Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Pop!
My bullet hits him in his lower stomach and he groans from the impact. He drops his weapon to apply pressure to the wound. Adrian flies up out of nowhere and tackles the fucker.
“Get him to the cellar,” I growl. I’m blinded by the rain that’s running from my hair into my eyes and everything fucking hurts. I’ll need to get my shit dealt with because I won’t be able to run on adrenaline forever.
I stumble a little, my hip screaming in pain, but manage to keep myself upright. My phone buzzes again. “I need to check on Talia,” I bark out at Adrian. “Let’s get this asshole there for questioning. Aris is still missing.” My blood runs cold with fear that he might have gotten to her.
Men are staked out around the villa.
Aris would have to go through an entire army of men to get to her.
She has a gun and knows how to use it.
It provides some semblance of relief, but not much. Just as we push into the groundskeeper’s house, I dig my phone out of my soaked pants pocket. Adrian hauls the fucker to the cellar while I wait in the living room. My hands are shaking and it takes a few tries before I’m able to enter my code to open it.
The door flies open behind me. I’m on autopilot as I sling my AR around, ready to spray bullets into my assailant. As soon as I see who it is, I nearly fall to my knees in relief.
“Kostas!”
It takes me all of two seconds to take in her appearance. She’s soaked to the bone from the rain, but so many things click into place all at once.
Blood smeared all over her teeth and running down her chin.
Blond hair matted to her face and clothes clinging to her form.
Giant bruise on the side of her face.
Sobbing. Sobbing. Sobbing.
Gun shaking hard in her grip.
No baby. No baby.
No. Fucking. Baby.
“Where’s Zoe?” I demand, terror burning through me like accelerant to an already out of control inferno.
She falls against me, nearly knocking me over. I toss the AR to the couch to hug her to me.
“Talia, where the fuck is our daughter?” My chest hurts and violence thrums through me.
“T-They took her,” she sobs. “You said we were s-safe. We were n-not safe.”
Guilt and fury wage war inside me.
I left them alone. I thought I could eliminate the threat.
“Who?” I ask, my voice low and deceptively calm.
She looks up at me, her bottom lip wobbling. “Aris and Selene.”
I should have known Aris wouldn’t storm the gates so brazenly. That he’d have a plan of attack that would throw me off.
“Adrian,” I bellow. “Get a car and let’s go.”
Three seconds later, Adrian storms into the living room. I don’t have to say the words because he takes in our appearances and mutters out, “Motherfucker!” He rushes out into the night as I walk Talia out the door to wait for him to bring up a vehicle. Soon, he arrives with an SUV and I pile into the front while Talia jumps in the middle row seating behind us.
“Where to?” Adrian demands.
I scrub my palm over my face to swipe away some of the water. The asshole hid from me for an entire year right under my nose. He’s a sneaky bastard like that. But now it won’t be so easy. He’ll have an infant in tow and a mouthy bitch. Someone will see him. I need every goddamn person looking for him.
“Airport,” I utter, though I’m not sure he’ll try that. The jet is always fueled and ready. At the very least, I want to make sure he’s not leaving Crete Island.
Adrian hauls ass through the dark. My fingers tremble as I dial Basil.
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Make them talk, but don’t kill them. I need answers.” I close my eyes and breathe heavily. “They took Zoe.”
“Aris?” he growls.
“I need you to have the men eliminate the threat at the hotel. Get the bodies out of there and make sure the hotel guests are okay.”
“Minister of Public Order?” he asks.
“I’ll call Josef. Just clean up the fucking mess and keep the roaches on a leash in the cellar. I want to know anything, no matter how insignificant.”
“Talia?”
“She’s safe with us but have someone check on her mom, please.”
Talia squeezes my shoulder from behind in thanks.
“On it, Boss.”
After we hang up, I dial Josef. My body feels cold and I fight a tremble. Awkwardly, I fumble for the heater. Adrian shoots me a worried look before swatting my hand away to do it for me.
“This better be good,” Josef growls. “I have everyone blowing up my goddamn phone.”
“Terrorists after a politician,” I lie. That’s the lie he’ll spin for me too and he’ll be paid handsomely for it. “Set up a press release for the morning. They took my daughter.”