Page 91 of Betraying Family Vows
No one speaks right away.
Theo approaches me first, finally breaking the silence.
"Where's your car?" he asks, voice calm, the breeze catching the flaps of his jacket.
I nod behind me. "Back there."
Theo looks over my shoulder and pulls out his phone.
"Liam, I need a cleanup crew on the road heading south from Kalamata. I'll drop a pin." He pauses. "Yes. Now."
He hangs up, sliding the phone back into his pocket.
Ares walks up, his gun hanging loosely at his side. "And they took her?" The words sound casual, but I know my brother.
I nod. "Too fucking many of them."
Ares begins to pace, his body a coiled spring that can't stay still. His pistol swings at his side with each turn.
"What about the—" Theo says.
"They took it all. The phone, the laptop," I say, my voice raw. "It has to be S. We had everything to track him down."
Ares scoffs. "Fucking convenient," he says and turns to look at me. "And she had nothing to do with this? She did try to kill you after all."
My vision goes red at the edges.
"Fuck you," I snap. "She didn't."
Ares tilts his head like he's studying me. "Then why take her?"
I take a step toward him, my body moving before my brain catches up.
"I don't fucking know," I grit out.
The tension crackling between us turns volatile. The men behind Ares shift slightly.
Theo moves between us, his hand flat against my chest, stopping me from closing the last foot of space.
"Everything we had on S. The key to finding him was in the phone. That she unlocked. That she gave to us. More fucking help than you ever did," I say, instantly regretting the last part, but I'm too worked up.
"Hey. Hey. Everybody just calm down. Same fucking team, remember?" Theo says, looking between us.
I nod and take a step back.
"Is she worth this?" Theo asks, looking me dead in the eye.
I don't hesitate. "Yes."
Ares shows an unreadable expression, then shrugs. "Well, let's go get the phone and the laptop back," he says, voice cold. "I'm not interested in her."
Something hot and violent snaps inside me. I lunge at Ares, but Theo's hand clamps around my bicep, hauling me back before I can get a fist into Ares's face.
"Chill, Dimitri," Theo says quietly in my ear. "If she really gave us what you said, he'll come around. Let's go."
I yank my arm away from Theo's grip, breathing hard. Ares just watches me. His eyes are steady, unflinching, but he doesn't speak.
Theo walks back to the SUV, and one of our men hands him a tablet.
