Page 102 of Untamed

What?

My entire body locks up. Across the room, Ember freezes like she knows, as if she can feel the news straight through the phone.

“What do you mean,here?” I grit out. The fucking audacity of this goddamn prick.

“I mean, he’s at the gate. Says he’s her family, and he’s demanding to take her back.”

How fucking delusional can one person be?

Ember’s staring now, wide-eyed and pale, her lips parted to speak. “What is it, Rodion?”

Rafail keeps going, his voice clipped. “He knows about the wedding. About her. Too much, Rodion. He’s not just some jealous asshole from the past. He’s been digging, and he’s notalone. Looks like he’s made some friends in all the wrong places.”

“Like fucking who?”

“Feds.”

Of all the fucking?—

The words get stuck in my throat, as Rafail’s meaning sinks in. Shawn isn’t just sniffing around to make trouble, he’s weaponized his obsession with her,usingher as leverage. A small pebble in the ocean, causing a ripple that reaches miles.

Jesus.

Rafail’s voice cuts through the haze of fury. “Looks like he’s been feeding them information. Could be nothing, could be scraps, but you know how the Feds work. They’ll turn a crumb into a fucking feast if it gets them close to us. He’s probably selling it like he’s a fucking golden boy, a good citizen. And now they’re circling.”

I grit my teeth.

“Why the hell do they care?”

“They could use her. Think about it. Get your head out of your ass and use that brain.”

I pinch my lips together as he continues.

Should’ve fucking ended Shawn before we left Cali.

“She doesn’t have to talk. They could use her to track your movements, trace your calls, watch her every step.”

“Then we get him out of here,” I growl, pacing toward the window like I might spot him through the damn gates of the hotel.

“Already tried,” Rafail says. “He’s not leaving. Not without her. And if we make a scene… well, Romanov hospitality only stretches so far. I promised Polina.”

I’m going to fucking kill the son of a bitch.

But how, when I can’t do it in the open when my hands are tied?

And would Ember ever forgive me?

I can practically hear the underlying warning. This isn’t our family’s territory. The Romanovs have their own rules, and our alliance with them is tenuous, at best. If Shawn pushes his connections with the Feds, instead of a wedding day, I’ll be led out in handcuffs.

Ember’s already at my side, eyes burning with questions.

“Give me ten minutes,” I tell Raf, ending the call.

“What is it?” Ember stands in front of me. I hate the way her lower lip trembles.

“You won’t fucking believe this.” I shake my head when recognition dawns on her.

“There’s only one person from my past who could fuck this up. It’s him, isn’t it?God.This is what I tried to tell you—that he isn’t harmless. You can’t just treat him the way you’d treat a normal predator. He-he’ll stop at nothing, Rodion, nothing. Oh god.”

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