Page 126 of Contract of a Billionaire
“Don’t you fucking dare even give him that idea,” Cassio gritted, warning clear in his voice. “Sasha can be a nutcase when he’s pissed off.”
“You don’t say,” Vasili muttered begrudgingly. “I’m terrified of Luca and Sasha in the same room in Portugal. I’m praying one of them doesn’t show up.”
Ignoring the Sasha and DiLustros' topic, the wheels in my brain started churning. Logistics of getting to Afghanistan.
“My plane could take me there.” I’d have to get my pilot to prepare the plane right away.
“They are not allowing any flights in,” Nico responded. “They’ve even shot down a military flight. They’d shoot down your plane for sure. It’s a fucking disaster over there. The worst time for anyone to be stuck in that clusterfuck.”
Cassio turned to look at me. “How about Byron? He might have a way to get there.”
My biological father would have connections to get me there. Senator Ashford. The guy I hated with every goddamn fiber of my being. But to get Autumn out, I’d get down on my knees and beg that fucker to get me into Afghanistan. Or get my woman out.
I snatched my phone and started typing a message. One to Byron.
One to Dante DiLustro.*I need the name of your Afghan contact. Need a way into the country. Name your price.*
Dante DiLustro was one of the rare guys to deal directly with Afghanis. He thought he was sneaky with that shit, but I had my own resources. He bought their drugs and traded them with guns. My guns. And I had plenty of those. Yes, I was out, but if it meant saving Autumn, I’d give him more fucking guns.
The door swung open. Autumn’s mother and father walked in. And by the looks of it, they didn’t know she was going to Afghanistan either. Her mother’s face darted to the television and her hand flew to her mouth, covering it, stopping a sob from coming out.
“I’ve sent messages to my contacts.” Her father’s voice was hoarse. “They are all in an official capacity and can’t help.”
“What was she thinking?” Mrs. Corbin choked out. “She promised after Central Africa she wouldn’t take risks.”
“I don’t think she thought it’d get bad so fast,” Branka whispered.
“Did she tell you?” Mrs. Corbin demanded to know. The answer was on Branka’s face. “Oh, Branka. Why didn’t you say something?” Mrs. Corbin’s hand came to her forehead. “Why did she have to inherit her father’s tendencies to save the world?”
“I’m right here, you know,” her father retorted dryly. “Autumn is stubborn like her mother.”
“The worst combination,” Mrs. Corbin said, her eyes glued to the television. “Alessio, do you have contacts? I could reach out to my parents–”
Who I intended to kill.
“Absolutely not!” Her father cut in. I agreed. “They’d never bring her back.”
“I could reach out to some of my old contacts,” Mrs. Corbin suggested. “They’ll remember me.”
“Let’s keep them as a last resort,” I remarked. “I’m reaching out to all my resources.”
The meaning behind it wasn’t missed on either one of them. They were illegal resources.
My phone beeped and I slid the message open, but before I got to read it, screams and gunfire came from the television.
Autumn was being interviewed, a microphone in her hand and a camera hung around her neck.
“Behind you,” someone shouted to her and her body twisted to glance behind her. A gun pointed at a woman holding a child.
In horror, I watched Autumn drop the microphone and shove her body through the crowd of frantic, screaming people. Her goal was the woman with the child.
“Jesus Christ, baby,” I rasped. “Run the other way. Don’t save the world today. Fuck, not today.”
I should have stayed in bed that morning. Fuck the gun distribution. Fuck it all. I should have stayed in bed. Kept her from leaving, even if it meant locking her up.
“Hey. Hey. Heeey!” Her normally soft voice screamed so loud, penetrating the air even through the television, it almost felt like she was here. The air in my office stilled, the silence was thick with tension. Not even Kol dared to move. We all held our breaths, or maybe it was just me.
“What are you doing?” Autumn scolded the soldier. “You can’t do that! Get that gun away from her and the baby.”
