Page 126 of The Dark Side

"Dima!" Helina tried to crumble, but the man wouldn’t let her go. Tatianna desperately spoke to her, asking her to calm down and not look. Helina buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking with tears.

"Get ready," the mercenary said. "He'll be coming."

"All part of the plan, right?" the other replied. Keeping his gun on Jolie, the man took out a walkie-talkie. "We got the package. Bring the boat to the front of the ship." There was a pause, but no one responded, and the man repeated it. When there was only radio silence, the two of them glanced at each other. "Not part of the plan."

"Fuck, Mic, this is your fucking fault," the other said, tightening his hold on Helina.

Moments later, Adrik and six soldiers were running toward them. Jolie flinched, wanting nothing more than to go to him. But Helina called out, "Papa!" Any of Jolie's wants didn't matter. Only Helina mattered. Could she somehow help? Or was it better to just let Adrik handle it? He knew how to get out of these situations, didn't he? He's had more practice. He was made for this; she was a bumbling bird caught in a storm she couldn't weather.

Adrik slowed as he approached, a hand up to stop the six men behind him from making any rash moves. His daughter, mother, and girlfriend in the hands of an enemy was his worst nightmare. But his focus remained solely on Helina. In Russian, he whispered,"I'm here, baby. Don't move, okay? Wait for me."Her little whimper was the only reply.

The leader instructed, "Put your guns down."

Adrik ground his teeth and shifted his focus to the man holding her. He tossed his weapon on the floor while the others dropped theirs. Though he had another in the back of his pants, there was no way to move without being noticed. "Zinof is not on this ship."

"But you know where he is."

Adrik fisted his hands, staying silent. He studied their faces, trying to pinpoint who they were. They weren't the run-of-the-mill mercenaries. They were too structured, with an abundance of money. They had to be from a cartel or family. But Adrik knew all the local leaders.

Mic snickered. "Don't make this harder."

Was there an accent? From the northern states? Why would a mafia family from the North come down here? Adrik ran his eyes over their tattoos, but they were shrewd. They were covered in long sleeves and gloves. But they couldn't disguise the fact that they were black, and there were only three black mafia families in the United States. That's if they were mafia, but they had to be, right? This was too well organized to be a random gang or cartel.

"Who do you work for?"

With a small shake of his head, the man smirked. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"I can give you double whatever they are paying you."

A scoff. "The moment I let these bitches go, you'd shoot me. I know your history." The leader nudged his head, and Mic ordered Jolie and Tatianna to their feet. "We are taking them with us."

"You're not going anywhere. You will not make it off this ship alive."

The leader clenched Helina's shoulder, making her wince. "Big words when I hold your daughter in my hand."

Adrik shifted, but the man casually laid a gun on her shoulder, but by not pointing it at her head, he was saying something. Whoever ordered him here gave an explicit instruction not to harm Helina. But Adrik wasn't willing to risk that theory.

"Let us through."

Adrik clenched his teeth and then flicked his eyes over Jolie, over to his mother. In Russian, he asked her,"Mama, what do you think?"

She smiled sweetly."It might be best to listen, honey. They seem very upset right now, and we don't want any accidents."

He was hoping she would have a plan or some sort of encouragement. But to just give in caused the rage to build. Every bit of him wanted to lash out, but there was too much risk. Someone was going to get hurt, and he couldn't have a single one of them caught in the crossfire. This mercenary had found a trifecta of weakness. It was a learning moment that Adrik would not soon forget.

Any threats were hollow. The words 'If you hurt them' died on his tongue. Adrik was going to get his revenge, no matter what. They were already dead in his eyes. It didn't matter if they treated Helina like a princess; he would torture them just the same. “Zinof will be dropped in the middle of Hyde Park in one hour.”

“That’s where we’ll be. One hour.”

Adrik grit his teeth and nodded. It took every ounce of control to step aside, but he did it. His men parted, allowing the leader and Helina to walk through first. Words of comfort speedily came off Adrik's lips, trying to assure his crying daughter that everything would be alright. But it twisted all his organs, making him sick to let her go.

Tatianna passed."I'll look after her,"she assured.

Mic stood behind Jolie, with a hand on her shoulder and a gun at her temple, walking backward to keep Adrik and his people in his sight.

Adrik finally met her gaze. Blood was knotted in her hair on the side of her head. Her panic and fear were just another block on his shoulders. "Follow their rules," he told her, shoving down everything he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her he was in love with her, that she was everything he ever wanted in a wife, and that even barely knowing her, he wasn't far from putting a ring on her finger. But instead, he was silent. He didn't want the mercenaries to know just how important Jolie was to him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and the terror in her voice nearly made him move to her. "I should have waited for you."

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