Page 88 of Temptation and Tyranny

Ashlynn was right. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe, just maybe, I could fix the mess I’d made with Allegra.

As the last of the guests began to depart, I made my way back inside, intent on finding a private room. I needed to call Allegra, to at least try to make things right. But as I reached inside my jacket, my phone began to buzz insistently, Mario’s name lighting up the screen.

“Mario, what’s going on?”

His voice was frantic. “We’ve lost Allegra. The security team, they’re just gone. I have no idea what happened, I can’t reach anyone in the city—”

“Fuck! I’m on my way. I’ll head to the airport immediately. Meet me there—Steele’s spending the night at one of his hotels, I’ll borrow his jet—he won’t need it until tomorrow.” I hung up, but before I could make another move, my phone rang again.

Viktor.

“You fucking prick, what have you done with her?”

“Straight to business, as always. I admire that about you, Cooper. It’s why I think we could have a veryprofitable relationship...if you’d only follow through on your commitments.”

“I’m not messing around, Viktor—”

“You have good taste, Cooper. Miss Rousseau is a lovely girl. Quite the spitfire, actually. It would be a shame if something were to happen to her, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s Prescott,” I snarled. “And if you’ve touched a single hair on her head, I swear to god—”

“Now, now,” Viktor chided, his tone maddeningly calm. “There’s no need for threats. Miss Rousseau is perfectly safe. For now. Whether she stays that way, well...that’s entirely up to you, Cooper.”

My mind raced, trying to process what was happening. How had Viktor gotten to Allegra? She was supposed to be at the conference, safe and far away from all of this. “What do you want?”

“It’s quite simple, really. You’re going to follow through on our original deal. The full shipment, all the revenue coming to me directly. Then you’re going to step back. Hand over your clients to me. Do that, and Miss Rousseau goes free, none the worse for wear.”

“And if my clients refuse?”

Viktor’s laugh sent a chill down my spine. “Then I’m afraid Miss Rousseau might find herself on an entirely different kind of journey. I hear there’s quite a market for pretty young things in certain parts of the world. It would be a shame to see such potential go to waste, don’t you think? It’s one way to recoup my losses on our deal.”

The threat was clear. If I didn’t comply, Viktor would traffic Allegra. The thought of her in the hands of traffickers, subjected to god knows what kind of horrors, made me physically ill.

“How do I know she’s really with you?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. I knew she was, because of Mario’s call, but I needed to hear her voice. “Let me talk to her.”

There was a pause, then the sound of movement. “Cooper?” Allegra’s voice, small and frightened, came through the line. “Cooper, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen—”

“Allegra,” I breathed, relief and fear battling inside me. “Are you hurt? Did they—”

“That’s enough of that, I think,” Viktor’s voice cut in. “As you can hear, Mr. Moreau, Miss Rousseau is indeed with us. Whether she remains in such good condition is entirely up to you.”

My mind raced, trying to find a way out of this nightmare. But I knew Viktor, knew what he was capable of. If I didn’t play this exactly right, Allegra would pay the price. And that was something I couldn’t allow to happen.

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “You’ll get your shipment. My business. But I swear to you, Viktor, if you harm one hair on her head--”

“You’ll what?” Viktor mocked. “Come now, Cooper. We both know you’re in no position to make threats. Just do as you’re told, and everyone walks away happy. You have forty-eight hours to transition everything over. I’ll be in touch with further instructions regarding Miss Rousseau’s release.”

The line went dead, leaving me standing there in the now-empty reception hall, my world crumbling around me.

Allegra was in danger. Because of me. Because I’d pushed her away, left her vulnerable. I should havenever let her go without me. And now, the only way to save her was to dive headfirst back into the very world I’d been trying to protect her from.

The irony of it all wasn’t lost on me. In trying to keep Allegra safe from my world, I’d put her in more danger than she’d ever been in before.

As I stood there, the echoes of Steele and Ashlynn’s joyous celebration still hanging in the air, I felt a resolve harden within me. I would save Allegra. I would make this right. And then, if by some miracle she could forgive me, I would spend the rest of my life making up for the pain I’d caused her.

But first, I had a shipment to rearrange. And a dangerous game to play with one of the most ruthless men I’d ever known.

As I strode out of the reception hall, my cane forgotten in my determination, I pulled out my phone again. It was time to call in every favor, activate every contact I had. Viktor Petrov had no idea who he was dealing with.

---