Page 39 of Deadly Vows

“No, I don’t. As far as I knew, he was in San Francisco. I don’t know if he knows anyone here or has friends in the city. His last name is Lewis.”

I could feel the tension radiating from Ivan, his body poised for action, ready to move at my word. I had heard enough.

“Thank you, Sandy,” I said, standing up. “You’re safe now. Ivan, call Dr. Daria. I want her to check Sandy.”

“Oh no, it’s okay,” Sandy began to protest.

“I insist,” I told her firmly. “Ivan, call the doctor.”

“Yes, pakhan,“ Ivan replied.

Sandy looked up at me, her face still etched with fear, but her eyes shined with determination. “Find her, Aleksandr. And when you do, I will need a few minutes alone with Danny…and a gun.”

Sandy was fierce. I could see why Talia clung to her in the foster homes and why they became as close as sisters. Inodded curtly, then stepped out of the room and pulled out my phone again, this time calling Denis, my cousin. He was a detective for the local police department, but he wasn’t like the rest. Denis had always walked the line between law and family, understanding that blood came first. He answered on the first ring.

“Pakhan,“ he said, his voice brisk. “What’s going on?”

“I need your help,” I said without preamble. “Talia’s been taken…again.”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Denis spoke, his voice harder now. “Taken? By who?”

“Her ex. A guy named Danny Lewis. I don’t have much on him, but I know he lived in San Francisco. I need you to get the police on this.”

“Pakhan…“ Denis hesitated. “You know how this works. If I get the police involved, this could get complicated. Do you want them interfering?”

I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my temper in check. “I don’t care how you do it. Just make sure they’re looking in the right places. You know what’s at stake.”

Denis sighed, but I knew he understood. “Alright. I’ll start a search immediately. Send me the address where she was last seen and a physical description of Danny.”

“Thank you,” I said, my voice low but sincere.

I hung up and texted him the information. Denis was good at what he did, and I trusted him to get the job done. But this wasn’t a situation I could leave entirely in the hands of the police.

Dimitri was already coordinating our own search. I knew he would be thorough, ensuring every street corner was covered. Between Denis and our men, Danny wouldn’t be able to hide for long.

But time was against us. And every second that passed without Talia in my arms was another second too long.

I returned to the room where Sandy was sitting, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Ivan stood nearby like a silent sentinel. She looked up as I entered, the fear in her eyes replaced with anger.

“We’ll find her,” I said, my voice rough but certain. “I won’t stop until she’s home.”

I walked down the hall to my office, shutting the door behind me.How am I going to tell the children?I would have liked to keep this from them, but Sasha and Maxim would undoubtedly notice her absence.

Picking up the phone, I called Olga into the office and told her what had happened. There was no easy answer, but ultimately, we decided that telling the children was best. Olga offered to break the news to them to give me time to calm down.

That was nice of her, but I wouldn’t calm down. Not until Talia was safe. Not until I made Danny pay for what he’d done. When I found him, he would wish he’d never laid eyes on her.

The hunt had begun.

Chapter 23

Talia

The car slowed as we turned down a narrow street, and I stared out the window at the rows of tiny, neat houses passing by. It was late afternoon, and the sun washed everything in a serene glow. For a moment, the world outside looked perfectly normal-quiet, suburban, like any neighborhood where kids played in front yards and families gathered for dinner. But inside the car, it was anything but normal.

I shifted uncomfortably in the backseat, my wrists bound tightly behind my back by the rope Danny had tied earlier. The bindings bit into my skin every time I moved. My body was stiff, still reeling from the altercation in Sandy’s apartment. My mind was stuck on Sandy lying on the floor, barely conscious. I leanedagainst the window, trying to keep my breaths shallow to avoid having a panic attack.

Up front, Danny was humming to himself, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. The gun sat next to him on the passenger seat. Every time I glanced at it, my stomach twisted with fear, but I couldn’t let it show. I had to stay calm and keep my wits about me if I had any hope of getting out of this alive.

---