Page 186 of Bride By Coronation

"And are you sorry for what he did to my mother?" he snarls.

I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting my emotions. I lower my voice, responding, "It was vile and unforgivable. So, yes, I can't begin to express how sorry I am that my father did what he did."

Tension fills the line.

I finally break it, questioning again, "Where's my wife?"

"I'm sorry. Fiona needs her space, so you don't get to know until she's ready for you to know," he declares.

I roar, "Someone is trying to assassinate her! I can't protect her if I don't know where she is. Or did you forget that?"

He fires back, "I'm protecting her. You don't have to worry about it."

"Bullshit. You don't have the power I do," I remind him.

He scoffs. "I'll take care of my family."

"Fionaismy family," I insist.

"No, your family pretends to be one of the good guys but is really the devil. Tell me, Kirill. How the hell did your father pass himself off as an Italian if he was a Petrov?" Sean barks.

I close my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. I admit, "His father was a Petrov. His mother was an Abruzzo. He grew up in both Italy and Russia, and learned the languages so well he could fool anyone."

The line goes silent.

"Please. Tell me where my wife is so I can make sure she's protected," I beg.

"She doesn't want to see or talk to you, Kirill. Leave her alone."

"This isn't your call, Sean. Where is she? I saw Zara, and I know she's not at your place, so where did you take her?"

"I'm hanging up now. I'll talk to you later," he says. The line goes dead.

"Goddamn it," I say, throwing my phone against the wall.

"Whoa. Calm down," Valentina orders, stepping inside the room with Brax on her heels.

"Don't tell me to calm down. My wife is missing."

"No, she's not missing," Brax interjects.

I scowl at him. "You better have something good to say after that comment."

He crosses his arms and clenches his jaw.

Valentina says, "We need you to take a breather."

Brax nods, adding, "If you want any information from us, she's right. You need to calm the fuck down."

I rush over and grab his shirt. "Don't you tell me to calm the fuck down when my wife is missing!"

"Kirill!" Valentina exclaims, trying to pull me off of him.

Brax shoves me, and I step back. "Get off me, man."

I point a finger in his face, snarling, "You better watch who you're talking to."

"I thought you wanted to know where your wife was?" he taunts.

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