Page 110 of Beautiful Enemy

There are two cars outside. No sign of Matteo. Aiden and Finn are probably busy doing whatever it is that they do. None of them are here, so at least they’re not dead. Maybe one of them could save Dante.

Except, that will probably just lead to more death of the people I care about.

“I’m going to take her to Erik’s,” Viktor says. “You take Dante to a secure location. I’ll join you after.”

“I must insist that I want my daughter to join me. I want to bring her back home.”

“Not with you,” I whisper, stepping back and stumbling into Viktor. He catches me. Viktor has strong, handsome hands just like Dante does but unlike Dante’s hands, I feel nothing when Viktor touches me. No passion. No desire. It’s just… a touch.

It’s Dante whom my body screams for.

“She doesn’t want to go with you,” Viktor says. “I’m going to trust the wishes of my fiancée.”

“Your fiancée,” Father snorts. “She’s been defiled. Do you really want her now?”

“It wasn’t her fault. I will not blame her for this. I made a promise to marry her so I will do that.”

Viktor is an honorable man. I know I would be safe with him. But all I can see when I look at him is Dante and knowing that I’m losing him forever.

“Now, I’m taking her back to Erik’s. Don’t fight me on this, Sergei.”

“She is my daughter. I have a right to her.”

“She’s twenty-one. She can make her own decisions,” Dante cuts in, wavering on his feet. He’s looking pale. That gunshot is doing more damage than he’s letting on.

“For once, I have to agree with that monster. Nadia, what do you want to do?”

My father sneers at me. We both know what I’m going to choose and it’s not going to be him.

“I want to see my sister.”

Viktor nods. “Then I’m going to take you to Anya.” Without another look in my father’s direction, Viktor helps me into the car before helping my father get Dante into my father’s car.

Viktor and Father give each other a hard look before Viktor joins me and Father drives Dante away. As his car gets farther and farther away until I can’t see it anymore, I know in my gut that this is the last time I’ll ever see Dante.

I didn’t even get to tell him how I feel.

Viktor and I don’t talk on the drive to Erik and Anya’s house. There’s so much to say and yet, we still barely know one another. I know Dante, my family’s enemy, much more than I do the man I was supposed to marry.

Erik’s house is a comforting sight when we pull up to it. I didn’t realize just how much I missed it until right now. Tears well up and fall down my cheeks.

“You’re safe now,” Viktor says, turning the car off. “You’re safe, Nadia.”

Except, I don’t feel exactly safe. Dante has been taken by my father, who will surely torture him. I still don’t know what happened to Matteo. There’s so much uncertainty.

“Wasthere no one around when you and my father arrived at the cottage?”

“There wasn’t.”

That means Matteo must be somewhere else. Safe at least. He might not even know Dante was taken. If anyone could help save him, it would be Matteo.

“How did you find me anyway?”

“When Dante had a meeting with Erik. Your father followed. He… didn’t exactly trust Erik. After Dante left, he followed and found the house. Then he sent for me. That’s how we found you.”

“So none of this was Erik’s idea?”

“Erik doesn’t know. I wanted to tell him but your father insisted we keep this between us. I was just willing to do whatever I could to get you back.”

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