’s survival. Even if I don’t want to, I have to buy time. Short of putting a bullet in my father’s head, I don’t have a choice. A bullet is not exactly an option at the moment, so I have to do whatever it takes to keep Ava safe, even if it means not having her with me.

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