Chapter 22

Taylan

Carnage.

That is the best word to describe the sight as Destiny and I walk… well she walks and I limp outside. The moment Gage spots his daughter, the fearful look on his face evaporates. He rushes forward and rips her away from me. I stumble but manage to catch myself on the hood of the car beside me. I keep my hand pressed against the wound on my side where that little bitch Koda stabbed me. I can feel the cold sheen of sweat over my body and feel myself growing weaker by the second.

"You look rough, kid." I flick my gaze up to see Vincent standing before me strapped to the hilt with weapons. Blood splatter is visible on his face and arms, but the sight that holds my attention is the three bullets lodged into his Kevlar vest.

"I thought you were a sniper?" I wheeze out.

He claps me on the shoulder and I flinch in pain. He withdraws his hand and shoots me an apologetic smile. "I was the one who fired the missile. Be glad it was me and not Gage because he can't aim for shit." I crack a smile at his teasing of his brother-in-law.

"Fuck you! My aim is perfect," the man himself defends. I peer over at him and see Destiny tucked under his arm and nestled into his side. Everything becomes white noise as she and I stare at each other, this is the second time we have been kidnapped together and come out the other side to tell stories about it.

I can't remember everything we said in there but something is telling me this thing between us isn't over yet.

"You need to go with Andreas and get patched up." I tear my gaze from Destiny to stare at Vincent.

"Yeah, okay," I mutter as he signals for a guy to come forward and help me into the back of the car. The tinted windows are too dark for her to see me in the back seat but I can see her perfectly fine. She's putting on a brave face for her family's sake but I see the cracks in her armor. The moment she is alone she's going to fall apart and I won't be there this time to pick up the pieces.

Koda has been apprehended, which means my job here is done, we've proven the RDS and DLCF are allies to the Murdochs, Memento Mori and Godfathers. With Anya taking Russia back, this means their family will now control three countries. Fuck, if they manage to get control of the English they will have the majority vote and could potentially come for us.

Andreas and one of his guys climbs into the front of the car. The second the engine starts, Destiny pulls free of her father. I roll down the window in time for her to grip the frame as she peers inside the darkened car at me. Her features are etched in pain, her eyes plead with me not to leave her and stay. When I open my mouth she shakes her head, forcing me to remain silent.

"You aren't your mother, you are far too strong to lose yourself in someone else. I wish you every ounce of happiness, Tay Tay, because you deserve it. You are someone's happy ever after…" Her bottom lip begins to tremble, she closes her eyes and sucks in a deep breath before slowly blinking those beautiful gray-blue eyes open again and pinning me in place with that look. "You're just not mine," she whispers, then places a kiss to the tips of two of her fingers and then presses them against my lips before stepping back.

Andreas begins reversing out of the driveway but my gaze is still locked on the blonde-haired beauty sandwiched between her uncle and father, who both glare at me but I ignore them. The broken look in her eyes has pain spurring to life in my chest.

"I wish I could be your ending," I whisper as we drive away from the only woman who I think actually really gave a damn about me, and was willing to help me slay my demons just so I would remain by her side.

Spending three days in Russia recovering wasn't something I enjoyed but today is the day I finally get to go home and I'm itching to get the fuck out of here. Andreas and his men have been good to me. Being here did give me insider information though. At the next meeting with heads of the families, Anya is going to announce that she will be reclaiming her birthright as Pakhan of the Volkov Bratva. According to Andreas, Gage is pissed that she is choosing to rule under her maiden name and not Murdoch, but in this country, the Murdoch name doesn't mean shit, it holds no power and the Murdochs can't call the shots.

Anya earned the respect of her people and in turn they will remain loyal to her and her only. I haven't seen any of the Murdochs or the one Murdoch in particular that I wanted to see the most. I was told by Kyros, Andreas's second, that once the remainder of her family arrived the night we were rescued they returned to the states. Knowing she is so far away hurts but this is for the best. We both knew that I was only stationed with her until the threat against her life was eliminated and it has been.

I snatch the phone Andreas got for me off the bedside table and scroll through the list of contacts until I find the person and hit call. It rings three times before she answers.

"Hello?" I hate that hearing her voice still brings a smile to my face even after all the shit she has done.

"Miss me?" I tease.

"Taylan?"

"How many stunningly handsome guys do you have calling you, Kimmy?"

She chuckles but I can tell it's forced. "Just you." There's a beat of silence before she breaks the awkwardness. "Do you still hate me?"

A whoosh of air escapes me as I mull over her words for a minute. "I hate what you did, but I don't hate you."

"Thank you," she says barely above a whisper.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Your daughter's name is Lila." A harrowing sob comes through the phone. "She's at a boarding school in Romania." I tell her everything Koda told me and how for the past three days I have been searching for her daughter. Andreas sent his tech guy to me so we could both hunt down Kimber's daughter. Koda was telling the truth, a quick call to the school proved that she is indeed a happy kid and hasn't been harmed. He may be more worthless than dog shit but at least he didn't harm that poor girl.

"D-does she know who I am?" Kimber chokes out.

"I don't know, Kimmy," I answer honestly, the school wouldn't provide me that type of information. "Wave has a plane standing by for you to go to Romania and get your girl. I will personally cover the costs for you and her to see a therapist so you can both reconnect and work through the trauma you both have suffered by her being separated from you."

"I didn't even recognize him, Taylan. I had no idea he was her father, I swear?—"

"I believe you, Kimber. Now, go get your girl and I'll see you both real soon."

"Taylan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I forced you to make that stupid bet and betrayed you."

I scrub my hand down my face. "I know you are, but without that bet I wouldn't have got to hang out with one of the coolest chicks I have ever met."

"You really like her, don't you?"

"We just started talking again, Kimber, don't push your luck. Go get your kid," I say, ignoring her laughter as I end the call and head out to meet Kyros so he can take my bruised ass to the airport.

Saying goodbye to Russia is fucking easy, if I never stepped foot back in this country I would be totally okay with that. Canada may be cold and small but it's nothing like this place. I'm the only one on the private plane aside from the crew, so I use the alone time to close my eyes and dream about the blonde-haired beauty that I refuse to admit hasn't been far from my thoughts for the past three days.

"You look comfortable." I snap my eyes open and stare up at the woman who gave life to the woman I was currently envisioning, bending over the arm of a sofa as I sank my cock into her perfect ass.

"What are you doing here?" I blurt.

Anya rolls her eyes as she peels her coat off and hands it to the flight attendant before claiming the seat opposite mine. She crosses her legs and rests her hands on top of them. Guards file onto the plane and claim seats around us but none of them even look at the two empty seats on either side of us. Anya and I don't utter another word until the plane takes off and levels out in the air.

"I had business to attend to here."

Unwarranted anger unfurls inside me. "You don't think that could have waited? You know, maybe your daughter might have needed you after what she went through."

Anya's face reddens in anger. "You think you know what my daughter needs because you spent mere weeks with her? Or is it because you were sleeping with her?"

I school my features making sure to give nothing away. The men in their family may be ruthless, cunning and powerful, but the women are just as bad if not worse. I know Anya is baiting me and I need to make sure I play my cards right.

"Why are you really on this flight?" I dodge her question and from the twitch of her upper lip I can tell she isn't pleased by that.

"I thought you and I should have a chat."

"About?"

"My daughter."

I scoff. "No thanks."

"You don't have a choice. You answer my questions and I may allow you to leave this aircraft breathing."

"What the hell is it with your family and always threatening to kill people?" I am fed up with always being threatened by them.

"You don't get to where we are by keeping your hands clean. Unlike Kiara and Clare, who don't enjoy inflicting pain, Allison, Carlina, Koby and myself, we all enjoy getting down and dirty with the guys."

"My mind just went to the gutter and I am fighting back the gag that wants to break free."

She purses her lips and narrows her eyes, clearly unimpressed with my joke at her expense. "She's a twenty-five year old girl."

"And your point is?" I clap back.

"You're thirty-three, established and have a life you've built for yourself in Canada. Destiny will never give up being in the ring, her father is her everything?—"

I scoff. "You clearly don't know your own daughter well," I grit out.

"Be very careful here, Taylan, I won't tolerate being disrespected."

"You don't like me? Cool. Then kill me," I taunt, then push on before she can speak. "Instead of sitting here trying to analyze me, you should think about trying to get to know your daughter better, Anya. She fights because she was told she couldn't do it. She does love her father but she idolizes you !" Her face scrunches in confusion. "She also fights because she wants to prove to you that she is just as strong as her mother, she is trying to show that she is worthy of you."

"You fool! She never has to prove anything to me."

"Yes, she does!" I roar, gaining the attention of her men. They shift in their seats ready to strike me down if I make the wrong move. "You constantly work at those shelters with your sister-in-laws, you work with Gage and the others and she feels like she is just an afterthought. You never spend time with her, she thinks you hate her fighting?—"

"I do!" she yells. "Being a fighter is dirty, you have to hunger for the win. It's life or death in the ring. I never wanted her to fight like I had to. Being a lawyer is safe, she would be free of being hurt."

"She's a fucking Murdoch and a Volkov! You are the Pakhan now, Anya. Her father is always going to be a target and now her mother has a bright red bullseye on her. She will never not be in danger. Fighting is her escape."

"Escape from what?" I snap my mouth closed and slink back into my seat, tearing my gaze from her. "Answer me!"

"It's not my story to tell. Speak to your daughter, Anya. You might be surprised by what she tells you, the both of you are more similar than you think." I slowly return my gaze to hers. "She has walls built so high so you can't see the broken little girl that hides behind them. Smash those fucking walls down and save her before you lose her to the demons in her mind. Trust me, the demons of your past can destroy anything good in your life."

"I know better than most what demons of your past can do, don't misjudge me. Much like you and your friends, I had to fight for everything in my life. I was ruthless, I was a killer without any remorse."

"Well, in that case congratulations because your daughter is your twin. You spent so much time trying to force her to be someone she isn't, that you lost sight of what was directly in front of you. She is dying inside and you are too blind to see it for yourself. Fuck Russia, it will still be there in years to come but your daughter might not be."