Chapter 36

Nikolai

W e're just over halfway through the drive to New York, which has been infuriatingly slow. Traveling with a toddler means several scheduled stops for snacks and bathroom breaks. I haven't exchanged more than a couple of words with Arianna since this morning and have chosen to travel in one car with Dimitri and two others while she, Mads, Adelina, and Endo follow behind. I wanted her and Mads to have more protection, but she refused to be separated from Adelina.

At least this way Dimitri and I have been able to discuss business. That is when he's not gushing about Mads and how wonderful it is that I'm a father.

It's my turn to drive and I can't help but keep looking in my rearview mirror, checking that they're still following us. Suddenly, I notice them veer off the interstate, but by that time we've already passed the turning.

"Shit," I mutter, quickly dialing Endo on the car phone.

He picks up after only two rings. "Endo, what the fuck?" I demand.

"Sorry, boss. Mads started having a full-on meltdown insisting we stop for McDonald's, the women hen-pecked me into submission."

In the background, I can hear the screams and cries of Mads and Arianna soothing her. "We're stopping now honey."

"We're not scheduled to stop for another half an hour couldn't she have waited?" I ask, keeping my eyes peeled for the next exit where we can turn back around.

Fuck. Eight miles. Of course, they had to get off at an exit where the next one wasn't only a couple of miles ahead. That means it will take close to twenty minutes for us to turn around and get to them.

"Listen to her man, it's like nails on a chalkboard. Someone else can take over and drive this car for a bit when you get here," he complains.

"Fine. Wait there. Sit tight and wait for us to turn around and get to you. We'll be as quick as we can."

"Roger that," he says before I hang up.

I drive like a bat out of hell, cursing myself for letting my wounded pride separate me from the two people who matter most. Logically, I know they should be safe with Endo, my second-in-command, but I can't shake the fear that something bad is about to happen to them.

We get stuck in traffic on the way back and I spend the entire time cursing and trying to overtake at every opportunity.

"Calm down, Nikolai, they will be perfectly fine," Dimitri reasons.

I try ringing but the call goes unanswered, "Damn it!" I punch my fist on the dashboard.

"Nikolai, relax. They'll be in the restaurant ordering.

But I don't relax. I need to get to them. I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. That something is about to happen. This is exactly the kind of opportunity that anyone following us would be waiting for. I should have refused to listen to what Arianna wanted and had Endo drive in a car behind them. This is what I feared, it's not just my enemies who would see me as weak. Being in love is robbing me of my senses.

Thirty agonizing minutes later as we pull into the parking lot my phone starts to ring. I can see Endo on his phone, looking grim-faced. I don't bother to answer him. Instead, I race up to where he's standing, parking haphazardly. One look at Arianna's frantic face as she runs over tells me everything I need to know and my stomach drops.

As I step out of the car and sprint over to them, Arianna looks up at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Nikolai, they're gone. Mads and Adelina are gone!"