Page 38 of Ruthless Heir

I pullout my burner phone to contact Vladimir on the one our men gave him to keep him updated. I tell him he has a mutiny on his hands, but I'm unsure how many of his men are involved. When some of our men tried to take this same approach, we had mass casualties on our hands ... and from our hands. You have to sever the head of the snake before it has an opportunity to do more damage.

“You needto find out who is involved,” I say into the speaker. “If you think your core members are safe, then it's possible they targeted this endeavor knowing one of us would step forward to help.”

“I'm on it,”Vladimir responds through the phone.

I endmy call and look up at Lennon. “We can't rely on Vladimir to find out who was behind this.”

“Agreed,”Lennon states. “The only way we're going to know for sure is if we rescue Liam to question him ourselves.”

I nod in agreement.“We'll have to move fast. The longer we wait, the more likely they are to kill him to keep him quiet.”

Lennon nods,and we quickly start strategizing our plan of attack. We'll need to assemble our men once again, but it's risky. We can't afford to lose any more men.

As we goover our plan, my mind keeps drifting back to Vasilisa. I can't help but worry about her safety and what might happen if we fail. We need to wrap this up as quickly as possible so we can focus on keeping her safe.

“We need to move now,”Lennon says, his voice firm.

We never getout of the door. The next call we get is that Liam has been executed. We’re too late. It’s their move, and we can only wait to see what that will be because one thing is for certain. There will be another move.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Vasilisa

Iscream out into the darkness, sitting up with a start. It takes me a moment to realize I'm safe. I'm in Kai's bed where he left me. Of course I knew he wouldn't stay. He, his brother, and their men have been in his office all night, likely trying to decipher who was behind my abduction and their attempt to extort my father. The clock on the nightstand reads a little after four. The sun has yet to rise.

I draw my knees up to my chest and begin to rock. My nightmare seems so real. My sister was there, and I was back at Club Luxe. She was trying to show me something. My heart begins to race, and my breathing becomes erratic.

Kai barges through the door. “Is everything alright? Samuel came by the office and reported he heard you screaming.”

I don't answer. I can't breathe. Realization pierces through the fog from last night, and it's too much. Tears begin to stream down my eyes. Kai turns on the light and pulls me onto his lap. “Talk to me, Vasilisa. What is it?”

“Vikkkkkkktorrr,” I manage to get out.

“What about him?” I can feel his muscles tense around me.

I work to bring my breathing under control. It's been a long time since I've had a panic attack. Lennon bursts through the door.

“Is everything all right?” he asks Kai.

“I don't know,” Kai admits as I'm still rocking in his arms. “She said Viktor's name, but that's all I've been able to get out of her.”

“She's hyperventilating. I think she's having a panic attack,” Lennon assesses. “Look at me, Vasilisa. Slow down your breathing. Take some slow deep breaths. You're safe.”

Lennon demonstrates how he wants me to breathe in and out, and I try. I really try, but I'm struggling to calm myself down.

“Fuck this,” Kai says. He lays me back on the bed, and at first, I think he’s going to leave me there.

He crawls on top of me and pulls me into his arms before he begins to kiss me. It's awkward at first with my rapid breathing, but he doesn't relent. He deepens the kiss as he wraps my legs around his waist. I can feel his hardness pressed against me. “Breathe for me, baby,” he whispers at the shell of my ear, his breath a soft caress. He returns to kissing me, and my core ignites. The feeling is too intimate.

“Or that.” Lennon laughs. “I'll see you back in the office.”

Did he just call me baby? I can feel my breathing begin to slow. “There you go, baby. Listen to my voice. I’ve got you. You're safe,” he says, his voice more soothing than I've ever heard.

I pull him tighter and begin to cry. Full-on cry. I believe him. My tears are not from fear ... they're from recognizing my heart officially belongs to him, and I'm ready to trust him to keep me safe. They're tears of relief that I can let go of all the weight I've been holding on to.

Kai continues to hold me as I cry until I finally calm down. He brushes my hair away from my face and kisses my forehead. “You're okay now, milseán,” he whispers.

I nod, feeling emotionally exhausted but also strangely reassured. “Thank you,” I manage to say.

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