Page 143 of The Umarova Crime Family

“In his care? Don’t you mean she was dating the guy or his wife or something?”

I shake my head, and we all know the situation Emily’s daughter was in—child trafficking—so I know this will hit close to home for her.

“No, from what I know… Mona was kidnapped and came into Duarte’s care. I don’t know if he paid for her or had her from the get-go.”

Emily’s jaw drops. “Wow, so she was trafficked.”

I nod.

“So, how did she get to be with you? You didn’t steal her, did you?”

A soft laugh slips past my lips, and I shake my head. “No, he gave her to me to sweeten the deal with our family. Although, I know he was going to kill her if I didn’t take her with me, so that’s why she’s here. Mona is with me because the only other option would’ve been her dying.”

“Nazyr, it’s bold of you to take her. A very selfless action… which is surprising coming from you, no offense. But what aren’t you telling me? Some part of your story isn’t adding up.”

There are a few things I haven’t told Emily, and I really don’t want to. I’d rather tell my brothers these things, but not her. But right now, she isn’t giving me much choice. “Duarte made it seem like he knew what type of women I liked. He made it a point to tell me she was beautiful and different, which leads me to believe he’s had people watching over our family. It’s something I’ll be telling Ruslan when I speak to him.” I really need to get over there and see Ruslan today. I can’t keep avoiding it. He needs to know what happened when I was in Lisbon. He has to know everything.

“That’s concerning, but I can still tell you’re keeping something from me, Nazyr,” Emily points out, but the only thing I’m keeping from her is the existence of those two beautiful little girls. I’m not sure if I should tell her, considering it’s such a delicate piece of this puzzle, but I think that if I do, she might bond a bit with Mona… and I would like Mona to have a friend.

I clear my throat, trying to figure out how to say this to Emily, but I just talk. I just speak up and let it come out. “The man who had her… he raped her constantly, which resulted in the birth of two little girls. He still has them, and I need to get them back.”

Emily’s eyes widen, and she looks at the door, then back at me. “Is he the one who gave her those scars?”

I nod once.

“Yes, you have to get them. If he’s done that to her, what will he do to those girls? You know?” Emily’s bringing up every single thought I’ve personally had.

“I know, and that’s what I think too. He might be their father, but he isn’t a good man. If he could do that to their mother, I’m sure he could do it to them as well. It’s why I’ve promised to get them away from their father… because I know they can’t stay with him.”

Emily blinks rapidly at me. “You promised her you’d get them back?” It’s like she’s shocked I’ve made such a vow.

“Yes, because they’re in danger.”

“You promised a woman you might’ve known for a week?” I promised Mona the day she came with me, but Emily doesn’t need to know that.

“It was the right thing for me to do, Emily. Those girls are in danger.”

“I understand that, but… you need to talk to Lom and Ruslan. From what I know, you haven’t even discussed any of this with them, and that’s a big issue. You need to go do that, Nazyr. This is so much bigger than you having a simple meeting now.”

Emily’s right, and in a way, I think I was nervous while trying to figure out how to tell my brothers all of this. They’re going to think I’m absolutely insane, but I’m not. I’m just trying to do one damn good thing.

“I might have jumped the gun a bit, but I don’t regret the choice I made. She would have been killed, and I needed to take her with me. I do need to speak to my brothers, though,” I trail off, thinking about how I’m going to present this to them.

“You do. You need to talk to them today. This is crazy, Nazyr. I understand your heart’s in the right place, but this is fucking insane.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” I say again and again, then look into Emily’s eyes and ask a favor of her. “Would you mind staying with Mona while I head over to Ruslan’s?”

“Of course not. It’ll give me a good opportunity to get to know her a bit more.”

“Thank you,” I say as I walk toward the door of the study and open it. I make my way through my house until I find Mona in the kitchen.

She’s in front of the stove, making something for herself. “Mona, I’m heading over to my brother’s house, but Emily is going to stay here and keep you company.”

Mona turns to look at me and licks her bottom lip nervously. “All right.”

She doesn’t say anything else, which I find to be a bit odd, but I can’t focus on it right now. I leave the kitchen, moving through my house until I walk out the front door. Paulo is hot on my heels and gets behind the wheel of my SUV while I know the women are well-protected in my home. I have a few members on my security team who always stay at my house, and in moments like this, I really like that.

I arrive at Ruslan’s condo in no time, and soon enough, I’m walking inside, finding him in their living room area playing with his son, Karim.

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