Page 23 of The Umarova Crime Family

She nods once, and I’m going to tell her something, but it won’t be in-depth. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you ever again.” I don’t plan on killing Carter, but if he pisses me off enough, I just might.

“Okay,” Amelia sighs, and I know she’s really bothered by him following her around.

“I tell you what. I’ll fix you a bath with some of those oils you bought in Grozny. You can take a long, hot bath, drink some wine, and read a book. I’ll have Danill order you whatever you want for dinner, and then I’ll be back later tonight. We can watch some movies or something if you’re still home. How does that sound?”

“Sure,” Amelia mutters, and I know what I’m saying doesn’t make up for how she feels. Though, once I do what needs to be done, I’m sure she’ll feel a lot better.

I press a kiss to her forehead and rise from the couch, head for the bathroom, and turn on the bath. I make sure it’s very hot; this way, she can get in whenever she wants to. I grab one of the oils she got in Grozny. It’s called Lavender Rose Water, so I put a few drops in the tub, just as the directions state. There are a few tea-light candles around the tub, so I put those on and head back out to the living area.

Nal and Danill are both behind the laptop, and I notice from the corner of my eye what program they’re looking at. It’s one used to gain access to people’s private information like physical addresses and phone numbers. If we can’t find an accurate address for him, we should be able to ping his phone and narrow it down to a couple of blocks. From that point, all we have to do is make a connection and see if he has friends or family in the area where his phone is pinging.

Amelia heads off to the bathroom and shuts the bedroom door behind her. I walk over to where Nal and Danill are, and Danill looks at me. “His cell’s been pinging at this one tower for over a week, and our software has traced his GPS location to this house.”

“We were able to track down exactly where he was with this?” There must’ve been some updates over the last few weeks. Before, it took us a bit longer to get everything we needed.

“Yes. He has his GPS on, so it was very easy to track him down,” Nal chimes in. I’ve never been more grateful for the way phones have advanced over the years.

“Perfect. I’m heading over there now. Danill, stay with Amelia. Nal, come with me for backup.” Nal rises from his seat, and the two of us head out. Neither of us speaks during the elevator ride or even when we get into the SUV. We’re quiet for most of the way, except when we’re rounding the corner to where the house Carter’s staying at is.

I have Nal park the car around the corner from where Carter’s phone has been pinging. We walk outside and approach the home. It’s in a rougher part of Atlanta, and a couple of the windows at the top are boarded up, but there are lights on inside. Nal goes to one side of the house while I take the other. I want to take Carter by surprise, so I push open the back gate and walk down the overgrown cement path.

Sure enough, Carter’s out back at a fire pit. He has a beer in his hand and hasn’t heard a thing. I knock the beer out of his hand and pull out my knife, wrapping my arm around his neck and pressing the blade against his neck.

“Right about now is when you start to wonder what I’m here for. You’re debating if something in front of you could be used as a tool to take me out, but you won’t find anything. Nothing can help you, Carter, because you’ve angered the wrong man. I could cut your throat right now and let it be the end of everything, but I think you’re a coward who will learn. Are you someone who learns, Carter, or are you a man who will repeat his mistakes?”

Carter jolts against my grip and tries to wriggle free.

“Fighting won’t help you. I don’t think I need to say it again. Answer me. What are you?”

“I learn. Yep. I learn,” Carter says, emotion flooding his voice. It’s obvious he’s worried about getting out of here alive.

“This is when you ask, what can I do better.” I press the knife further against his neck, knowing the blade is piercing him.

“W-what can I do better?” His words come out staggered, and he truly fears for his life right now.

“You leave Amelia alone. That’s what you can do better. You don’t go near her, and if you’re ever within a mile of her again, I’ll make sure you can never take another breath.” Just as I finish speaking, Nal comes around the other side of the house and approaches us. Carter can’t see him because of the angle, and I motion with my head for Nal to come closer.

Nal gets within a couple feet of Carter and me, and then Nal grabs Carter by the back of the shirt. He shoves him into the fire and holds him there for a good few seconds, his face directly on top of the flame. Carter screams bloody murder, but that won’t stop us. Nal yanks him off the fire and pulls him back, holding him for me.

I ball my hand into a fist and repeatedly slam it into his face. Blood begins coming out at me with every punch, and Carter continues to scream. He keeps screaming with every punch, but it won’t do anything. I’m going to leave him here scarred, bloody, and beaten. That’s what he gets for terrifying her so badly, and if he keeps it up, he’ll be dead.

Chapter Thirteen

Amelia

Ruslan told me to take a nice relaxing bath, and I did. I sat in the tub for well over an hour, letting the oils soak into my body. The bathroom smelled of a mixture between lavender and roses. It was very subtle, and I think it was exactly what I needed to feel better. Sometimes, all you need is a little self-care.

Earlier today, running into Carter scared me half to death. It was traumatic enough dealing with him when we were together, and then all of a sudden, I started seeing him pop up in other places. I thought I’d finally gotten rid of him when he left. I showed up, and all his things were gone. I could tell he left in a hurry, but I didn’t know why. As the days went on, I began to understand why—because he’s guilty. It’s what I think, at least.

Deep in my gut, I know he had something to do with the money that went missing at Illusion, and I’m beginning to think he could’ve had a hand to play in my identity theft too. I didn’t see it before, but being with Ruslan has opened my eyes in a lot of ways. I understand a lot more about what people will do for themselves. Now, I don’t want to go and think everyone’s selfish and greed-fueled, but a lot of people are, and I’m not blind to it.

Ruslan said he’d come back home, and then we could watch some movies. He even told Danill to let me order whatever I wanted. I didn’t want anything too crazy, so I ordered some steamed pork dumplings. In my eyes, there isn’t anything better. It’s heavy comfort food for any time of day, hot or cold. Then again, Chinese food is one of my absolute favorites. I already ate, drank a bottle of water, and even blow-dried my hair.

I’ve been sitting on the couch, and a little while ago, I grew tired, so I grabbed the blanket I was holding onto when Ruslan came home earlier and laid down. For a hotel couch, this one is very nice and comfortable. It isn’t too firm, but it isn’t too soft, either. It’s the perfect mixture of the two, honestly. It wasn’t hard for me to doze off. I don’t know how long I was asleep, but the scuffing of feet awakens me.

I blink a few times and look around, seeing Nal and Ruslan have come back. Ruslan’s suit is a bit disheveled. His forehead is lined with sweat, and I notice a red mark on his dress shirt that wasn’t there before.

“Are you okay? What happened?” I immediately question as I stand up and walk over to him.

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