Page 138 of Betrayed in the Dark
I shoot and purposely miss his head by only an inch.
“You fucking bastard!”
“Next time you force my hand, I won’t miss.”
“Will one of you just fucking shoot him already?” Alastor screams at his cousins.
Kazimir raises his gun but stops the moment Mauro’s gun presses into the back of his head.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Alex says calmly.
“You’re going to fucking regret this,” Kazimir threatens, dropping his gun to the floor.
Mikhail sighs and shakes his head. “You brought this on yourself, Alastor.” He looks at Vin. “If we let you keep Alastor and his father, will you let us walk out of here unscathed? Or would you rather have a blood bath? Because if you think we traveled here without more guards waiting outside for us, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Alastor cries. “We had a deal!”
Mikhail crouches down before him. “No one will kill my brothers. You should have already known where our loyalties lie. With each other. Not with you.”
Vin steps toward me, his expression grave. “This is your call. Our men are waiting outside for my signal. We can stay here and fight with them by our side, so you may claim your revenge on the men who plotted your kidnapping. Or we can accept their offering of Alastor and Adolfo, the men responsible for Madeleine’s suffering, and leave now to go find her before it’s too late.”
I stare at Mikhail, contemplating my options, but it doesn’t take me long to decide what’s most important. Sure, I may want to put a bullet in each of the Vasiliev brothers’ heads for agreeing to this plan or the names of every last fucking Russian who took pleasure in torturing me, but finding Madeleine is more vital to me than seeking my own revenge. “We don’t have time to waste. The Marchettis will take Alastor and Adolfo back to the Alaries’ warehouse. But someone better fucking tell me where Cressida took Madeleine, or none of you will walk out of here alive—”
“I know where she is.” Enzio’s voice approaches as he wheels through the room. He holds out his phone, the screen facing me. “I have a tracking device on Cressida’s car, a security feature that has come in handy.”
“You worthless piece of shit!” Adolfo yells, holding the back of his head. “You’d give up your sister that easily? We’re your family!”
Enzio shakes his head. “I don’t have a family.” He hands his phone over to me, and I locate the blue dot on the map.
Leo looks over my shoulder to pinpoint the location and then turns, striding urgently toward the exit.
I toss Enzio his phone. “Thank you. We won’t forget this.”
He dips his chin, displeasure crossing his features as he views his father and stepbrother. “I’ll send the location to your phone so you have it.”
Vin’s deathly gaze scans each of the Vasiliev men. “I suggest the five of you get the fuck out of here before we change our minds,” Vin orders. “Our hospitality only extends so far.”
Kazimir grins wickedly. “Until we meet again. Is it too soon to call you brother?”
Vin’s eyes darken, his knuckles curling into the palms of his hands. “Get the fuck out of here!”
Kazimirtsks. “Touchy subject.”
Mikhail grabs his shoulder. “Let’s go, brothers.” He leads the five of them out of sight, leaving behind Alastor and his father for us to deal with.
“We can take it from here,” Marco says.
Vin nods. “After we locate Madeleine, we’ll meet you back at my house.”
My mind races as we quickly head toward the exit, and I think of the best plan of action—the safest way to get Madeleine out of what could potentially become a hostage situation. “We’ll take two cars. The location is situated in the middle of the woods, approximately fifteen minutes away. I’m certain her guards will be with her and have assisted her in this situation. Stay alert. Cressida will be unpredictable and very dangerous if she’s willing to go to this length.”
“Can’t wait to find out why she thought taking our sister would be a good idea,” Vin seethes with venom in his voice. “She’s either stupid or crazy.”
I worry it’s the latter.
The five of us split into two cars: Leo and I get into my vehicle while Vin, Mauro, and Alex climb into Vin’s SUV.
I grip the steering wheel tightly, my jaw clenched with anxiety as my foot presses down hard on the accelerator.If we don’t get to her on time—
