Page 56 of Vow of Silence

He stopped at the red light. “That's the problem. My brother will always find us worthy. Every moment he breathes, he lives with the decision that he is willing to die for all of us. He plans to marry Mila, but he still puts his own happiness in jeopardy for us. I strive every day to be more like my brother. He’s one of a kind.”

“You know that wouldn’t have been the end of the carnage. Once Liam found out that you were dead. What do you think your father would do? Do you think he would just put you in the ground, drink a shot, and continue running one of the most profitable Irish empires?

I shrugged. “Yes, he would. What else could he do? Death is permanent in this life.”

“No, he wouldn’t. He would give up all of it for you. You think that your father has issues with you but they are not the issues you think. His love for you knows no bounds. Viktor told him that you were his greatest accomplishment and weakness. Do you want to know what he said?”

“No. Shut the hell up.”

Liam told him to kick him out of the Alliance because he would never turn his back on his son. It was a risk he would never negate or fail. Your father loves you whether you're deaf or not. He merely wants to put a protective shell around you so that he doesn’t lose you. Sometimes when you love someone so deeply, you can’t fathom losing them. For God's sakes, he already lost your mother. He hasn't been the same, and you haven't been the same either. You’re all he has left. He wouldn't want to live if something happened to you.”

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. My father is ashamed of me. He might love the boy I was but he doesn’t love me.”

“As your friend you need to know that every time you put yourself on the line, your death has repercussions far beyond your own life. We would all go to war for you. We’re all willing to die for you. Sometimes people only see our sacrifice, our need, and our honor. We forget about those who stand at our backs in the shadows. Though you don't hear us or even see us, we are still there. You will never stand alone. None of us will.”

18

ANYA

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, CZECH REPUBLIC

I was blindfolded and handcuffed. Maria, or Kim, I can't remember which one, stripped me, and put me in a prison uniform. Now, I was back in the unmarked van heading for prison. Being blindfolded, I had no concept of location, time or landmarks that would allow me to know where the prison was located. After I had eaten like a pig, my diabetic numbers were high but I was not in danger. However, I was certain that my organs were being damaged from my numbers going up and down. There was nothing I could do about it. Being diabetic sucked. Over the years I had forced my body to perform on nothing. I was Felix Aslanov’s daughter; I couldn’t afford any weaknesses.

Jayden touched my shoulder. “I know this suck, but I wanted you to be less afraid of the loss of vision and hyper focused on your surroundings when I take you inside. You won’t be able to see but you have your other senses. I suggest that you always use them while you’re in there.”

He was right. Putting the blind fold on me early had allowed me to adjust to the darkness. I couldn’t allow my loss of sight to keep me from using my nose, ears, mouth, and hands once they became available. Jayden was the only male in the prison to wear cologne. It had a nice scent on him. His scent was earthy and tranquil. I would use it to help me find him while I was there or if I had to make a quick getaway.

“Thank you, Jayden. Mentally, I prepared myself for what’s to come.”

I also doubted whether Mikhail would put himself or any of his team members on the line for me. He wasn’t stupid and he would find out that the FBI had taken me. If he told Cian, he would have no choice. Cian wouldn’t rest until he knew what happened to me. I’d made a promise to Mila, and now I had to stay alive. Her prediction that it was only a matter of time before someone came to kill me had finally come true.

Jayden wasn’t so bad. I wouldn’t say that I trusted him, but I believed that he would do what he could to get me out. There was no point in freaking out. I had to use my head and outsmart everyone if I was going to get out of here alive.

Things could be worse.

I had my strength; my insulin was under control for the day and I had a plan. It was riddled with what if’s but it was a start, which was all I needed. My will to live, make my rapist pay, and rescue my sister from Boris, would never fail to motivate me. I knew my why, and now I had to get the information from that bitch.

The engine shut off.

“We’re here guys,” said Maria.

Why she sounded so cheerful to be dropping me off in this hell hole was anyone’s guess, but I would be just as happy when I killed her. Jayden might be the only person I allow to live. If he was true to his word and got me out of here, he might live. His hatred ran too deep to turn to my side. He could live if he stayed out of my way.

The back doors opened. A gust of frigid wind entered the van, and I shivered.

“Remember, make her tell you everything. We can’t get you out of here twice, so make this time count,” said Tamsyn.

I’m going to kill her slowly.

His arms tightened around me and he was dragging me outside. From the cologne, I knew it was Jayden. He was dragging me but he was doing it in a way that wasn’t harming me. I played along hoping that this might allow whoever was about to see me to think that I was in the same boat as them. For all I knew, I might be. His fast steps slowed. I heard him punching buttons on a metal plate.

“I have inmate 5679. She has already been processed. Open the gates,” said Jayden.

I could hear the wind blowing but there were no trees around. This was a remote prison. There was nothing around it that a prisoner could use to escape. The gates were staffed by someone and it was like they used some type of two factor identification.

“We weren’t notified that we were getting a delivery,” said a voice.

Jayden tensed. “My orders came with an official seal from President Olson. You can either call him or I take her back and inform the president that you denied his orders. What is your name? Don’t worry about your badge number, the secret service will know it.”

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