Page 93 of Beautiful Devil

“Remember what I said about promises. I thought you were dead.” She clung to me, her breathing irregular.

“Fuck,” Diego whispered, his arm obviously broken. “Took you long enough, El Capitan.” He tried to smile through the pain. “Let’s go after him.”

“He’s not going far.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t know him that well.” He winced when he grinned again.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Soldiers were on the beach, another round of gunfire. Jesus.

“We need to get out of here,” I managed, walking Emily and myself toward the back door. The fucking flash drive was the last thing on my mind.

As I heard a powerful fucking engine, I almost burst into laughter. If I had to guess, I’d say the fucker got away in one of his boats.

“You’re injured. Both of you,” Emily said. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“That’s not going to happen. Get down the stairs,” I commanded. “We’re still in danger. Stay low.” As soon as we were on the pool deck, I glanced at the water, the sliver of moon just enough to highlight the face the speedboat was getting away.

“Fucking asshole,” Diego snarled. “That’s what he used to firebomb the estate.”

As I moved closer to the ocean, watching a line of my soldiers at the water’s edge, a laugh formed in my throat as I noticed the rocket launcher positioned exactly where I’d commanded. I walked toward it, a wry smile on my face. After firing, I took a step back.

And waited.

The moment another shade of tangerine filled the night sky, I took a deep breath, the explosion a wonderful set of fireworks.

While it was far from being over, Volkov’s death allowed breathing room.

For now.

I felt her hand on my shoulder and exhaled. “I can never allow you out of my sight again.” As I crowded her closer, she wrapped her arm around me.

“There’s more to the story of your father,” she said with no emotion.

“If he really is my father.”

“I can handle finding out for you.”

“You’d need his DNA as well as mine. I doubt that’s possible.”

She held up her hand, flicking her fingers in front of me. “My father didn’t raise a stupid girl. Remember? I have his DNA under my fingernails.”

It was impossible not to smile. “You’re far too clever for your own good.”

“Will you take the test?”

I thought about what she was suggesting. “We shall see,mi hermosa flor. There are other things to take care of first like getting you back to safety.”

“You need to find the answer, Kostya. If you don’t, it will haunt you until the end of days.”

For some reason, I had a feeling that would come sooner versus later, especially if word was on the street of my heritage. I would handle it when the time came.

Now it was time to clean up loose ends. And I’d start with the man who’d sent my mother to her death.

* * *

Demands.

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