Page 97 of Twisted Embrace

The man studied me carefully. “He’s doing better than expected. If all goes well, he will make a full recovery, although it will take time. Against my better judgment, he’s asking for you so I’ll allow a short visit. Keep in mind he needs his rest.”

I nodded, grateful Dar was conscious as well as alive. “Understood.”

“Follow me. Five minutes. That’s it.” The surgeon barely acknowledged anyone else in the room. I trailed behind him, realizing how much I loathed hospitals.

Another sign of death, something I’d once craved more than anything. Now all I could think about was life. All because of an American woman with Russian blood running in her veins. I’d yet to hear back from Misha, which led me to believe the man had been killed. If so, there were other ways of finding out Joy’s true identity.

Although I was less interested than before. What the fuck did it really matter?

When I was led into recovery, I held my breath. The sounds of machines assaulted my senses. Dar was lying on a gurney, his face ashen. Another wave of anger swept through me. This was unacceptable.

“Five minutes,” the surgeon repeated.

I didn’t bother responding, waiting until the man had left the room before advancing. “Dar.”

It took a few seconds for him to open his eyes. Then he clutched my hand with as much strength as if he’d never been shot. “Lucia.”

“We don’t know where they’re located.”

I could see the horror shifting through him, the realization that he’d possibly lost his wife and child a crushing blow. “Kill… them…”

I knew exactly what he meant.

“Already in the works. Where would they hide if necessary?” It was the single question that weighed heavily on my mind.

He clenched his eyes shut, his breathing ragged. The machines were going crazy, which meant I’d be kicked out of the room shortly. Then he opened his eyes, a moment of hope in them.

“I know exactly.”

As soon as he told me, I also had a fleeting few seconds of hope.

There was no salvation for a man like me, no sense in saying a prayer to a God I didn’t believe in and who wouldn’t provide me with assistance given the life I’d led, but at this moment, I said a single silent prayer that he was right.

* * *

Joy

We’d limped onto the Lazarro estate, barely getting the SUV inside the barn before the engine conked out. Maybe I should consider us lucky that we’d made it this far. But right now, it seemed like karma had it out for us. A fire had ravaged a portion of the facility, but the main building was still intact. Still, it felt like we were sitting ducks. I rubbed my hand across my necklace, allowing my mind to drift to the past, the single time my mother had taken me horseback riding.

I’d loved everything about it, purchasing renderings of big black stallions for my room. There was no reason for me to be thinking of a memory that would forever be jaded, but my mind needed a place of peace.

If only for a few seconds.

There were no horses in the barn, no life whatsoever. There was just a huge empty space, lifeless. Which was exactly the way I felt. Everything had gone against us.

I took several gulping breaths, struggling as I did what I could to rip a portion of the dress from around my legs. My success was limited, but at least the expensive frock wasn’t dragging the ground any longer. After tossing the unwanted material aside, I glanced toward Lucia, the look on her face one of admiration.

“This is the place where everything changed,” Lucia said, the tone of her voice lifeless. It was as if every emotion had been driven from her heart and mind, leaving her a shell of a woman. She was sitting on an old crate, rocking back and forth. I could tell she was close to losing control, although she’d yet to break down into tears.

My anger kept me from doing so, although my heart was breaking. Nothing seemed real any longer.

I’d known her for years, the vivacious woman attacking every project like a warrior. I’d never known her to lose sight of what was important or to dwell on failures.

On this day, she’d given up every aspect of hope.

I studied the phone, the weak signal and low battery an indication of how dire our situation was. We were sequestered inside a barn on the property where she’d grown up. With only a few soldiers guarding the grounds, the location mostly shuttered throughout the year, we’d yet to make contact. We’d been too fearful to explore, but after two hours with no contact with anyone, I had little choice left if we wanted to get back home.

Lucia’s mother had become a broken person with the death of her husband. Even after years of abuse, the loss had been enough to fracture her mind completely. She resided in a lovely home in Greece under the care of people who could handle her mental state. With Enzo refusing to live on the property after the first few months, it had left the estate in limbo.

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