Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
And it allows me the distraction I needed to start shooting.
Once I open up, my men follow, at least what’s left of them. The ten Armenians are completely knocked off balance, and soon they begin falling back behind their vehicles. Three of them are dead, plus another four more are shot, and I order my men to keep up a steady stream of fire as I start evacuating them into the cars. Only three Armenians are left in fighting condition, and they’re too outgunned and frightened to do much more than take potshots as we get as many of our men into the working vehicles as we can.
“That piece of shit,” I growl as I slam my foot down on the accelerator. I ram forward, smash through the line of Armenian trucks, and clip one of their surviving soldiers on the way. “How many are down?”
“Four,” Anton answers. “Three more are wounded.”
“We need to fucking drive for five minutes, then we’ll transfer the hurt men into the van. Call back to the doctor and tell him what to do.”
Anton barks my orders into his phone, directing this mess of a prisoner exchange, while my hands grip the steering wheel.
I’m lucky to be alive. I know that, but I’m still livid with rage.
Aram betrayed me. He risked his own son’s life to do it. Never in a million years did I think that bastard had it in him, and I was so fucking wrong.
If I hadn’t brought the drones, we’d all be finished right now.
“Valentin, what are we going to do?” Anton asks, sounding shaken at last, as the adrenaline begins to burn off.
My jaw sets. I feel a flutter of rage pass through me again.
I failed her. Arsen got away, and Miriam is still under Armenian control. Karine is going to be heartbroken, and I don’t know how to make it better.
But I’m alive, and that means I’m going to keep fighting.
“We kill them,” I tell him as a brutal and vicious determination washes over me. “We hit the streets and we kill them.”
Chapter 37
Karine
Ihear rumors about what happened. That’s the worst part. There are whispers, but nobody’s telling me the truth, not even when I ask. My body feels like it’s vibrating with worry and fear, and I can tell the guards are trying to be extra careful with what they say while I’m in earshot, but everyone’s gossiping.
Something happened. That much is obvious. The vibe in the house is very bad, and whatever went down isn’t good.
I try to distract myself, and eventually end up pacing across the kitchen while Nikkita makes tea.
“You have to understand,” the old housekeeper says, pouring me a cup. “Valentin is a survivor.”
“You don’t know my uncle.”
“Do you?” she asks, eyebrows raised. “No, you don’t, and so you must trust your husband, right?”
She’s got a good point. I have some of Uncle Aram in me, since we have the same general genes, but that doesn’t mean I actually know him at all. Arsen gave me some ideas about what his father is like, and I can tell the man is a real piece of garbage and a brutal, petty monster, but Valentin’s strong. He can handle this, if anyone can.
“Please, if you know anything—”
She holds up a weary hand. “We’re all under orders not to tell you anything until Valentin is home.” She clears her throat and looks away. “But he’s alive. I can tell you that.”
Relief washes over me, but that’s quickly tempered. “What about my mother?”
“Wait until he comes home.”
She stays with me but refuses to answer any questions. It’s frustrating but at least I’m not alone. My mind starts spinning in a dozen directions, but at least I know Valentin is alive and he’s coming back to me.
Even though I have no idea if he’s bringing my mother home with him.
It’s well past noon when he finally arrives, looking haggard and worn. Blood stains his clothes, but his wounds are all minor cuts and bruises. I run to him and throw my arms around his middle and hug him tight. He hugs me back, but there’s something stiff about him.
“Tell me what happened,” I say, struggling to keep my voice from trembling. “I just want to hear it.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, sounding weary. Then he tells me everything. From the initial betrayal, to Arsen’s escape, to the drones that saved their lives.
The news slowly sinks down into my bones like the corpse of a great whale settling to the ocean floor.
Aram still has my mother.
“I will do everything I can to get her back,” he says and takes my hands between his. He holds them tightly and raises them to his lips. “I won’t fail you. I will burn Baltimore to the ground if that’s what it takes. I will bring her home.”