Page 77 of Forbidden Vows

It’s going to be a struggle to get him on board, but I need to give Ciara one last chance to do the right thing before Anton meets Sergei in this soon-to-be bloody war.

Chapter 28

Eileen

“Ireally don’t like this,” Ian whispers.

We’re surveilling the Donovan mansion from across the street, discreetly parked between two neighbors’ cars. The lights are off, and we sit in complete darkness, monitoring Kuznetsov’s security movements.

“I know Mr. Karpov reluctantly agreed to this, but I still don’t like it,” Ian insists.

“And you have every reason not to. Nevertheless, I have to do this, Ian. Before all hell breaks loose, before Anton and Andrei bring out the big guns, I have to at least try to talk to Ciara, to see if there’s a way we can stop Sergei from the inside.”

“We haven’t exhausted our other options yet.”

“Come on, Ian. We both know that every day that goes by that Ciara is out of my reach translates into one day closer to doomsday,” I reply. “If something happens to her, the Donovan boys won’t give a shit about the Kuznetsov’s firepower. I know those men better than Sergei. This could escalate within hours into something unstoppable. Any other options won’t be on thetable anymore, and Anton knows it. That’s why he agreed to this. Reluctantly, but he still agreed.”

He sighs deeply. “Alright. Fair enough. She’s still your family, and I know Mr. Karpov would do the same to reach his brother if they were in your situation. I can get you through the service door, but you will have no protection in there.”

“Do we know if there are any Donovan men left in there?”

“Only Kuznetsov soldiers for the time being. I photographed and documented each of them. We’ve yet to find Paddy, by the way. Still in the wind.”

“What about his family?”

“They claim they don’t know anything. They’re either lying to protect him, or they honestly don’t know where he is.”

I look toward the house, noticing two guards stationed outside the gates. “Do we have a location for Ciara within the mansion?”

“Yes,” Ian replies as he hands me a pair of military-grade binoculars. “First floor, west corner.”

“Ah. That’s Dad’s study,” I mutter as I look through the binoculars and spot movement in that window. Judging by the size of the shadow, it’s definitely Ciara. “I wonder if she’s alone.”

“Here’s the panic button,” Ian says, slipping the small device into my jacket pocket. “All you need to do is press it, and in less than ninety seconds, police will be knocking down the front door. We’re prepared to make quite a scene in order to get you out.”

I give him a warm smile. “I know that house inside out. Every nook, every cranny, every secret passage.”

“Secret passage?” he sounds surprised. “There was nothing noteworthy on the blueprints when I checked them. It took some arm-twisting even to get my hands on those.”

“That’s why they’re secret.” I wink at him. “Dad, bless his soul, was just as paranoid as Grandpa and all the other Donovan men before him. Paddy is the only person outside the Donovan family who knows about the passages and the tunnels. Get me through the side door, and I’ll be able to access those from the inside.”

“You can’t do it in reverse?”

I shake my head. “They’re meant for escaping, not for infiltrating the mansion. There are key code panels only accessible from the inside.”

“And you know the codes.”

“Of course.”

“That means so does Ciara.”

I give Ian a sad look. “Yeah, but she hasn’t used them so far.”

“Perhaps she told Sergei about them, too.”

“She wouldn’t. She’d want to keep at least one means of escape to herself if she needed to.”

“God, I hope you’re right.” He exhales sharply. “Come on, let’s go. They’re changing shifts now. This is our window of opportunity.”

---