Tears of Betrayal

Surprise flickers through me. “Are you sure?”

“I heard it directly from him. I’m still trying to find out who’ll be coming after Ariana. With Sergei on his deathbed, Yuri wants Ariana out of the way so she can’t claim any of the inheritance.”

That fucking sucks.

“What do you want to do?” I ask him.

“Sergei’s still the head of the Bratva. Protect his daughter. Lucian with be in Russia soon, and then we’ll take it from there.”

“Yeah, Yuri won’t be suspicious if the head of the Italian Mafia pays his respects to the head of the Bratva.” As I process everything I just learned, I say, “You’re aware if I take out Yuri’s hitman, it will start a war.”

“Our loyalty belongs to Sergei. I’ll deal with Yuri if it comes to that,” Alexei mutters.

My eyes scan up and down the street. “She’s an easy target in Seattle. It’s next to impossible keeping her safe while making sure she doesn’t see me.”

“Hmm…” Alexei is quiet as he thinks, then he says, “Take her to the island.”

I let out a burst of laughter. “Do you seriously think the girl’s just going to let me take her to an island?”

Alexei purchased an island on the Canadian side of Lake Superior. He had it rigged out with everything we might need if we ever needed to disappear.

“Of course not,” he chuckles.

“You want me to kidnap and babysit Sergei’s daughter?” I ask, not liking the idea one bit.

“Hey, think of it as a vacation,” Alexei taunts me.

“Fuck no.”

“It will be a week at the most. I’ll owe you a favor,” Alexei tries to sweeten the deal.

“You know I’m not a people person. One screech from the girl, and I’m fucking gagging her,” I warn him.

“Do what you have to, just keep her alive. Oh, and make sure she doesn’t know where the island is.”

I shake my head, not happy with how things are turning out. “What about you? Who’s going to watch your back?”

“I have Tristan, Nikhil, and Sacha. Besides, I won’t be leaving LA for a while,” Alexei reassures me. Tristan is his other business partner, and I trained Nikhil and Sacha myself, so it does offer me some peace of mind.

“Do you really want to do this?” I ask.

“It’s the only way. Just keep the girl safe until we hear what Sergei wants.”

“Okay.”

“And send me updates of what’s happening on your side. If you go silent, I’m going to come looking for you,” Alexei warns.

“Will do.” I glance up at the building again. “I’m taking her tonight. I’ll be in touch.”

“Good luck.”

“Have a drink for me,” I joke.

“Already having one,” Alexei chuckles.

We end the call, and I take a deep breath while shaking my head.

Fuck.

My mind starts to work, putting a plan in place. I have nothing on me to drug the girl with. No sane human will willingly go with a man they don’t know, so I’m expecting her to put up one hell of a fight.

Once I have her unconscious, I’ll have a couple of seconds to restrain her and get her into the car. Without any of her neighbors seeing. Fucking fun.

Shoving the car door open, a scowl darkens my features as I climb out.

Just get it over with, Demitri.

I slam the door shut and stalk across the road toward the apartment building’s entrance. My guard is up, knowing Yuri’s hitman can strike at any moment. The person will probably scout the neighborhood before planning how to take the hit. Most assassins prefer a long-distance shot, so they have a head start in getting away from the crime scene.

And they’ll all recognize me.

Walking into the foyer, I check for security cameras and take it as a win when there are none. I avoid the elevator and head up the stairs to the second floor.

It’s almost two am so pretending to be a new neighbor sure as shit won’t work. When I reach Ariana’s door, I pull two pins from my wallet and quickly pick the lock.

It’s one of the many skills I’ve learned over the years, and within a couple of seconds, the lock clicks open. I let out a breath of relief when there’s no security chain to struggle with and softly push the door open. I step inside the dark apartment and gently shut the door. My eyes scan over the small living room and kitchen and then settle on the partially open door, which I assume leads to the bedroom.

I notice the curtains are closed, so at least I don’t have to worry about a hitman taking a shot while I’m kidnapping the fucking girl.

Never in my life did I think I’d be doing something like this.

My steps are silent as I move to the bedroom, and placing my hand on the door, I push it open. It creaks, and I pause to listen for any movement. When there’s none, I slip inside the bedroom, and my eyes instantly find Ariana where she’s lying on her stomach, her arms and legs sprawled over the mattress. Her breaths are soft, and I move fast. Placing a knee next to her hip, I straddle her lower back in a second. My left hand slaps over her mouth as she jerks awake, and wrapping my right arm around her neck, I use just enough force to cut off her air supply.