LOGINNIKOLAI Gunshots fill the air as I sit back in the car, taking a drag at the cigarette trapped between my fingers.After I had bugged Estella's room a few days ago, I finally managed to find out where she had Kaitlyn hidden.Jesse's confession and the identification of the bullet found in the driver were enough to prove she is behind all this.The bullet is only used by her father's Mafia clan. I made sure to keep Jesse quiet until I saved Kaitlyn so she wouldn't get any suspicions.Right now, she is at the cathedral with her family. Her phone won't be with her, and she won't be in contact with anyone that works outside her father's interest. This is just the perfect time to strike and get Kaitlyn from her desperate hands.I swear if I get my hands on her, I won't spare her fucking life.“The way is clear, sir,” Tom says from the earbuds.I pull the door open and step into the large, dark compound.Before me sits a low building that definitely houses Kaitlyn. There are rows of other
NIKOLAI “The patron is angry,” Don Ellios says as his servant pours us a glass of whiskey.“As he should be,” I respond coldly.I can see Don Ellios flicker his gaze up to look at me. He must be intrigued by my courage and insouciance to death.“Power changes, Nikolai. Just because the Lucario family once held power in the cartel doesn't mean you should drag the throne with Marco,” he says.I cackle and reach for the glass.“Exactly, power changes. It's time Marco lets it go,” I reply and take a swig of the whiskey.Ellios sighs as he stares at me with concern in his eyes.“Think about everything, Nikolai–”“I don't have anything to lose,” I cut him off. “My family is dead, and I don't care about my father, his wife, or their son.”“What about her?" he says calmly.Silence falls between us, and my chest constricts.I scoff and gulp down the remaining portion of whiskey, slamming the glass down on the table.“I haven't seen Estella for some time,” I mutter.His gaze darkens at the men
I walk down to the car parked in the driveway close to the airport.I pull the door and get into the car, then lean back into the leather seat with a sigh.Sam's muffling fills the car as he struggles to remove the mask used to cover his face.I take out a cigarette and light it, then watch as he swings his head around, groaning as the heavy smell of cigarette contaminates the air.He groans and continues to struggle, thrashing around the seat while gasping for breath.“Stop struggling if you don't want that mask removed from your face until your head is out from your neck,” I mutter.He stiffens immediately, and the groans cease as well.I take a long drag at the cigarette before turning to look at him.He is covered in sweat and shaking like a leaf.“The one you worked for didn't tell you to lay low first, I guess,” I chuckle darkly.I sigh and throw the cigarette out of the window, then lean back into the seat again as the car drives off.“Where's my wife?” I ask.A sharp gasp esca
NIKOLAIAs I walk down to the silent house, Jesse suddenly appears at the front door.He is holding a phone pressed to his ear and a large smile on his face.I sink my hands into my pant pocket and increase the pace of my strut.He raises his head, and the smile on his face falls when his eyes lock with mine.Anger and fear flash past his eyes as he staggers back.“What are you doing here?” He snaps. Despite how bold he tries to sound, his voice still comes out in a quiver.I chuckle loudly and flex my arms, narrowing my eyes at the wristwatch strapped around my wrist.“Where are you going?” I ask.He scoffs at the question, his trembling lips twitching up in disdain.“None of your—” he stops talking when my brows shoot up.He gulps hard, clenches his fist at his side, and clenches his jaw.“I am going to a business dinner!” he spits out, narrowing his eyes.I tilt my head to the side, trudging closer in slow steps.“By this time?” I ask, raising my hand to glance at my wristwatch aga
NIKOLAI My blood boils as I stare at the wrecked car that once carried Kaitlyn to wherever she disappeared to. Tom walks away from the team trying to pull the car out from the large tree it had seemingly crashed into. He flicks the dirt on his shirt away and lets out a sigh as he strides towards me. Beads of sweat are all over his forehead, and his shirt is damp with blood and sweat. “Miss Peterson isn't in there,” he announces when he gets to where I am standing. My throat knots, and somehow, a wave of relief washes down my body. I don't even have the right words to say or a way to start searching for where her abductors have taken her. "Mrs. Rider,” I mutter, searching for a way to keep calm and divert my brain away from this shit. “What?” Tom snaps his head up, his eyes squinting in confusion. “She is my wife. You must address her as Mrs. Rider!” I snap. Tom tilts his head to the side, the confusion in his eyes spreading. “Forgive me, boss,” he says, trying to hide the
KAITLYN I stagger back, my chest tightening in horror.I press my hand against the wall as I stare wide-eyed at them.How did they know that I had escaped?So, I wasn't wrong when I suspected that they were playing games with me.I lift my gaze in her direction, and with bitterness and anger rising in my heart, I watch her lips twitch up in a sinister smirk."Did you really think you could escape this place?” She mutters, chuckling loudly.I glare hatefully at her.The anger bubbling in me is so much that I can't even find the words to throw at her as a response.She clicks her tongue and points at the ceiling.I follow the direction of her stretched finger, and my throat knots when I find a CCTV camera on the ceiling.It is pointing down at me, capturing every move that I am making.I am sure she enjoyed seeing me run around and try to find a way out of here.“You must have enjoyed it,” I mutter, letting out a huff.She chuckles and shrugs with a large, satisfied smile on her face.
KAITLYNMy eyes widen, and a horrified gasp escapes my lips as the lights in the dimly lit hall come on. The things that are hanging on the wall have turned out to be butchered bodies of people, and the walls are stained with blood. Freaking real blood! I feel something crawl on my skin, and my thr
NIKOLAIMy lips stretch into a smirk as I watch her shiver under the blankets.My hand drops from her shoulder, and I lean forward to her ears, the smirk never leaving my face.“Hope you have a bad night, mi amor,” I whisper, and she stiffens. She slowly cranes her neck back, and her eyes widen.“Y
NIKOLAII jerk up from my seat and scan the bustling hall, my hands shaking in rage. The worst that can happen to one here is losing someone. It's so difficult to find someone in the huge crowd in the hall.“Did you bring her here, boss?" Tom asks, dismay smeared in his voice."Fuck!” I growl, and
KAITLYNI push him off and tie up my bathrobe when Ana steps out of the room. A smirk appears on his face, and his brows knot in mischief.“There is no need to hide it, I have seen better ones,” he says, and something pricks my heart.“I hate you,” that is the only word that can form in my head at







