Chapter 24
Yarik
T he past five days without Sarah have been hell. I’ve called her four times, left voicemails that go unanswered, and sent texts that disappear into silence. Each day feels longer than the last, filled with the constant ache of knowing I failed her when she needed me most.
I sit in my office, staring at the same contract I’ve been pretending to read for the past hour, when Valentin enters. He settles into the chair across from my desk, noting the stack of untouched paperwork and the glass of vodka that’s been sitting untouched since noon.
“You look like hell,” he says with characteristic bluntness.
I set down the contract and lean back in my chair, not bothering to deny the obvious. “I need to see her.”
Valentin’s expression grows cautious. “Yarik?—”
“Don’t.” I stand and move to the window, looking out at the grounds where I first saw Sarah working in the gardens. “I know what you’re going to say. I can’t promise her anything until the Nikitin situation is resolved, and showing up at her apartment makes me look desperate.”
He joins me at the window, his voice slow and careful. “Those are legitimate concerns.”
“Are they? Because sitting here doing nothing while the woman I love thinks I don’t want her seems like a bigger problem.”
He turns to study my profile, probably noting I haven’t slept properly in days. “What exactly are you planning to tell her?”
I face him directly, my decision crystallizing as I speak. “The truth. I’m ending the engagement regardless of the consequences. I’ll buy my freedom with blood if I have to, but I’m choosing her.”
His eyebrows rise at the vehemence in my voice. “You’re talking about starting a war with the Nikitins.”
“Then we start a war.” I move to my desk and begin gathering the files we’ve compiled on Roman Sokolov and the financial irregularities.
“I’m done playing politics with my life.
Sarah asked me to choose her, and I hesitated because I was trying to be strategic.
That hesitation cost me the woman I love. ”
Valentin watches me stuff the documents into a briefcase with growing concern. “Where are you going?”
“To her apartment to tell her I was wrong, and she’s more important than any business arrangement or political alliance.
” I grab my jacket and keys, already planning what I’ll say to convince her to give me another chance.
“She thinks I’ll always put the business first, and I need to prove she’s wrong. ”
He steps into my path, his expression serious. “What if she doesn’t believe you? If she’s already decided to move on?”
The question stops me for a second, touching on the fear that’s been eating at me for days.
What if I waited too long? What if my hesitation wasn’t just a missed opportunity but the final proof she needed that I’m not worth the risk?
I push past him , unwilling to entertain that possibility.
“I’ll keep trying until she does believe me. ”
“Yarik?” Valentin’s voice carries a warning that makes me pause. “You can’t build a relationship on desperation. If you go to her now, while you’re emotional and desperate, you might say things you can’t take back.”
I turn to face him, letting him see the resolve that’s been building in me since the moment Sarah walked out of this office.
“I might also say things that save us both.” I’ll speak the raw, honest truth in my current state, and she deserves that.
She needs to hear I love her, I’ve been a fool, and I want her back the right way, as my fiancée and eventual wife, with Katya displaced, and my future focused on what Sarah and I build together.
Before he can argue further, my phone rings. The caller ID shows Nina’s name, which surprises me since I’ve never given Sarah’s friend my direct number. I answer immediately. “Nina?”
Her voice is tight with worry and speaking faster than normal. “Yarik, I’m sorry to bother you, but is Valentin with you?”
I glance at Valentin, who’s watching me with growing alertness. “Yes, he’s right here. Why?”
She curses softly before speaking, her voice tight with worry. “Sarah got a text from him about meeting to return something she left at your office. She went to meet him forty-five minutes ago, and I have a bad feeling about this.”
I glance at Valentin, who’s watching me with growing alertness. “From whom?”
“From Valentin, supposedly. She made me promise to wait two hours before calling if she didn’t come back. I’m breaking that promise because something feels really wrong about this whole situation.”
A chill spreads through me at her words. I look at Valentin, who’s already shaking his head before I can ask the question. I put the call on speaker. “Nina, Valentin didn’t send any text. He’s been with me all afternoon.”
Her sharp intake of breath tells me she’s reached the same terrifying conclusion I have. “Oh, god. Sarah said she was going to some warehouse. Industrial Drive, I think.”
“Which warehouse?” I’m already moving toward the door with Valentin close behind me.
“Warehouse 17. Yarik, if Valentin didn’t send that message...” Her voice breaks slightly.
My heart clenches, but I have to stay focused. “How long ago did she leave?”
“Forty-five minutes. Something felt wrong about the whole thing. The meeting location, the timing… I asked her not to go, but she was adamant about getting back the fold…thing from Valentin.”
I’m in the hallway now, my mind already working through the logistics of getting to the warehouse district. “You did the right thing calling early. Stay at the apartment in case she comes back.”
“Yarik, if something happens to her...” Nina’s voice carries a sister’s fierce protectiveness despite not being related to Sarah.
“Nothing is going to happen to her.” I end the call and turn to Valentin, who’s already pulling out his phone. “How many men can we get to warehouse 17 in the next ten minutes?”
He’s scrolling through contacts, his usual calmness taking over. “Six, maybe eight if we pull them from the estate. You think it’s the ex?”
“Who else would impersonate you to lure her out?” I’m moving toward the garage, checking my weapon and mentally cataloging what other equipment we might need.
Valentin falls into step beside me, coordinating with our security team through rapid-fire text messages. “If he’s had her for forty-five minutes...”
He doesn’t finish the sentence, but he doesn’t need to. Forty-five minutes is enough time to move her somewhere else, to hurt her, or to disappear entirely. The thought makes my chest tight with panic, though I force it down. Sarah needs me focused, not emotional.
We reach my car, and I’m behind the wheel before Valentin finishes buckling his seatbelt, not bothering to send for Luco and the SUV. The drive to Industrial Drive should take fifteen minutes, but I plan to make it in ten.
“I wish I’d followed my instincts and dug into this guy,” I say aloud before slamming my fist on the wheel. “I was so damned busy focusing on all the wrong things.”
“You have responsibilities that predate Miss Clark,” says Valentin.
I fix him with a glare. “Let me be clear. There’s nothing more important to me than her. Nothing.”
He nods. His expression is still impassive, but I’m sure he finally accepts the depths of my feelings for her and understands I’ll risk everything to bring her back to me safely. I don’t care if it obliterates my empire or costs my life to ensure she’s safe.
My phone buzzes with updates from the security team. Three men are already en route to warehouse 17, with two more following five minutes behind. It’s not an army, but it’s enough to handle one obsessive ex-boyfriend and whatever backup he might have brought.
At least, I hope it’s enough.
The warehouse district comes into view, a maze of industrial buildings and empty lots that looks abandoned in the dusk. Warehouse 17 sits at the end of a dead-end street, surrounded by other buildings that could provide cover for an ambush or escape routes for someone who planned this carefully.
Sarah’s car sits in front of the warehouse, driver’s door still open like she left in a hurry. The sight of it makes something cold and deadly settle inside me. She’s here, or at least she was here, which means we’re not too late.
I park behind her car and check my weapon one more time. Valentin does the same, his movements precise and professional despite the unusual circumstances. We’ve handled hostage situations before, but never when the hostage was someone who mattered to me personally.
The warehouse door stands slightly ajar, which immediately puts me on alert.
Either Alex is careless, or this is an invitation.
Given that he went to the trouble of impersonating Valentin to lure Sarah here, I doubt he’s careless.
I signal Valentin to take the side entrance while I approach from the front.
The first rule of tactical rescue is to avoid giving the hostage-taker a single point of defense.
If Alex is watching the front door, he won’t see Valentin coming from the side.
I push open the warehouse door slowly, letting my vision adjust to the dim interior.
The space is cavernous and filled with shipping containers and wooden crates that create a maze of potential hiding spots.
Security lights cast pools of harsh illumination, but most of the warehouse remains in shadow.
“Sarah?” I call out, my voice echoing off the high ceiling.
No response. The silence feels wrong and too complete for a space that should contain at least two people. I move deeper into the warehouse, weapon drawn while checking each potential hiding spot methodically.
That’s when I see a small object sitting in a circle of light near the center of the warehouse, placed deliberately where it would be visible from the entrance. It’s Sarah’s phone.
I approach it carefully, scanning for any signs of a trap or additional clues. The phone sits undamaged on the concrete floor, its screen dark and silent. There’s no blood, no signs of a struggle, and no indication of what happened to the woman who owns it.
The careful placement tells me this was intentional. Alex wanted me to find the phone and wanted me to know Sarah was here but is now gone. It’s a message, a taunt, and proof that he has something I want while I can’t do anything about it.
Valentin appears from the side entrance, his expression grim as he takes in the empty warehouse and the phone sitting like an artfully arranged piece of art in a gallery, lit just so. “Anything?”
I shake my head, cold fury building with each second that passes without finding Sarah. “He was here but took her somewhere else.”
“The phone could be a distraction. Maybe they’re still in the building.”
We spend the next ten minutes searching every corner of the warehouse, our later arrivals joining in as they walk through the door. We check the small office spaces and storage areas, looking for any sign that Sarah might still be here, but the building is empty except for dust and shadows.
When our backup arrives, I’m standing in the center of the warehouse holding Sarah’s phone and trying not to let the rage consume my ability to think strategically. She’s been taken by a man who has a history of psychological and physical abuse, and I have no idea where they’ve gone.
Mikhail, one of my most experienced men, approaches with urgency to deliver bad news. “We checked the surrounding buildings. There are no signs of additional vehicles or foot traffic. Just Miss Clark’s car in the parking lot.”
“Security cameras?”
He shakes his head. “Most of them are broken or haven’t been operational in years. This area is basically abandoned after five p.m.”
Which explains why Alex chose it and a meeting time of 7 p.m. The warehouse district provides privacy for whatever he’s planning to do to Sarah, while the isolated location means no witnesses and no immediate help if she manages to escape.
I close my hand around Sarah’s phone, the plastic case warming under my grip. Somewhere in this city, the woman I love is being held by a man who has already proven he’s willing to hurt her. Every minute that passes gives him more time to escalate and more time to do permanent damage.
I turn to Valentin, my voice carrying all the deadly certainty I’ve learned in twenty years of violence.
“I want every man we have. I want every contact, every favor, and every piece of information we can gather. I want to know every property Alex has access to, every associate he’s worked with, and every place he might take her. ”
Valentin nods, already pulling out his phone to start making calls. “What about the Nikitins? If we pull all our resources for this?—”
“Let them come.” I pocket Sarah’s phone and head toward the warehouse exit, my mind already shifting into the focused calm I need for what’s coming. “I’m going to find her, and I’m going to end him. If the Nikitins want to use that as an excuse to start a war, then we’ll fight that war too.”
The next few minutes pass in a blur of phone calls and strategic planning.
Valentin coordinates with our security team to deploy our drones to search the surrounding area while I mentally catalog every resource we have available, including money, weapons, manpower, and information networks.
I want all of it focused on the objective of finding Sarah before Alex can do whatever he’s planning.
In less than twenty minutes, I have twelve men mobilizing and three different information sources working to track down Alex’s possible locations.
It’s not nearly enough, but it’s a start.
The war with the Nikitins will have to wait.
Right now, there’s only one battle that matters, and I refuse to lose it.