Page 128 of Heart of a Villain

The restaurant doors opened.

Joel and Adrían turned, and she saw them go from relaxed to on high alert. A group of unformed officers entered, their shoes squeaking on the shiny floors. While the Swedish police were different from any law enforcement entity she was used to, the fact that they were there didn’t sit right with her. One of them, who appeared to be the “leader,” even looked directly at her before his gaze bounced to Ayesha and back again.

Joel stepped forward.

Adrían strategically placed himself in front of her and Ayesha, and Thanasis appeared from the direction of the restaurant’s office, taking a silent post in the dimly lit hallway.

One of the officers waved a rolled-up sheet of paper. “I have a warrant for the arrest of a Juliana Fischer. This was where we were informed she could be located.”

Adrían’s hands opened and closed into pale-knuckled fists. Thanasis took a closer position to the officers. Sayeda closely watched them all. The last thing they needed was an incident—at least one that could be traced back to them. What happened in Stockholm was still being investigated, and they’d been questioned, but nothing about what happened at the nightclub could be tied to them.

“What’s the charge?” Joel asked.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we have to do our jobs first.” The man searched behind Joel. “Now, which one of you is Ms. Fischer?”

Sayeda felt Ayesha flex as if getting ready to stand, but there was no way in hell. The reaction had to have been automatic because Ayesha couldn’t have been thinking clearly. Ayesha had an infant and two young boys. In no version of their world would she allow her sister to take the fall for her, especially when it wasn’t clear what the charge was. That was also assuming there wasn’t more than one.

She stood. “I am. I’m Juliana. Can I ask what I’m being arrested for?”

This had to be her mother’s doing. Good old Mora Bentley had run out of options and had resorted to using this scheme to get her back.

“There’s an open warrant for your arrest in Brazil,” the officer explained. “There, you’re wanted for the homicide of a man named Rafael Henriques.”

“Bullshit,” Adrían spat. “What fucking evidence do they have?”

The man sidestepped the question. “Ms. Fischer, law enforcement officials from Brazil are already en route to take you back. The Ministry of Justice already approved the extradition. We apologize for any inconvenience, but you must come with us. The situation is now out of our hands.”

All the veins in Adrían’s arms were visible, but she couldn’t have them getting into it with the Swedish police. They already had enough stuff on their plate, and there would be no more privacy, no more lying low if she allowed that to happen.

However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified. Being arrested for a crime in Brazil she knew was fake—because she didn’t kill Rafael in Brazil—meant this was Lorenzo’s doing, not her mother’s. The asshole had finally grown some brain cells and found a means to get her back into his clutches. It was a clear and desperate last resort, as he had no access to a way to lure her back. The only lures that would have worked were the people she loved, and she would have loved to see him try getting to Ayesha.

“I’ll go with them,” she said.

Ayesha gripped her wrist.

Adrían turned, facing her. “Brazil, querida? You know this is bullshit. You know why this is bullshit. This is Lorenzo. He couldn’t break through our defense to get to you, so he’s pulling this shit.”

As little as twenty-four hours in Lorenzo’s possession would be detrimental. He wouldn’t kill her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t torture her until she was faced with no other choice but to kill herself.

“Then give me another option,” she suggested. “Give me another way to get out of this, and I’ll stay right here.”

His already dark eyes seemed to go black, but he didn’t offer her one.

None of them did.

They couldn’t.

Another officer stepped forward and extended a card toward Joel. “This is the location where she will be detained. Even if you think there’s an error, we still have to do our jobs.”

“Plus, I hear the jails here are nice,” she said, pulling away from Ayesha’s grasp.

“Seda…” Ayesha called.

But she gave Ayesha the same look—if they could come up with something to stop this from happening, now was the time to do so. If not, then they needed to find a way to make sure that once she was taken to Brazil—because she would be taken to Brazil—she wasn’t lost to them forever. Lorenzo would never let her go a second time.

Somehow, she found the will to smile as an officer recited her rights, escorting her outside. Adrían was already poised to follow, and Thanasis had vanished from his spot. Joel was on the phone, and from the expression on his face, she knew that shit was about to hit the fan. As long as that “shit” wasn’t her blood and guts, she welcomed the shower.

CHAPTER

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