44. Manuel
FORTY-FOUR
MANUEL
I wanted to murder Alexandra, but finding my wife was the priority. I sent a message to Lykos, requesting his help, and tabled all my vengeful thoughts.
Sitting in the back of the sleek speedboat flying across the water, droplets of saltwater brushing against my face, I checked my weapons. Danil, Soren, and Umbrio were doing the same, and I leaned forward to ask, “We have satellite images of the yacht. Sì ?”
I needed the yacht’s layout and an idea of how many men we were dealing with.
“Yes. He only has twenty men on the yacht with him—ten on the lower deck and the remainder scattered around.”
Too many.
Soren chuckled. “It’s his mistake.”
Rumors were that Soren once battled through fifty men on his own before he was joined by his men. It was how he got his scar. So I wasn’t surprised he saw this as a piece of cake. He didn’t even consider it a challenge.
The night air was crisp as we jetted across the rough waters. The moon glimmered against the dark skies, lighting the path that would take us to the only woman that mattered.
I made a vow to never waste time again because it was fleeting and precious. When I had Athena safe in my arms, I was going to live every day like it was my last.
I would tell my wife I loved her, so fucking much that it terrified me. Without her, I was a shell of a man and this life wasn’t worth living.
Before long, we spotted the super yacht.
“Keep to the shadows,” I instructed Danil, although I was confident he knew what he was doing. “I’m glad we went with this black boat. It’ll be easier to blend in.”
“Black is Qian’s favorite color,” Danil said wryly.
I shared a look with them. “Silencers on?”
A terse nod.
Danil promptly killed the motor and Umbrio, who used to be an Italian rowing champion, took us the rest of the way.
We swung our ropes up and climbed onto the deck. It wasn’t long before we were spotted. Chaos erupted. Men scattered, picking up their weapons. I killed two before they could even reach for them.
Danil was next to me while Soren and Umbrio fell behind. We moved efficiently, careful to not alert Qian too soon and give him an opportunity to hurt Athena.
It was over quickly.
Ten Triad men were dead, and we moved to the upper deck. I scanned the area and motioned to the separate sets of stairs. We couldn’t leave an open exit and potentially miss Qian if he decided to flee with Athena, so we separated. Danil and I went up the first flight of stairs.
We crept up slowly. I knew there had to be more men close by—there was no chance they hadn’t been alerted to our presence.
The moment my foot took the last step, I caught a subtle shift against the far end of the deck and sneered.
Movement behind me registered a second before a garrote snapped around my neck. Dropping my gun, I got a few fingers under the cord before it could go taut, and I yanked with both hands. He was trying his fucking best to strangle me, but he didn’t have what it took. I shoved him backward, ramming my skull against his.
The sound of crunching bones rang out and he screamed. Pulling a knife out of my holster, I spun around to find him clutching his bloody nose, and without wasting another second, I drove the knife into his stomach.
“Where is my wife?” I said, letting him see my fury.
“I don’t know who your wife is,” he wheezed.
“Don’t lie to me, stronzo , or I’ll gut you alive.”
I could feel his blood leaking everywhere, coating my hands and clothes.
“I… I… don’t know,” he screamed. “Boss took her.”
Pulling my knife from his belly, I sliced his throat and heaved him overboard.
Another two men appeared out of thin air.
Danil was shooting at the ones behind us while I focused on the men in front of me. I heard shots fired on the other side of the deck, probably Soren and Umbrio, but I ignored them.
Athena was here and I needed to get to her.
Athena
I swallowed my fear while a hum built in my throat.
Something unlocked inside me with each tune. I could feel dark shadows unfurling in my chest, rattling the bars of the cage.
The door opened and I stifled a whimper threatening to bubble up. Just as I started to think I imagined it, the footsteps sounded and I froze, waiting with bated breath. Was it a friend or a foe? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t remain silent.
“Wh-who’s there?” I muttered.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The box fell open and an outstretched hand appeared. “I’m here to help you.”
I took it, desperate to get out of this box, and crawled out. An impeccable suit filled my view, and I lifted my gaze until our eyes met.
No, it can’t be.
Atticus Popov.
But when…? How…?
I watched in muted shock as his eyes locked on me. His eyes were the exact same shape as mine, but his eye color… It was the exact same color as Danil’s.
We stared at each other, my hand still in his as I searched my brain for a word—any word. My father stood in front of me and I couldn’t think of a single thing to say or do.
Anguish. Relief. Regret. It all filled his stare at once, but there was something else there too.
“My beautiful, strong daughter.” It was admiration, I realized, as I listened to his voice that rang with it.
I never thought I’d meet my father. Or my brother, for that matter. Since I’d learned about them, I thought myself lucky to have never crossed paths with the Popov family. Yet, now as my heart thumped painfully in my chest and I stood facing him, I wondered whether his face would be the last thing I saw.
He reached a hand toward me, and I was about to flinch when he brushed his knuckles over my cheek.
“My daughter,” he repeated, staring at me like he was in awe. “I… you… I never thought I’d have this moment.” My hand went to my stomach instinctively, and I heaved a relieved sigh at being able to breathe fresh air again. His eyes softened as he stroked my cheek gently like he’d uncovered a treasure. “I should have taken you from your mother years ago.”
I swallowed at the tone of his voice. I could tell he didn’t like her. I wasn’t quite sure that I did either. Not today; not after everything she’d done.
“Why are you here?” I asked. He might be my father, but I wasn’t ready to trust him. Besides, where in the fuck had he been the past twenty-three years? “Are you working with the Triads and my mom? Are you going to betray me too? Are you the one who betrayed us to the Triads eleven years ago?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Never. I would never sell out my own flesh,” he said incredulously as if it was an abomination. He let out a grunt. “Your mother will pay for selling you out. I would have forgiven her for betraying me, but you… Never.”
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. I didn’t know whether the man standing in front of me was a villain or a hero, but at this moment, I couldn’t find it in me to care. I needed to get out of here and get back to my husband. If it required teaming up with a villain, so be it. I’d do anything to protect my unborn child.
“Then please help me.” Atticus wasn’t exactly an upstanding citizen, but I had to believe there was some goodness in him if he was here now.
“I can take you away,” he offered. “To my country. To my home. To my yacht. Anywhere you want.”
I shook my head. “No, I want to get back to my husband.”
“I can protect you, Athena. Something that he has failed to do.” He took a deep breath before exhaling. “Even Danil couldn’t protect you, and he’s watched over you for years.”
“No, my husband hasn’t failed,” I protested. “He’s saved me from the Triads several times. He had bodyguards protecting me when he couldn’t be around. And this was all before he even knew why they were after me.”
He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. “It seems you and Danil get your stubbornness from me. Nicki is a disaster, just like her mother.”
I tried to appear interested, but all I wanted was to get back to Manuel. To tell him I loved him.
“Please…” I swallowed roughly, my throat still raw. I had never said the word before, never having a father in my life. “Please… Dad.”
It was a manipulative move, but I didn’t care. It was about survival and getting back to my husband.
His eyes widened as he was stunned into silence before a huge smile stretched across his lips.
“You think of me as your dad?” I nodded, struggling to find my voice. A big part of me resisted the idea of a father who was involved in human trafficking and brought pain to so many people. But at this moment, he was my savior. “Say it again,” he croaked, a genuine smile stretching across his lips.
“No.” I had no idea where this strength was coming from. Maybe I recognized Atticus’s hunger to be loved by his child or his resolve to have a connection with me. Whatever it was, I was determined to use it to my advantage. “Take me to my husband. Get me out of here.”
He chuckled. “No wonder Danil is protective of you.”
I blinked. “Why is he protective of me?”
He stepped closer to me. “He sees the fighter in you, but also a woman who’s fiercely protective of those she loves.”
“He couldn’t possibly know that,” I muttered. Except, if he had me watched for years like Atticus had said, that would make sense. “But maybe one day I could get to know him.” I looked over to the door that led to my escape before my gaze slid back to him, my hope of escaping this flaring to life. “And you, Dad .”
He seemed taken aback before he pulled me into a tight hug.
“Your husband’s on his way.” His phone beeped and he flicked a glance at it, cursing under his breath. “And so is my son.” He pushed his hand through his thick silver hair, a tattoo catching my attention. “I should have known those two would team up and shoot their way through Qian’s men.”
“What do you mean?” I gasped, my eyes locked on the familiar tattoo. Before I could dwell on the meaning of it, an alarm blasted.
“Stay here,” he ordered. “I have a game to play with Qian, but I promise you, your husband will find you. Very soon. And trust me when I say no one will hurt you again.”
And with that, he exited the room.
I stared after my only way out of here, unable to stir into action. Every fiber of me stood frozen as the seconds ticked by, trying to understand what just happened.
I was pacing the small room when the door opened. Qian came to stand in front of me, his shoulders square as he stared down at me.
“And how in the fuck did you get out of that box?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I know a few of David Copperfield’s magic tricks.” His eyes flashed. Fuck, I was getting too brave for my own good. “What’s going on?”
“Your husband and brother are fucking maniacs,” he roared, letting the subject of my questionable magic go. “That’s what’s going on.”
My lips lifted and hope ignited in my chest, my eyes darting around as if they might appear out of thin air. “They’re here?”
A few more men barged through the door, speaking Chinese. It almost sounded as if they were bickering when an explosion rocked the boat.
“Fuck, please tell me we’re close to shore,” I muttered just as my captor shoved me to the ground.
“Stay down,” he ordered, brandishing a gun. He barked out a few orders in Chinese, and men I hadn’t noticed before sprung to action.
“What’s happening?” I breathed.
“It seems your husband and brother teamed up for your rescue mission and are determined to sink my ship.”
I grinned.
Maybe this wasn’t the end after all.