Chapter 42
Debt for Life
Misha
“Who sent you?” I roar for the millionth time as bastard bleeds before me.
It has taken everything in me not to beat him to death. My little girl. Has she not been through enough?
They tried to kidnap her again. If not for Lovie and Sammy, my little Milanie, moya malen'kaya printsessa would be gone. Lost to me forever, like her mother.
“I don’t know. I was told there was a job. I showed up for the flight and the assignment.”
“What was assignment?”
“Find you guys and kill your sons.”
My head nearly explodes. He’s finally talking, but I hate every word out of his mouth. I have to tell myself not to blow his head off or slit his throat.
“But you tried take my daughter. Why?” I sneer.
“Dominic didn’t seem to know where to find you. Only that you were somewhere close. Cedric recognized your wife.
“He thought if we took your daughter, that would help us find the rest of you. He thought fast and we went for the girl, but she wasn’t the target,” he chokes out.
“You sure you know nothing else?”
“Dominic was in charge. He kept making calls to someone. That’s all I—”
I drag my blade across his throat before he finishes. I have enough. My chest heaves with my anger.
“Elizaveta?” Alexei says from the corner he’s been standing in.
“Da, this her in one way or another.”
“You still question the kid?”
“Da, but not in way you think. I will say nothing more. We don’t know if speaking our thoughts aloud will allow him to see my thoughts. We do everything his way.”
“Da, understand.”
“I done here.”
Without another word, I turn and walk out. I never thought we would have reason to use this room on this island. However, I just christened the interrogation room here.
I walk into the kitchen in the main house and find Lovie sitting with my wife. Good, I want to speak with this woman. Lovie gets up as if she’s going to leave.
“Have a good night,” she calls.
“Thanks again, Lovie.”
“You’re welcome, girl. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to that baby,” she says.
“Wait, don’t go. I have something to say to you,” I say to stop her from leaving.
“Oh?”
“Da.” I nod and then gesture with my head for her to sit down. “I can never repay you for what you did today. I will be indebted to you for life.”
“I just told your wife that’s not necessary. I did what I would have done for anyone here. I would do it again.”
“Necessary.” I shrug. “Maybe not. A fact. It will be. Anything you want is yours. Ask and I make happen. That final, da?”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“You guys have a good night. See you in the morning.”
She gets up and waves to us before she turns to leave. I turn to my wife and find her with her head down. I knit my brows in concern.
Pinching her chin between my fingers, I lift her face until our eyes lock. Searching her eyes, I try to figure out what’s wrong.
I know she loves Milanie as if she were her own. If Mishutka Mishyenka weren’t being a brat, she would have been there for our daughter. It is time I break him out of his spoiled habits.
I frown and run my thumb across her bottom lip. This woman means more to me than she could ever know. I only want to make her happy.
“What is it, moya lyubov'?” I ask and lean in to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I—”
“Don’t. I know you would have protected her if you were there. You were taking care of our son.
“I am not angry with you. I am angry that I was not there to keep this from happening. You and our children are my life, moy ogon'.”
I call her my fire because that’s what she is. I had been in ashes, and she brought me back to life, starting my flame anew. Bringing her hand to my chest, I place it over my heart.
“Come, let me set your body on fire. I will show you nothing in my heart has changed.”
LaSalle
I’ve been pacing my bedroom for the last hour. Anger and rage are stewing inside me. I couldn’t interrogate that asshole with Misha because I knew I wouldn’t be able to control my temper.
I have told Tasha we should trust Sammy, but I’m questioning my son in this moment. He’s keeping something from me. His words were too clean, too exact. As if he were skirting around the truth.
However, I don’t want to push because I know everything he does has a purpose. To top it all off, this didn’t just happen randomly.
No one should have gotten close to this island. Sammy and his little excursion might have saved us all. Our guard has been down while here, as it should be.
This was never meant to be a place where we have to be guarded. It’s not even mapped for the public. I made sure of that.
“When I find out who gave away our location, I’m going to burn them alive. How are they still hiding under our noses?” I’m seething as Tasha walks up behind me and wraps her arms around me.
“Calm down. I will find them. It is my priority when I get home,” she says then presses her lips to my back.
I release a heavy sigh. “No, no. Sammy has warned that we need to allow this one to unravel naturally.”
“What? Why?”
I turn and cup her face in my hands. I look her face over and note the concern etched in her features. My wife never leaves my back uncovered. Doing this will go against everything within her.
“This one is tied to him in some way. If we go moving things, it affects him. I will not sacrifice my son for my own life.”
Tasha looks away to keep me from seeing the tears in her eyes. I try to sooth her by running my hands up and down her arms. I’m sure she’s as frustrated as I am.
“This is why you’ve been pacing.” It’s not a question but a statement. “Our hands are tied. I dig for the rat; it puts Sammy at risk, but if I leave it alone, we’re being eaten from the inside out. Our so-called advantage isn’t one at all.”
I snort. “I said the same thing to Sammy. His words to me were wise beyond his years.”
“What did he say?”
“You can have answers, but if your response to them is wrong or out of timing, what’s the point of them? It is better to have patience and understanding,” I repeat my son’s words.
“Wow.”
“You can say that again.”
“So what do we do now?”
“I get the feeling whatever is to come doesn’t need our help. This wedding is important. I don’t know what’s going on in Misha’s head, but I get the feeling he understands what Sammy is up to.”
“What makes you say that?”
“A look between him and Uri. I caught it, but I get this feeling I shouldn’t ask. Besides, there is one thing that has always been true about our son and his mother.”
“What’s that?”
“Their decisions have the same ultimate goal.”
“To make things right.”
“Exactly,” I say and kiss her nose.
Her expression turns thoughtful for moment and then she sighs. “We’re trained not to rush our clients. Give a child room to explore and figure things out.
“As their service provider, we don’t just give them the tools they need; we give them space, and we observe for when they need our help. Then and only then do we step in. That is easier said than done when it comes to Sammy.”
“I will do whatever he needs from me, even when I don’t fully understand. It drives me crazy and places me outside of my comfort zone, but it feels like the right thing to do,” I say.
“Then it’s what we will do. We have trusted him before. He has proved that we can. I will deal with my feelings.”
I release a heavy breath. That we will, but I will still be watching closely because the fact is Sammy is hiding something. I will not allow anything to happen to my son.