Page 17 of Captive Vows
He didn’t react. He didn’t move.
Staring at me as the man struggled to hold me still, he witnessed my being captured right before his bloodshot eyes.
“No!” I screamed it as loud as I could, praying someone might hear and give a damn enough to intervene.
My own father wouldn’t.
Deep down, I knew that no one would be coming to save me.
The only person who’d ever tried to accomplish that was myself.
7
LUKA
To no surprise, I woke up expecting this day to be exactly like every other one. The same fucking old. Nothing changing. After a workout, I headed into the office to oversee what was going on. Just like I had yesterday. Just like I would tomorrow. Always constant.
What’s the fucking point of this anymore?
I couldn’t pinpoint when my mood had soured so drastically. All I knew was that it dragged me down so far and so deep that I barely noticed Allen entering my office in the middle of the day.
He was good at blending in. His chameleon effect worked well for us. Without bothering me or becoming a distraction, he could seamlessly come in and out of my space to better assist me with whatever I might have needed. What I needed right now was something to jolt me back into the living.
He cleared his throat, a wordless cue that he had something to share.
I turned my head to stare at him, wondering what it was now.
“Alexsei has just arrived,” he stated.
My other nephew was more of a protective services guru. Unlike Ivan, who excelled at negotiations and making deals,Alexsei was the product of what happened when a skilled combat expert tweaked his focus more toward security.
That didn’t mean anyone had to herald his arrival at the office building like this. My son and two nephews went wherever they wanted or needed to without any approval or check-ins with me. They were the men I depended on most.
“All right,” I replied, wondering why my personal assistant was taking time to share this news with me.
Allen cleared his throat again, looking as somber and monotone as ever. “He accompanied Emil on the delivery, or rather, the collection of Gabriella Lopez this morning.”
I set my pen down. Perking up a bit at that fact, I tilted my head to the side. “Oh?”
He nodded.
“I wasn’t aware that Emil would’ve asked for backup.” Going to get Miguel’s daughter should’ve been a routine exercise.
“It should’ve been,” Alexsei said as he entered the office. His face showed the grim lines of a severe scowl. The red mark high on his cheek was what captured my attention the most.
“Did Miguel resist?” It came as no surprise that the sniveling bastard would try to renege on the punishment I’d told him to expect. His daughter as payment for his sins. His debt for turning traitor. There was no gray area contingent on that transaction, but clearly, he’d protested and struck out at my nephew.
“No.” Alexsei rubbed his jaw. “Hedid not.” He winced as he opened and closed his mouth. “How bad does it look?”
I sighed, hating that he’d be this worried about coming home with a bruise. We lived a hard life. Bruises and cuts were expected. Not a single member of the Dubinin Family went by unscathed. Yet, I understood why Alexsei was bothered about this at all. His son, five-year-old Misha, had unfortunately wandered enough to find some men in a holding cell. Torturedenemies weren’t something a childthatyoung should have to witness. I didn’t want to shelter the boy, nor did Alexsei, but Misha seeing those beaten men was too much at his age.
Alexsei’s wife had been killed, and it was up to him to raise and shepherd the boy in this life. It was unfortunate that the boy was more nervous than usual about anyone in our family looking wounded now.
“Not that bad,” Allen replied, cool and calm as ever. “I’ll order an ice pack to be sent up.”
“Thanks,” Alexsei replied before exhaling a long breath. “Your payment is now at your place,” he told me, smirking.
“Did Miguel have someone there for protection?” Someone had to have hit him.
