Page 9 of Cruel Redemption

“I’m going to hide you,” he announced.

“Hide me?” I balked. “No.” I wanted to kick until he let me go, but I’d only hurt myself.

“Someone tried to kidnap you.” He stared at me. His obsidian gaze cut through me. My heart stopped beating. “They will come back, Amara. It’s notifthey will. It’swhenthey will. I will not let them get near you.”

“I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe someone has Enzo,” I whispered.

“Let’s go somewhere safe and then we’ll figure it out. The longer we debate, the more likely they will return to this building in the hopes you circled back. This isn’t a safe place to stay with or without the Bratva.”

“I won’t let them keep him,” I stated. There was something cold in my voice. Something I didn’t recognize in myself.

“Please, Amara. I don’t want to fight. Not now. Not when I thought I lost you. This is what I’ve decided needs to happen to keep you safe. We’re running out of time.”

“Aren’t we always?” I whispered.

Six

Amara

I was afraid. Afraid if I let myself fall apart now; I’d never stop. I didn’t have that kind of luxury, not with Enzo missing. Possibly being tortured. Threatened. I closed my eyes, reacting to Luka’s arms holding me steady and safe. He made it hard to resist, but I still couldn’t give in to the unraveling that was just beneath my skin. Behind my next breath.

“We should go to my compound. The security is excellent. It’s a fortress.” All I could think of was getting behind the gates. It was my sanctuary. Ciro had spent years perfecting the systems and the cameras. I had finally admitted to him how easy it had been for me to avoid certain angles as a twenty-one year old and he doubled the camera count at the compound.

“Speaking of, where is your excellent security when you were nearly abducted?” he tested.

I gave him a warning glance. “Ciro is working on a project for me.”

“He seems to miss the excitement when it matters the most.” I saw the way his jaw tightened.

“I’ll call him, and he’ll be here by morning.” I said it as if I could snap my fingers and he’d appear. It was mostly true. Ciro always operated on scales of danger. He would prioritize my safety over any errand to discredit Luka.

“Until then, you’re going into hiding,” Luka countered. “Immediately. It’s the best plan right now.”

We wound through a back staircase of the office building and Luka kicked open another door. We descended into a parking garage.

“Hide in my own city?” I shook my head. “No. Then they’ll know I’m scared. They’ll know I can be intimidated. That is the wrong message to send. I’m not about to show fear. To let them think they won any part of this battle. They won’t get that kind of satisfaction from me.”

“And who is they?” he asked. The question sounded more like a test.

“The kidnappers.”

He exhaled. “Amara, it could be any family. You can’t wander New Orleans. Not tonight. We have no idea who did this, or who is coming back to finish it. Until you know who is behind the attack, you have to go underground.”

“I’m not going to wander anywhere.” I made a gesture to the way he held me. I was unable to walk. Wasn’t that enough for him?

“You do know it’s okay if you are scared. It would be normal considering what happened today.”

“No,” I snapped. “It’s not okay.” Didn’t he realize I had to work twice as hard, think twice as quickly? Maneuver twice as fast as any man in this town? I didn’t have extra seconds to be weak or vulnerable. Because they were watching, looking for the moments when my armor was down, when there was a sliver of exposed flesh and bone. As soon as they saw it, they would strike.

“Good. It’s decided. I know somewhere no one will look for you.”

He stopped walking when we reached his car. I realized one of the Bratva soldiers was standing guard nearby. I hadn’t noticed him before. His presence wouldn’t keep me from speaking my mind.

“You don’t make my decisions.” I was almost too exhausted to argue with him, but I hadn’t ceded my power.

“We aren’t going to argue about this.” He paused, unlocking the car. “Kotyonok, can you let me take care of you for tonight? I need to know you’re safe.”

My throat tightened. I saw the pain in his eyes. I doubted he wanted me to see it there in plain sight. He rarely wore his emotions on the surface, but this one was too big hide. The impulse to fall apart was still there, but I couldn’t. I would not let him see me falter.

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