Page 51 of Deadly Vows

We arrived in the neighborhood twenty minutes later. It was quiet, a suburban area where nothing ever happened - until now. The streets were lined with modest houses, their facades clean and well-kept, but I could feel the electricity in the air.

My men were in place, stationed discreetly at various points along the block, their eyes trained on the white house with the blue sedan parked in front. I pulled the SUV to a stop at the end of the street. My heart was beating rapidly, but I forcedmy mind to stay focused. Dimitri and Anton were out of the vehicle before I even killed the engine, their guns drawn.

“Pakhan,“ Ivan nodded. “We’ve got all exits covered. There’s no way Danny’s getting out without us knowing.”

“We need to get her out of there,” I said, my voice low but sharp. “Alive.”

Ivan nodded. “Understood. But there’s something else. He’s seen us. One of our guys caught a glimpse of him through the window. He knows we’re here.”

“Good,” I growled. “Let him know.”

As I was about to move toward the house, my phone rang. I answered on the first ring.

“Aleksandr,” Danny’s voice came through, calm and taunting. My blood turned to ice at the sound of it.

“Where is she?” I demanded, gripping the phone so hard I thought it might crack.

Danny laughed softly, the sound chilling. “Oh, she’s right here. Safe for now.”

“If you hurt her, youmudak-”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Danny interrupted smoothly. “But I will if you try anything stupid. I see all your men out there surrounding the house. Impressive. But if any of them come inside, I’ll put a bullet in her head.”

I clenched my jaw, my blood like acid in my veins. He had her. And he had a gun to her head.

“What do you want?” I asked, forcing myself to stay calm.

“It’s simple,” Danny said, his voice light, almost conversational. “You. I want you to come inside. Alone. No one else. If I see anyone but you walk through that door, she dies. Understand?”

I glanced at Dimitri and Anton, both tense, waiting for my next move. They could hear every word Danny said, and I could see the same fury in their eyes that I felt in my chest.

“Come in,” Danny continued. “We’ll have a little chat. You and me. But if I see even one of your men get close to this house… Well, you know what happens.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. “I’ll come in.”

Danny chuckled, clearly pleased. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

He ended the call, and I stared at the phone for a long moment. He had all the leverage. I had no choice.

I turned to Dimitri and Anton, their expressions unreadable. “He wants me to go in alone,” I said quietly. “If anyone else comes in, he’ll kill her.”

Dimitri stepped forward, his face a mask of stone. “You can’t go in there alone. He’s playing you. You know that.”

“I know,” I said, raking my fingers through my hair. “But I don’t have a choice. He has her, and if I don’t do what he says, he’ll kill her.”

Anton’s eyes were dark and calculating. “We can’t just let you walk in there blind. He’ll have you at gunpoint the moment you step through the door.”

“I know,” I repeated. “We need to play this smart. I’ll go in, but you’ll be right behind me. I’ll keep him talking, distract him. The moment he drops his guard, we take him down.”

Dimitri and Anton exchanged a look, and I could see the unease in their eyes. But they nodded, understanding that we had no other option.

“We’ll be ready,” Dimitri said.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was coming. Talia was in that house, and I had to get her out. There was no room for hesitation, no time for second thoughts. This was it.

I walked toward the house. Every step felt heavier than the next. But there was no turning back now.

As I reached the front door, I paused, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I could feel the eyes of my men on me, their weapons trained on the house, ready to strike the moment things went wrong.

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