Page 39 of Dare To Free Us

“Yes. No one even knew Shura had a sister. She’s lived in Russia all her life. I didn’t know until she started spouting off who she was, in a desperate attempt for us to get scared and dump her on the side of the road. I couldn’t do that. The moment we attacked her vehicle there was no turning back. The war had already begun.”

“So you’ve been holding her prisoner? As leverage against Shura?” Arianna’s lip curled into a sneer of disgust. I knew she didn’t like it one bit. She had a good heart that didn’t approve. Along with the fact she still carried guilt about the Becka incident.

“Yes and no.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Yes, I have been holding her prisoner, but not using her. My first thought was to leverage the shit out of her. I had his sister. If there was any kind of loyalty he would pack up and leave everything to get her back. But something kept bothering me.” I scrubbed a hand across the stubble on my cheeks. “There was only one vehicle Arianna, and only a driver. Basically no protection at all, I just couldn’t wrap my brain around it.”

“Why wouldn’t he protect his sister?”

“Because it was a set-up.”

“He planned for her to get kidnapped? Why? All it would do is give you an advantage.”

I shook my head and berated myself for not reading the situation better that night. I’d gotten a bad feeling and still went through with the plan, clinging to the idea that I could stop Shura then and there.

“Because he doesn’t give a shit about her. She is just his pawn.”

“How?” she asked skeptically.

Pulling out my phone I placed it on the bed and brought up my voicemail. It would make more impact if she heard it from Shura himself. I pressed play and the first recording began.

Hello again Matteo. You always think you are the clever one, but not this time. Was it a surprise to not find me in the car? I knew that piece of shit Jasper would come through. My people made sure he thought it would be me. You have attacked and taken my sister and therefore declared war, and because she is blood she is under the protection of my family back in Russia. Now I have the ability to call on them at any moment. I hope you enjoy her, along with all of your other men. Give me more reason to call down my army on you. Just be sure to leave a bit of something for her future husband who I plan to sell her too.

Arianna’s wide eyes met mine.

“He purposely set it up for me to attack her and take her, so that he could call his uncles back home and get their help to wipe us out. He doesn’t give a shit about her, so threatening to hurt her wouldn’t make a difference. And I wouldn’t do that anyway. He’ll tell his family that I’ve been abusing her and refuse to give her back no matter what he offers.”

Arianna closed her eyes and frowned like all the information was making her headache worse.

“There’s more. I did this without warning or talking to the Irish and MC, to at least give them the curtesy of a heads-up. It was personal and wanted to take care of it myself. But now with how connected we all are they will be affected as well. O’Connell is furious and The Devil’s Hoard president is crawling up my ass.”

“What happens to the girl?”

The weight on my shoulders already felt like it would break my back but unloading all the information onto Arianna was a relief and painful at the same time.

“I have no fucking idea. O’Connell wants to use her. The MC president wants to send her back to Russia without Shura knowing, so she can explain what a piece of shit her brother is.”

“Why can’t you do that?”

“Because she has begged me not to send her back. She wants me to let her walk out the door and disappear. Her brother couldn’t care less about her, and her family back in Russia view her as nothing but a future wife for someone that will bring them profit. Calling would be a waste of time because they will believe she is being forced to talk against Shura. She thinks she wants to escape and disappear, but she is a fifteen-year old pampered, mafia princess that wouldn’t last on the streets. So, I’m stuck between Shura not wanting her back, O’Connell demanding I turn her over to him so he can use her somehow, and The Devil’s Hoard trying to send her back to the one place she begged me not to.”

Arianna stared at me like I just told her the world would start spinning backwards. Slowly she laid back on the bed and took a deep breath. “Is there anything else?” Damn she was clever. Arianna was directly asking if I was omitting information again, knowing that I wouldn’t tell her if she didn’t ask.

“Yes,” I breathed.

“Tell me.” He tone booked no argument.

Swallowing hard I pressed the buttons on my phone until the next voicemail started playing.

Matteo, I hope you like the gift I sent you. That is just a taste of what I will do to you. But don’t worry, when you are gone I will take care of your lovely wife. I can’t wait to fuck your memory out of Arianna. I will make her scream my name while conditioning her into my fuck-toy. She should have been mine, and now she will be.

As the message played my hands balled into fist. Just hearing him speak her name was enough to make me burn with fury, but his vulgar talk about what he wanted to do to Arianna made we want to set the city on fire.

Arianna stared up at the ceiling. “When did you get this?”

“Yesterday. I think he is waiting to call his uncles because he wants to try and take me out himself. He was sent back to Russia in disgrace, so he wants to show how big he can be. I’m sure his uncles didn’t retaliate when I killed Victor because they have been helping Shura prepare, and are waiting for his call.”

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