I knew it could be a little presumptuous to assume I was something good in her life, but Sam was the good in my life, and I hoped the feeling was mutual. The more time that went by without knowing where she was, the clearer it became: Sam made me happy. My feelings for her were more than sexual or lust. I cared about her. I wanted her to be safe and healthy.
And it wasn’t just because she was carrying my child either. Even if Devin had done something to make her lose the baby – I’d tear him apart joint by joint if he had – I’d still want to be with Sam. I’d bought the wedding ring as a way to control her, as a way to buy her devotion and make sure she would be around to raise our child, but now I just wanted the opportunity to give it to her. I wanted it to represent a fresh start for us, a real relationship, unlike anything I’d ever had before. But first, I had to find her.
Over and over again I asked Devin where Samantha was, and over and over again he refused. By the time my men arrived, Devin was a bloody pulp on the floor, not even attempting to defend himself.
“Gavril,” Yuri said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. “He’s down. He’s down.”
Devin was still breathing, but he appeared to be unconscious. His eyes were closed, though I couldn’t tell if it was because I’d knocked him out or because they were so swollen.
“Is she here?” Ivan asked, looking around, doubt written on his face.
“Fyodor is involved,” I said.
“Fyodor?” Yuri asked, twirling his finger around his neck to represent the man’s snake tattoo.
I nodded. “Devin says she is on a plane, but I don’t buy it. She is being held somewhere until they are ready to fly.”
“Why is he here alone?” Ivan asked, nudging Devin’s limp body with his toe.
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t have time to look.”
Without a word, we all split up and began investigating the warehouse, searching for any sign of Sam or a clue for where she could be. I dug around the office while Ivan and Yuri checked behind the shelving at the back of the warehouse.
I found a chair that was knocked over – confirming my earlier theory that Devin had knocked it over when the lights turned on – and there were loose ropes wrapped around the arms and legs. The sight made me want to go turn straight around and start pummeling Devin again. What kind of piece of shit could tie up his own sister?
The room was small and sparse, and I wondered if Sam had been scared. I wondered whether it was better or worse that she knew her kidnapper. Was it better because she thought he wouldn’t hurt her? Or worse because she had been betrayed by someone who was supposed to love her?
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, trying to focus on the facts. If I stuck to the facts, there was a smaller chance that I would grab my gun and put a bullet in Devin’s head. The ropes let me know that someone had been held captive here, and it was most likely Sam. She had been here, which meant we were on the right track. I just needed to know where she went next.
I kicked the chair with the heel of my boot, sending it clattering across the floor. And then, just as I started to turn around, I saw the shadow approaching from the corner of my eye, but it was too late. I twisted away at the last second, but the shot rang out, making me wince at both the sharp pain in my ear and the throbbing pain in my side.
Devin was standing in the doorway, the gun I’d kicked away from earlier in his hand. His face was mangled and bleeding, drops splashing on the floor at his feet, but not as much as was splashing around mine. I pressed my hand into my side and dropped to my knees. He might have shot me again if Ivan and Yuri hadn’t been there.
They shouted, and I heard their footsteps pounding across the warehouse, the sound echoing in the metal roof, but Devin took off. He ran down the hallway, and I lunged forward as if to follow him, but ended up flat on my face, my cheek pressed to the cold concrete.
Ivan fell down next to me and rolled me over. “Where did he hit you?”
“Go,” I shouted, trying to wave away his hands. “Leave me alone.”
“It’s in his side,” Yuri said, sounding worried. “The bullet probably tore through some organs. I don’t see an exit wound.”
Ivan cursed. “We have to get him help.”