Page 63 of Sexting the Silverfox

“I’m so sorry, Jason,” Rita tries to tell me, but I wave her apology away.

“It’s fine, please. Just get her out of here,” I reply quietly so Lily doesn’t hear.

Once my daughter and Rita are out of the room, I feel as though I can breathe a bit better. Though I’ll be able to take a full inhale when Grigori and his goons are on the other side of the fucking continent.

“What in the ever-living fuck are you doing here?” I hiss, working twice as hard not to charge at him, not to break every bone in his body. “Where’s Audrey?”

“That is why I’m here,” Grigori replies, then points at a chair across the table. “Please, have a seat. We need to talk.”

I’d rather beat him to a pulp, but his security detail won’t let me. Besides, I’ve clearly reached a point where all options are nothing more than possibilities. Working with the Feds, working with the Bratva, working with anyone who might help me get Audrey out of this mess before it’s too late. Whomever, whatever it is, I’ll take it.

Grigori stares at me for a long, torturous minute, his eyes searching my face.

I stare back; my jaw clenched as I take my seat, the checkerboard between us, pieces left strewn across. He is torn and tired, that much I can tell. There are smudges of dried blood on his white shirt, partially hidden by the teal jacket he’s wearing.

“What happened at the hotel?” I ask.

“Arkady Abramovic happened. He played the game well; I’ll give him that,” Grigori replies.

“Details, Mr. Fedorov.”

“He arranged a meeting last night, only he never showed. He had his secretary and a few other so-called associates keep me busy at one of his restaurants while he went back to the hotel, shot my sons, and kidnapped my daughter.”

My stomach drops. In hindsight, I was a fool to trust Arkady.

“Your whole security team turned against you,” I say, trying so hard not to kill the bastard with my bare hands.

Grigori nods. “He bought them off. Gave them enough money to secure new lives for themselves. I was a fool to think loyalty was still a thing, but I listened to Vitaly’s advice and went soft on my people. Played for honor instead of fear. And now, Vitaly is in surgery, fighting for his life. Anton should make a full recovery. And Arkady has Audrey.”

“He played us both,” I mutter. “This must’ve been his plan all along.”

Grigori frowns. “He played everyone from the very beginning. I know you are former military.”

“That I am.”

“I cannot go to the police. They will want to make a deal. They don’t care about Audrey.”

“And you do?” I scoff.

“I am here, aren’t I?” Grigori snaps. “I cannot trust my own people, clearly. I only have you, Mr. Winchester, the only man still standing who is willing and able to assist me.”

“What the hell do you want me to do, Mr. Fedorov? If Arkady Abramovic has Audrey, he’s calling the shots,” I reply.

Grigori shakes his head slowly. “He wants to meet. Just me, him, and Audrey. He wants to negotiate. But I don’t trust him, and I know it won’t be just the three of us. I’d like you to be there. I will provide you with whatever you need, but I want my daughter safe and sound and as far away from that bastard as possible.”

“There’s a catch here, right?”

“Yes.”

I take another deep breath, my skin getting tighter with every exhale. My body temperature rises, the blood rushing to my head as I try to think of a way to follow through with this. It requires tapping into my dark side again. I did it before to save Audrey; I will do it as many times as I have to. But I don’t like the hard look on Grigori’s face.

There are strings attached, the kind I might end up hanging myself with if I’m not careful.

“What’s your deal, Grigori?” I ask.

“I need you to kill Arkady Abramovic and anyone who comes near Audrey and me during that meeting. I have the location, and I can provide you with blueprints and any other technical details that you might need. You were a sniper in the Army, right?”

“Right.”

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