Page 17 of Salvation

Two words, written in neat block letters: FOUND YOU.

The blood in my veins turned to ice. Yulia’s past. Her father’s enemies. The people we’d been protecting her from for eleven years. They’d found us.

I crumpled the paper in my fist, panic clawing up my throat. My eyes swept the crowd again, this time looking not for my family but for watchers. For men who didn’t belong. For threats I should have seen coming.

How long had they been following us? Days? Weeks? Had they been waiting for the perfect opportunity -- a moment when we were relaxed, in public, surrounded by civilians?

I dialed Beast’s number with shaking fingers.

“Yeah?” His gruff voice answered on the second ring.

“They’re gone,” I said, my voice tight with controlled fear. “Yulia and Clover. They’re gone.”

A beat of silence. Then: “What happened?”

I explained in clipped sentences, ending with the note. “It’s them, Beast. The Russians. They’ve found her.”

“Where are you exactly?” His voice had shifted, all business now.

I gave him the location, describing landmarks near where I stood.

“Stay put. We’re on our way. All of us.” I heard him barking orders in the background. “Five minutes, brother. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“They have my family,” I growled, desperation making my voice shake.

“I know. And we’ll get them back.” His tone brooked no argument. “But we do it smart. Together. Five minutes.”

The call ended. I stood rooted to the spot, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. Around me, the fair continued its cheerful chaos -- lights spinning, music blaring, people laughing. The contrast to the horror unfolding in my life was unbearable.

Five minutes stretched like an eternity. I scanned every face that passed, memorizing features, looking for anyone watching me too closely. The note burned in my clenched fist. FOUND YOU. Two words that destroyed the life we’d built. Two words that threatened everything I loved.

The first motorcycle engines reached my ears three minutes later, a low rumble growing louder as they approached the fairground entrance. People turned to look, murmuring as leather-clad men appeared at the edge of the crowd, moving with purpose.

Beast reached me first, Hawk and Crow flanking him. More brothers followed -- Brick, Forge, at least six others. Their faces were grim, hands hovering near concealed weapons.

“Any contact?” Beast asked without preamble.

I shook my head, handing him the crumpled note. “Nothing since this.”

He read it, jaw tightening. “We’ve got guys watching all exits. No one matching their description has left the fairgrounds.” He gripped my shoulder, his eyes hard. “We’ll find them, Salvation.”

But as I stood amid the swirling fair lights, surrounded by my brothers, all I could think was that I’d failed. Failed to protect the two people who mattered most. Failed to see the danger until it was too late.

“They’ll want to take her back to Russia,” I said, my voice hollow. “Finish what they started all those years ago.”

“And Clover?” Hawk asked quietly. “Why would they want her? I’m not sure this is the Russians.”

The question hit me like a physical blow. Clover was collateral damage -- an innocent caught in a war that had nothing to do with her. What would they do with a witness? A sixteen-year-old girl who could identify them? As to his other question, it had to be the Russians. Who else would target Yulia?

“We need to move,” I said, panic surging fresh. “Now.”

Beast nodded, already directing brothers to search patterns. As they dispersed into the crowd, a terrible certainty settled in my gut. This wasn’t a simple case of getting separated. This was the beginning of a nightmare I’d spent eleven years trying to prevent.

And as the colorful lights spun around me, as families laughed and children squealed on rides, all I could think was: I should have seen it coming.

Chapter Four

Yulia

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