Page 16 of Emerald

Declan's eyes flashed, his jaw clenching. "Absolutely not. Finn is the reason we're in this mess in the first place. If he'd been doing his job, keeping a proper eye on you like he was supposed to, you never would have had the opportunity to spread your legs for whatever piece of gutter trash knocked you up."

Beside me, Finn flinched like he'd been slapped. I saw his throat work as he swallowed, his eyes shuttering closed for a brief moment before he forced them open again.

"I'll take her," he said, his voice rough and strained. "It's my responsibility, my failure. I'll make sure she gets to the doctor and back safely."

Declan glared at him for a long moment, his lips pressed into a thin, hard line. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, weighing the pros and cons of letting Finn escort me versus keeping him close at hand, where he could keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't fuck up again.

Finally, he gave a sharp, jerky nod. "Fine. But do not let her out of your sight, otherwise it'll be your head. Understood?"

Finn nodded, his jaw tight. "Understood, sir."

With that, my father dismissed us with a wave of his hand, his eyes already distant and calculating as he no doubt started plotting his next move in this fucked-up game of chess we were all trapped in.

I followed Finn out of the study as he made arrangements for a car to be bought around. He didn't speak as we made our way out of the house and to the car, his shoulders tense. I could feel the anger and guilt and fear rolling off him in waves, and it made my stomach clench with dread.

I stayed silent as we slid into the car, my hands twisting in my lap as Finn put the vehicle in gear and pulled out of the driveway. I wanted to reach for him. Wanted to take his hand in mine and tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have stopped me from lying to my father, even if he'd tried. I had to buy some time for myself. And then, just as I was about to say something, anything to shatter the awful, loaded quiet, it happened.

The car lurched sideways, tires squealing as Finn swore and wrenched the wheel hard to the right. I shrieked, my hands flying up to brace myself against the dashboard as we skidded off the road and into the ditch, gravel spraying up to ping against the undercarriage. For a moment, everything was chaos and noise and the sickening crunch of metal on metal. And then, silence. Awful, ringing silence, broken only by the hiss of steam from the crumpled hood and the ragged sound of our breathing.

"Finn?" I said, my voice shaking. "What... what happened?"

"Ambush," he bit out, already reaching for his gun with one hand while the other scrabbled at his seatbelt. "Fucking Russians, must have been tailing us."

My heart seized in my chest, fear clawing its way up my throat. The Russians. Mikhail and his brothers. Come to make good on their promise to punish me.

Finn finally freed himself from his seatbelt and shoved his door open, his gun at the ready. "Stay here," he ordered, his voice brooking no argument. "Lock the doors and keep your head down. I'll handle this."

"Finn, no—"

But he was already gone, disappearing into the cloud of dust and debris surrounding the car. I heard shouting, the harsh bark of Russian voices, and then the unmistakable sound of gunfire, sharp in the still air.

I huddled in my seat, my heart pounding and my breath coming in shallow gasps. I wanted to help Finn, wanted to do something, anything other than sit here like a useless lump while he risked his life for me. I'd only be a liability, a distraction he couldn't afford. I stayed put. Stayed in the car like a good little girl, my fingers white-knuckled on the door handle as I listened to the sounds of violence and chaos outside.

And then, abruptly, it was over. The gunfire ceased, the shouting died away. For a moment, everything was silent.

And then the passenger door was wrenched open, and I screamed as rough hands reached in and dragged me out, kicking and clawing and fighting with everything I had. But it was no use. There were too many of them, too strong and too determined. I caught a glimpse of Finn on the ground, blood streaming from a gash on his head as he struggled weakly against the two men holding him down.

Our eyes met for one brief, terror-filled moment. And then something hard cracked against the back of my skull, and everything went black.

Chapter 12: Cara

Pain. That was the first thing I became aware of as consciousness slowly returned. A deep, throbbing ache that seemed to radiate from every inch of my body. My head pounded, my throat felt raw and swollen, and there was a sharp, lancing pain between my legs that made me want to curl into a ball and whimper. Before I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn't alone. Knew I was in deep, deep shit of the "probably won't make it out alive" variety.

"Well, well, well. Look who's finally awake."

That voice. That hated, sneering voice, dripping with cruel amusement.

Mikhail.

My eyes snapped open and I jerked upright - or tried to, anyway. I didn't get far before the clank of metal and a sharp tug on my wrists brought me up short. Chains. I was chained to the fucking wall.

Blinking hard to clear the blurriness from my vision, I stared wildly around the room - a basement, from the look of the damp concrete walls and single bare lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. And standing in front of me, arms crossed and lips curled in a sadistic smile, was none other than Mikhail Sokolov.

Flanking him on either side were two other men. His brothers, I realized with a sinking feeling of dread. The other two-thirds of the unholy trinity of evil.

"What..." I coughed, my voice a raspy croak. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Mikhail tutted, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "So many questions, devotchka. And here I thought you were supposed to be a clever girl."

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