Chapter 112

“That sounds like a man who is deeply in love with his wife, does it not?” Fedor laughs again, and I want to reach through the phone and strangle him. Before this moment, I hadn’t been able to imagine hurting my little brother, but now, I can picture it perfectly. If I ever get my hands on him, I’ll squeeze the life out of him. Easily. “Congratulations, by the way. On the baby.”

He knows she is pregnant. He has known for weeks. Since he overheard my conversation with George at the diner. I want to beg him not to hurt the baby, but I know it won’t matter. In all likelihood, showing any special concern for the child will only make him more excited to hurt it and Molly. So, I pinch my mouth closed and try to keep calm.

“As a gift to the new parents-to-be, I’ll let you speak to one another,” Fedor says. “Come on, Viktor, don’t be shy now. You’ve been on loudspeaker this entire time.”

“Molly?” Part of me hopes he is lying. I don’t want Molly to know about the men I nearly hired. I don’t want her to know that I was even considering manipulating her into marriage. But a much larger part of me wants to hear her voice. “Are you there?”

I hear what sounds like duct tape being removed, and then screaming.

“Viktor!” In the mess of crying and yelling, I hear my name, and my heart breaks. I drop to my knees in the study and squeeze the phone, desperate to get to her.

“Molly, I—”

“We’ll be in touch,” Fedor says, cutting me off before I can finish.

Then, the line goes dead.

22

VIKTOR

A fter I shove my legs into some jeans and pull on a T-shirt, my first thought is to call Petr. A few weeks ago, he would have been the person I took all of this information to. Now, he isn’t there. I know he is innocent, so I’ll let him out soon, but I need to get my men out in the streets now. We need to be looking for Molly every minute until she is found. So, I call my next highest lieutenant.

Alek doesn’t answer.

Neither does Moises. Or Lexei.

By the fourth person on the list, I’m cursing under my breath with every ring of the phone. It is midmorning. Everyone should be awake by now. If not, they should have their ringers on so they can be alerted to Bratva business no matter whether they are sleeping or not.

Finally, on the sixth ring, Michail answers.

“Hello.”

“Thank fuck,” I groan. “No one is answering. I’m trying to get men out on the streets to look for Molly. Fedor has her, and—”

“You want us to look for your girlfriend?”

I frown. “No, my wife.”

Michail makes an unconvinced noise. “According to the information we all received this morning, Molly is not your wife, and you lied to us.”

Shit. “What information did you receive?”

“Proof that you aren’t actually married,” Michail says. “Proof that you conducted a sacred swearing-in ceremony under false pretenses since Molly was not your wife.”

“Damn it, Michail, I’m sorry, but—”

“I’m not in the city,” he said. “Neither are most of the other guys.”

“What does that mean? Where are you?” The world feels like it is falling apart around me. I grip the edge of the desk for support. The same desk where Molly and I had sex last week. It feels like a lifetime ago.

“This war is between you and your brother. The rest of us don’t want to get killed over your feud.”

I slam my fist down on the table. “We’re a family. You can’t just leave.”

“Family doesn’t lie,” Michail says. With that, he hangs up, leaving me holding onto the useless phone.

I dart out of the room and towards the front door. Theo is eating a bowl of cereal at the table, and

he calls my name as I pass, but I’m on a mission.

I peek in on the room just to the right of the front door. There is usually a guard in there, but the stool is empty right now. Then, I tear open the front door and look down on the street below. The space where a guard usually sits is empty.

We are all unprotected.

I drag a hand down my face and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to think. I have to find Molly, but I have to keep Theo safe, too. I can’t leave him undefended.

George.

I pull out my phone and call George. He answers on the second ring.

“I need your help,” I say, talking faster than my brain can keep up. “Molly is gone, and everything has gone to shit. I can’t trust Theo with anyone else but you. Can you do it?”

“I can do it,” he says without hesitation. “I’m on my way now.”

I silently thank God for one loyal friend and am about to turn inside when I look up and see Sasha walking towards me. He is one of the newest recruits the Bratva has. I barely know him beyond a few short conversations. He is holding a tall coffee in one hand, and he doesn’t meet my eyes as he approaches.

“I’m surprised you’re still here.”

“Me too,” he admits with a shrug. Then, he lifts his coffee. “I figure there won’t be anyone coming to relieve me anytime soon, so I’ll need the caffeine.”

The man looks so young, and I’m tempted to tell him to run and hide with the rest of my men. I want to be angry with them, but I’ve given them no reason to trust me. Time and time again, I chose Molly over them, and while I wouldn’t change anything about that, I understand their reluctance to die in this war for me.

Still, I’m so grateful to see Sasha, to know that one other person will be here to look after Theo, that I pat him on the shoulder and walk him back inside the house.

Theo is finishing up breakfast, and he runs to me, wrapping his arms around my legs. “Where is my momma?”

I scoop him up with one arm and nuzzle my face in his small neck. “I’m going to go find her right now.”

“Really?” he asks, excited. “Can I come with you?”

“You can’t. I’m sorry.” He starts to pout, and I pinch his lower lip playfully between my fingers until he smiles. “But I’ll be back soon. And George is coming to stay with you for a while.”

The nanny meets my eyes over Theo’s head and nods, her silent confirmation that she’ll stay with Theo as long as it takes.

I kiss Theo on the forehead and send him off to play before I leave to bring his mom home. I hope for both of our sakes I can keep my promise.

SASHA RALLIES a few Bratva men who are still loyal, and they follow me to Seamus and Niamh’s house. Seamus meets me at his front door, eyes wide.

“I should have called,” I admit. “But I was afraid you’d say no if I called first.”

He studies me for a moment. “I wouldn’t have. And if I did, Niamh would kill me. She is beside herself with the news.”