Page 131 of The Payback

“Oh, we’re almost there,” Ellie says, pointing at the island.

“Where isthere?” I ask, standing to get a better view as we approach.

“Ekuverikan Island,” she answers. “Friendship Island or something like that. Now I get to introduce you to my best friend and her boyfriends, our daughter’s godparents.”

“Boyfriends? Plural?” Dimitri asks.

Ellie nods. “Yeah, we should thank her for laying the groundwork, so it was less of a crazy idea when it came up between us.”

“How many boyfriends does she have?” I ask.

“There’s Max, Viraj, Roark, and Zach, of course.”

Fucking Zach. Good. Time for some payback.

CHAPTERFORTY-SEVEN

Nikita

As soon asmy foot touches the sand, I know something is wrong. The island is too quiet. Tropical birds chirp playfully, but there’s a stillness in the air, like time has stopped somehow.

Dimitri and I exchange a look. Instinctively, we step forward, shielding Ellie with our larger bodies. She doesn’t protest, which tells me all I need to know. She senses the danger, too.

My blood turns to ice in my veins as I think about Bella. Until a few months ago, I’d never thought about kids. The only woman I’d ever truly loved hated me, with good reason, and just thinking of replacing her made me want to hurl. Nearly a year and a half of anguish for my behaviour and burying every memory of her deep in my mind. Until she showed up, marrying my best friend in a Russian Orthodox Cathedral and stealing my breath away when her eyes met mine at the back of the church.

I wasn’t sure how to feel when it was revealed that I was already a father. Immediate panic, followed by a rush of love that took root so deeply in my chest that I knew I would never be the same. My only saving grace was working with Ellie and Dimitri before I knew about Bella. My motivations couldn’t be questioned. And as pissed as I am that I’ve missed so much of her life, I know if I’d known about her, I would have done anything to be there. But the sad fact is, I didn’t know. I couldn’t, being hidden away as I was.

This past week, thinking about Bella made me queasy—well, more queasy after the poison fallout. What do you even say to the daughter you abandoned without meaning to? Do I just roll with it and hope she’s too young to remember that I wasn’t there for the first almost two years of her life?

We cross the beach, ducking behind trees, and I internally curse Ellie for not stocking the yacht with guns. What the fuck was she thinking? No place is impenetrable, and friends sometimes betray you. If Zach is involved, I’m confident that’s what’s happening. I hate that fucker.

We reach a house tucked between the trees. It sprawls across the island’s centre, comprised of dark wooden beams, dark floors, and enormous glass windows. It feels as if the occupants live directly in the small forest of the island.

The massive window on the side of the house is open, but there’s no one in sight. If this place has as many security systems as Ellie said, surely its inhabitants have been alerted to our arrival. The silence can only mean two things.

Either they’re not here.

Or they’re dead.

And I don’t even want to consider the fate of my daughter. She might be hurt, taken, or worse. I’m ready to tear apart the responsible parties. They will die slowly and painfully, every single one of them.

A look to my left tells me Dimitri shares my homicidal thoughts. Let’s hope his fighting style involves dirty fighting and beatdowns to the death.

If our daughter is not here, we will get her back.

If she is dead, we will make them pay.

We’ve been mafia bosses, agents, and enforcers for most of our lives. At least our skills will be helpful in something after leaving the Bratva.

I enter the house first, not sparing a glance at the luxury surrounding me. Ellie follows, crouched low and taking careful steps over the threshold, tapping my right arm twice, signalling she’s watching the right. Dimitri brings up the rear, watching our left, and I keep my eyes front and centre. A formation we’ve never discussed, but our old roles slip into place between Ellie and me; the comfort of it brings a sense of reassurance during this unknown.

I pass the couch, glancing down and finding a puddle of red.

The pool of blood is smeared in the hallway beside the TV. Holding up a hand, I halt the others and point to it. Ellie’s gasp is nearly silent as she takes in the sight.

We pause where we are, Ellie going to the right to investigate the couch area, and Dimitri veers left to check the kitchen. I watch from my front position as Dimitri swipes a finger along the counter, coming away with more blood. The dark crimson is stark against his pale skin.

Rage and anger, unlike anything I’ve ever known, overtake me, and I shove it down. Acting irrationally right now won’t solve anything. I can’t go charging down the hallway unarmed and without backup.

---