Page 91 of Use Me, Daddy

“No,” I hissed back, shaking my head. “I have to?—”

“You want to help him?” she cut me off, her dark eyes boring into mine. “Then don’t make this harder for me. Trust me to do my job.”

Her words stung, but I bit my lip and nodded, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

Ada pressed the comm device in her ear. “Maxim, we’ve got eyes on him. Three guards directly on him, at least five more in the perimeter.”

“Hold position,” Maxim’s voice crackled through the comms. “We’re closing in.”

The seconds stretched like hours, every muscle in my body coiled tight as I waited for the signal. My eyes stayed locked on Aleksei, willing him to look up, to see that we were here. But he didn’t move. His head hung slightly, the blood dripping onto the cold concrete beneath him.

Ada’s hand flicked up, and then everything exploded into motion.

The first shot rang out, the sound muffled but precise as one of Maxim’s men dropped a guard at the perimeter. Another man fell seconds later, the silenced shots from Sergei’s and Nikolai’s pistols finding their marks with brutal efficiency.

Ada stepped forward, her aim deadly as she fired, taking out one of the men standing over Aleksei. The second guard turned, his face twisting in surprise, but I was already moving.

My heart thundered as I darted forward, my gun shaking in my grip. The man raised his weapon toward Aleksei, and without thinking, I squeezed the trigger.

The shot was deafening in the cavernous space, but it hit true. The guard staggered back, clutching his side before crumpling to the ground.

“Amy!” Ada hissed, her voice sharp with both anger and approval.

But I didn’t stop.

The man pacing with the phone turned, his eyes widening in shock as Maxim appeared behind him like a ghost. The eldest Morozov moved with lethal accuracy, his blade flashing as it pressed against the man’s throat.

“You shouldn’t have crossed us,” Maxim growled, his voice ice-cold, before ending him with a single, brutal motion.

I reached Aleksei, my knees hitting the ground as I dropped beside him.

“Aleksei,” I gasped, my hands trembling as I fumbled with the ropes binding his wrists.

His head lifted slowly, his eyes meeting mine. “Amy,” he murmured, his voice weak but steady. “You shouldn’t have?—”

“Save it,” I said, cutting him off, my hands finally loosening the knots. “You’re not lecturing me right now.”

“Get him on his feet,” Maxim barked, his voice cutting through the tension.

“We’ve got you,” I whispered, my voice shaking with both relief and determination. I slipped my arm under Aleksei’s, helping him stand as he leaned heavily against me.

He smiled faintly, his fingers brushing my arm.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he muttered.

“I couldn’t just leave you,” I shot back, my voice breaking slightly.

The adrenaline still pumped through my veins as Maxim and Sergei closed ranks around us, their weapons raised, their expressions grim but victorious.

“Move out,” Maxim ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

As we hurried toward the exit, I glanced back at the carnage we’d left behind. The sight of it should have made me sick, but all I could feel was relief.

Aleksei was safe.

My daddy was safe…

CHAPTER 26

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