Page 86 of Royal Beast
He raises an eyebrow. “Go after Anatoly himself?”
I shake my head. “He’s too protected. We need to strike where it’ll hurt the most.” I pause, a thought forming. “Dariy. He’s always been the one close to Anatoly. Going after him would be a personal blow to Anatoly. Dariy’s been his right-hand man for years.”
Rory’s expression hardens. “He’s a fucking ghost. The kind of guy who knows how to stay under the radar. But if we hit him, we send a message straight to Anatoly.”
I nod, a cold smile curling on my lips. “Exactly. We plant a bomb in Dariy’s car. Make sure it detonates when he unlocks it. That’ll make sure they know that this is what happens when you threaten our family.”
Rory’s eyes flicker with a dangerous gleam. “You want to bomb his car? Make sure they know we mean business, huh?”
“That’s the plan,” I reply. “We’re gonna remind them who’s in charge.”
We sit down, and I can feel the weight of the decision settling in. It’s brutal, but we don’t have a choice. In this world, it’s kill or be killed. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the Russians think they can trample us without consequences.
“Let’s get to work,” I say, pulling out a map of the area where Dariy’s been spotted most frequently.
Rory nods. “I’ll get the guys on it.”
“We need this done quickly, and cleanly,” I add, tapping the map. “Make sure it’s Dariy’s car, but we don’t leave anything behind. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
“Agreed,” Rory says, already on the phone with someone.
We’re going to make sure they know we’re not backing down this time.
The two of us are in the middle of planning the logistics when Lucky bursts into the room, eyes wild. “Turn on the news. Now.”
Rory barely blinks, immediately reaching for the remote. He flicks on the television, and we all go silent as the screen lights up with flashing red and blue. The scene is chaotic. There are paramedics, reporters, and police cars blocking off a section of the street downtown, but the camera pans and focuses on a wrecked car. It’s unrecognizable, mangled beyond belief.
The camera zooms in, and the reporter’s voice breaks through the static, crisp and urgent.
“…female driver, appears to have lost control of the vehicle after swerving… severe crash, injuries unknown at this time…”
I can’t pull my eyes away. There’s something about the way they’re framing the wreck, the shattered windshield, the position of the car that feels too familiar.
I lean forward, squinting at the screen. “Hey… that looks like Clary’s car,” I say under my breath, my pulse kicking up in my chest.
Lucky cocks his head. “Isn’t that Clary they’re talking about?” He nods toward the screen where the camera is zooming in on the car again.
My heart stops for a moment, and Rory doesn’t need me to say anything more. His face turns pale, and without another word, he’s on his feet, moving for the door.
“Rory!” I call out, but he’s already gone, rushing down the hall without a glance back.
I stand there, frozen for a second, trying to process the gravity of the situation when my phone rings. Darcy’s name flashes on the screen. I don’t even wait for the first ring to finish before I answer.
“Darcy, oh, my God, tell me you’re safe. Tell me that you weren’t with Clary when the accident happened…”
She inhales sharply, then I hear the sound of her voice, panicked and sharp, and it stops me cold. “What? What do you mean, an accident?”
I grit my teeth. I don’t want to say it, but I have to. “Clary… there was an accident… It’s on the news, Darcy. The car’s wrecked, and it looks bad. I don’t know how bad yet, but?—”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end, then I hear her take a deep, shaky breath before her voice comes back on the line, high-pitched and frantic. “What are you talking about? What do you mean there’s been an accident, Kellan!?”
I try to hold it together, my heart pounding in my chest, but the weight of her fear pulls me under. “Darcy, calm down, okay? We don’t have all the details yet, but I’m getting to you. I’m on my way. Just stay calm.”
I can hear her starting to hyperventilate, her words blurring together so fast I can barely keep up. “Kellan! Rose was in that car! I sent her home with Clary just a half hour ago! Where’s Rose?” Her voice gets higher-pitched, almost hysterical. “Where is she? Where’s my baby!?”
My stomach drops, heart lurching in my chest. Panic grips the edges of my vision, but I force myself to take a deep breath, trying to stay composed as I sit back in my chair. “I don’t know, Darcy. They haven’t said anything about a little girl on the report yet, but we’ll find her. I’m going to find her, okay? Just stay calm and breathe.”
She starts sobbing into the phone, her words coming out in choked gasps. “She has to be okay, Kellan. She has to be okay. Please, don’t tell me she was in the car. Please don’t tell me.”
