Chapter 30
Chapter thirty
Eli
“What did you say?” Vin questions, his eyes widening a fraction as he scratches his temple. “Did you just call Madeleine…your wife?”
“I did,” I rush out, dropping Alastor to the ground. He rolls onto his side, whimpering in pain as he clutches his leg. A pool of blood soaks into the fabric of his pants before dripping to the floor beneath him. “We stopped at the courthouse on the way here.”
Why the fuck would Cressida take her?
And where the fuck would she take her?
“And why,” Vin voices, “may I ask, did you think you should—”
“Because I couldn’t wait one more goddamn minute before I made her my wife!” I shout, my chest heaving.
A strong hand grips my shoulder, and I look to see Mauro standing beside me with a stoic expression. In the face of danger, he’s always the calmest among us.
He lifts his phone to my eye level. We’re going to find her.
I nod, my pulse quickening. I straighten my arm, pointing my gun right at Alastor’s head. “Tell us where the fuck she is, or I swear to God, I will have this floor painted with your brains.”
Alastor looks over his shoulder at his cousins and then back at me. “You wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that. If you kill me, you’ll never see that bitch again!”
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!”
Kazimir tsks. “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—
“She’ll be okay,” Leo insists, staring out the window before glancing my way. “She’s a fighter. You know that. Not to mention stubborn as hell. She’s always insisted on doing everything herself.”
I shake my head. “But she shouldn’t have to. Not anymore. Not when I’m here.”
“I know.” He grins, grabbing my shoulder. “And when she sees you coming to her rescue like a damn knight in shining armor, she might finally realize that too.”
“I hope so,” I say, lost in thought.
“By the way,” Leo adds. “Welcome to the family.”
A sense of pride swirls through my chest from his words.
However, the warmth is short-lived as we turn onto a dirt road, currently covered by a thick layer of snow, leading deeper into the woods. In the rearview mirror, I see Vin’s SUV right behind us.
The location of Cressida’s car becomes increasingly close on the screen, prompting me to pull to the side of the road. Vin parks his car beside mine.
“What's the plan?” Vin asks, stepping out of his car.
I unclick the safety on my gun and secure it in my holster. “We walk the rest of the way, using the woods as cover. We don’t know how many guards she might have with her. We could be outnumbered, but if we use the element of surprise, it could work to our advantage.”
“I agree,” Alex replies. “We need to be ready for anything.”
We continue our path on foot, trudging through the snow with the full moon as our only source of light, and after about five minutes, we spot an old, abandoned warehouse up ahead. Each of us conceals ourselves behind a tree or the thick brush as we peek around for a better view.
“They must be in there.” Leo moves with stealth as he crouches close to the ground, his eyes narrowing on the warehouse’s front. “There are three armed guards outside. There could be more inside, but we can’t know for certain.”
I scan the area. “Alex, do you think you can get up there undetected?” I point to the lower portion of the roof that has access to windows. “You have the best shot among us.”
He takes off his glasses and rubs the lenses with his shirt as he looks up. “Yeah, I can go around to the back and see if I can find a ladder or something to use.” A deep exhale escapes him while he puts his glasses back on. “I just really hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I understand,” I answer, knowing his hesitation.
Our world is a dark place, one where killing men—evil men—has become a regular part of our daily lives.
But we’ve never been in a situation involving a woman as our prime target.
This is new for all of us. “It’s not ideal, but we need to be ready in case it does come down to that. ”
He nods and starts walking around the thicker part of the woods, remaining hidden as he makes his way to the building.
I regard Vin and Mauro. “You two go in from the left, while Leo and I will go to the right.” I secure the silencer on my gun, watching as the others do the same. “Keep your eyes open in case there are more guards we aren’t aware of.”
They nod in agreement before we all depart. Leo and I round the right side of the warehouse and quickly press our backs against the wall when we hear voices coming from the front.
“Do you think she’ll kill her?” one of the guards asks. “She seemed a little high-strung today.”
“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected from her,” another guard responds with a chuckle.
“Maybe she’ll let us have some fun with that Alarie girl,” a third guard remarks.
And there goes the last of my restraint.
In one move, I have my gun held out before me as I turn the corner and shoot all three of them on the spot, none of them having a chance to raise their weapons in defense.
Vin and Mauro appear on the other side, dropping their guns as they view the three bodies on the ground. Disappointment flashes over their faces.
“Thanks for saving some for us,” Vin notes dryly.
I shrug. “You were taking too long.” I step over one of the men and stand before the sliding wood door. My fingers wrap around the edge as I carefully slide it open, unsure of what I might find on the other side. Vin, Mauro, and Leo stand behind me with their weapons drawn, prepared for an attack.
The moment the light from the moon shines through, illuminating the scene unfolding before me, my body freezes.
Cressida has her back toward me as she stands tall, pointing a gun directly at Madeleine.