Page 57 of Merciless Promise
“That’s my puisín.”
Nolan moved to another camera, and one that gave a better glimpse into the alleyway. From what I could see, she went up to a man, and one she didn’t seem nervous around at all. As my man zoomed in on it, I cursed.
“It’s her father.”
“Aren’t they on the outs?” Cillian asked through the line.
“Wait a sec...” As I continued to watch, I saw her get pushed into the SUV before it pulled through and came out the other side. “Can you zoom in on the license plate?” I asked Nolan. As he did, the damn thing looked to be blacked out. “Fuck!”
“She’s stopped,” I heard Eli say as he looked down at his own cell phone. “She’s right here.”
“Newark,” I said, then added. “Get me those coordinates right away.”
Newark had one of the busiest international airports in the country, if not the world. She was with her father, and if I had to guess, also Aram Grigoryan. The very person I’d pledged to protect her from had now gotten his hands on her. And that promise had been made at a time when I’d hated her. Now that I loved her, I couldn’t contain the terror rising up in me even if I tried.
“Send me the coordinates, and I’ll help you,” Cillian said.
“That’s okay. You’re in Brooklyn, so?—"
“Actually, I’m closer to her than you. I’d just left PNE after looking at a recent shipment.”
PNE, or the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine terminal, was not far from where Ekaterina was. It was also a well-known port where the Branningtons would import and export mostly drugs in and out of the country.
“I’ll send you the address, but stay outside and wait for me to get there.”
“I could probably take one of my men with me and?—”
“No, I have to be the one to save her. You just need to watch out for her, and if they leave before I get there, please follow them.”
“Other than not having a son, this could actually be the answer to your situation.”
“There is no situation,” I said to him, although I knew what he was referring to. “It’s all been resolved, and I’ll kill anyone who dares to lay a hand on her. If a single fucking piece of hair of hers is touched, I’ll go scorched damn earth on everyone.”
“Whoa, whoa, King. I’ll make sure she stays put until you get here.”
“Thanks, Cill,” I said to him, then hung up.
“Bring the laptop and your phone with you. We need to go right now,” I said to my men.
Minutes later, we were out on the streets and headed south toward Newark. In my mind, I could picture how this whole thing went down. Her father must’ve reached out to her and wanted to meet. Why she would do so without any of the men was a question I intended to make her answer later. I also intended to make them account for their actions in ever letting her slip right past them. I needed to trust my men, and she needed to be able to trust them, too. A breakdown happened that I intended to get to the bottom of, but only once I had her in my arms again.
A half hour later, we pulled up near the coordinates given on the tracking app. Cillian was already here, and when he saw me, he got out of his car, then walked over to us. I got out of the car, as did my men. We all checked our weapons, and Cillian did the same, before we turned to the nearly dilapidated house.
“Are you sure she’s here?” my cousin asked me.
I pointed to the right of the house where a dark SUV with blacked-out plates was parked. “That is what she was forced into before the driver fled.”
“And you’re sure this is her father and not Daideó? I mean, no offense, but Boris Kotov is not the brightest tool in the woodshed. This is a bit more elaborate than anything I think he could’ve put together.”
“I have reason to believe the father was the bait, and it’s actually Aram Grigoryan that has her.”
“Fuck, well that does change things,” Cillian murmured.
“It changes nothing. All those bastards are going to die. And like Daideó used to say, there’s no reason to put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”
“Let’s get these motherfuckers,” Cillian said, and the four of us slowly started to approach the structure.
Iwas scared to death, but as I sat on the musty bed in this room, all I could think about was escaping. Unfortunately, I was in this old house under the watchful eye of Aram and my father. They’d abducted me from the street, and as promised, had someone draw blood from me. As we awaited the results of the test, I supposed they meant to keep me bound, but I wasn’t gagged, so I screamed.
