Chapter Twenty-One
Audrey
When we arrive at my mother’s place, my heart is pounding so hard that it feels like it’s going to break through my chest.
Three black SUVs screech to a stop behind us before I’ve even unbuckled my seatbelt. Igor is out of the car first. He circles the car, grabs my wrist, and leads me toward the front door while Dimitri and half a dozen bratva soldiers spread across the property with their guns drawn.
The front door is hanging crookedly from one side when we climb up the porch. It’s broken down the middle and barely hanging by a single hinge, moving with the wind.
Every pane of glass in the first-floor windows is shattered. Broken glass is spread all around the garden in a sparkling mess.
Two hours ago, we were still on the yacht. After I received the message from Serrano, I called my mother, and the second I heard her frantic voice over the phone, I knew I had to go to her.
She kept yelling about how they took my younger brother. He’s supposed to be in Manhattan, not Miami.
My mind drifts to Mathew and how Serrano didn’t hesitate to kill him.
Oh God, I can’t handle another loss. I’d never be able to live with myself if anything happened to my brother because of me.
We push the door open, and after Sergei clears the area, I run inside, screaming for my mother. “Mom?” My voice echoes through the wreck Serrano left behind, and panic claws at my chest when she doesn’t answer immediately. “Mom!”
I rush toward the kitchen only to freeze in the doorway.
She’s sitting on the floor against one of the cabinets. It’s only been two hours, yet her eyes are red and swollen from crying and her shirt is stained with tears.
One side of her face is swollen, already turning an ugly shade of purple, and her entire body is trembling so violently that my heart breaks just looking at her. I feel sad, guilty, and angry all at once.
“Mom.” I fall to my knees beside her, wrapping my arms around her neck. “Mom.”
She looks at me for a second before breaking down completely. “Audrey.” Her voice is hoarse from crying. “They took him. They took your brother.”
“I know.” I take her hand, rubbing it gently to soothe her. “We’ll find him, and we’ll bring him back.”
I don’t give a flying fuck if I have to walk into the devil’s den myself. I’m not losing my brother to a piece of shit like Serrano. I can’t.
My mother glances over my shoulder at Igor. She flinches, and then her eyes meet mine. “Who is he?”
I bite my lip and lower my head. I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to tell her I got married in the same city she lives in and didn’t invite her. She’d be heartbroken, so I lie. “He’s my fiancé.”
I can feel Igor’s glare burning into the back of my head. I’ll explain to him later.
Her eyes narrow. “You got engaged?”
I nod. “Last night. I was going to tell you this morning.” Now’s not the time to discuss my love life. “I promise we’ll bring Simon back home. But what’s he doing in Miami?”
“He came to surprise us.” She lets out a weary sigh. “Who were those men? The ones who took him? We should call the cops, shouldn’t we?”
“No.” I think of the best way to tell her the truth without shattering her heart even more. “That man isn’t someone the police can handle. Please, just let me take care of this.”
“Before they left…” Her voice breaks. “One of them said to give you a message.”
The room suddenly feels too small. Even Igor, standing silently behind me, goes completely still.
“What did he say?” I ask.
My mother slowly lifts her eyes to mine. “He said to tell you that you have forty-eight hours. If you don’t turn yourself in to Serrano, alone, he’ll kill your brother.”
My entire body goes numb.
For a moment, silence crashes over the room, and the only sound is my mother’s broken sobbing.
I don’t realize I’m crying until Igor kneels beside me and wraps one arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him before my legs can completely give out. I bury my face against his chest because if I don’t, I’m going to shatter right here on my mother’s kitchen floor.
“What are we going to do?” I ask through my sobs.
“Your mother can’t stay alone after what happened. We’re taking her to a safe house only a few of my men know about. She’ll be safe there until all of this is over.”
I nod. “And Simon?”
He holds my hand, looks into my eyes, and makes a promise I know he’ll keep. “I’ll find him, and I’ll bring him home alive.”
“It won’t be that easy. Emiliano won’t—”
“Emiliano’s last mistake was going after you and your family.” His jaw ticks, his eyes cold with rage. “He won’t get away with this. I’ll be dead before I let him hurt one more person.”
I’ve never seen Igor this angry before, and I know he means every word he says. I know it won’t take much for him to kill Serrano, but this isn’t simply about Serrano anymore.
My brother’s life is at risk, and I can’t let Igor do anything reckless. I can’t have that on my conscience.
“You can’t make a move against Serrano.”
He looks at me sternly. “If we don’t, Simon dies.”
“Exactly. One wrong move, and my brother dies.” I draw in a sharp breath. “We’ll go home and think this through, Igor. Until then, don’t make any moves. Please.”
Because I know how sick and twisted Serrano is.
And I know if Serrano feels threatened, he’ll make sure Simon is the first to die.