Chapter 28

When I getmy hands on him, I’m going to wring the life out of him, and I won’t let go until every sign of life has drained from his eyes.

“He won’t hurt her,” Andrei says. “She’s worth something right now. If he hurts her, he won’t get anything from you.”

“He’s not getting shit from me!” I rage, smashing the button to open the concealed wall in my office. Every weapon I need is hidden in this wall, but I only need a few moments to grab what I want.

“He’s desperate.” Sergei lifts two Glock 19s from the wall and grabs the pre-loaded magazines to go with them. “And stupid.” He slaps a magazine into one of the guns. “A bad combination.”

“What’s a bad combination?” Izzy asks.

“Fuck,” Andrei curses under his breath before turning to his wife standing in the doorway, shopping bags in each hand.

“What’s going on?” She eyes the guns we’ve strapped into our holsters before we cover them with our coats. “Where’s Marlena? I thought you said she’d be here by now.” Her face drains of color. “Andrei?”

“We don’t have time to explain, Izzy.” Andrei walks her out into the hall. “We’re going to go get her right now. You have to stay here. When we get back with her, she’s going to want you here.”

Izzy looks over her shoulder while Andrei leads her to the living room. “What is going on? What is it?” She pulls away from him just as Sergei and I walk past and head to the foyer.

“I’ll bring her home, Izzy,” I vow, keeping my eyes forward. I hear the panic in her voice; I don’t want to give visual confirmation to it. The only thing that matters right now is getting to Marlena before Jimmy loses what’s left of his senses.

“We’ll be back. Do not go anywhere, Isolde. Promise me.” Andrei’s voice hardens. It’s enough to get her attention and her cooperation.

As soon as Andrei steps into the elevator with Sergei and me, I slam the garage button on the console.

“I won’t wait for Michael Agosti to give the okay.” I point a finger at my cousins. “I don’t give a fuck if it starts shit between us.”

“No one is asking you to,” Andrei agrees. “He touched what’s yours.”

We jump into the first car waiting for us in the garage. Three others follow us out onto the street.

Marlena had been sitting in one just like this one when Jimmy ran into her. When I saw the picture Mikhail sent me of the car, I damn near broke my phone. She could have been killed.

My jaw aches, but I can’t let go of the tension. Mikhail escaped from the wreck with a busted head and a broken nose. The front driver side took the brunt of the impact against the building they smashed into, but she couldn’t have walked away completely unharmed.

Mikhail hadn’t been conscious when Jimmy climbed into the car and stole her right from the fucking car. It’s probably how he made it out alive. If Jimmy had seen him awake, he would have shot him.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and swipe it to life. The text from Jimmy sits there, staring up at me.

Fifty grand tonight if you want her untouched.

The fucker actually thinks he’s going to ransom her to me. I’d pay every last penny I have to keep her safe, but that isn’t going to happen.

Her phone was left behind in the car when she was taken, but Mikhail came to just as they were pulling away. He got a look at the plates.

The fucking idiot used a legal car. His goddamn sister’s son’s car. We had it traced and tracked within half an hour. He’s going to have hell rain down on him the moment I get my hands on him.

“You love this girl.” Sergei’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

“Don’t start with me.” I put my phone away and check our progress.

Almost there.

“I’m not.” He shrugs. “Not everyone is cut out for the single life.” He fists his hand on one knee.

I look over at him. He’s wearing the same frown he’s had for so long now, I can barely remember when he didn’t have it. He’s not finding any happiness jumping from bed to bed, but I’m not in the mood for conversation.

“We’re a mile out,” Yogi, our driver, announces as he exits the highway.

Jimmy’s sister lives in the suburbs in a gated community.

Like a fucking gate is going to keep us out.

“Here.” Yogi pulls up to the gatehouse and rolls down his window. The security guard steps out, pushing up his little hat so he can see up into the SUV.

Yogi smiles. “Open the gate.”

“Who are you here to see?” The man’s voice trembles with his question.

I lean forward from the second row and glare at the guard. “Open the gate.”

He swallows hard, gives a sharp nod.

Some guard he is… The gates swing open a second later.

One of our men jumps out of the last vehicle to babysit the guard. Just to make sure he doesn’t suddenly find his balls and call the cops. We’re no threat to anyone in this neighborhood except Jimmy.

“Second house on the right,” Andrei says, pointing to the mini mansion with the attached four-car garage and driveway that winds down a quarter of an acre to the street. Being the big sister of a mob boss has its perks, I guess.

Yogi turns off the headlights as we drive up to the house. Saturday nights aren’t exactly party nights in the suburbs. Most of the houses are dark. Even the lights on the porch are dimmed. They must love their privacy.

“We don’t know if his sister’s in there,” Andrei says as we roll up the driveway. “We need to be careful. She gets hurt, Michael’s not going to want to forgive and forget. More than likely, Jimmy has Marlena in the basement.”

I stare at the front door of the house. Marlena’s inside. I don’t give a shit who has to eat a bullet for me to get to her.

“We’ll get her, Viktor.” Sergei puts his hand on my shoulder. “But we have to be smart. Won’t do her any good to be saved today and then you’re killed tomorrow.”

I open my door. “No one dies except Jimmy,” I say, climbing out. “He doesn’t survive this.”

Car doors shut, and the men head toward us to get their orders.

Just as Andrei opens his mouth, a terrified scream comes from the house.

A shot rings out.

Then another.