Page 80 of Lord of the Underworld

"Always, for you," I say. It's a vow, it's my heart, and it’s hope, however improbable that is. I cup her face one last time, and give her a kiss that will have to say everything. "Stepan, take her."

"No. No!" Oksana wails. I can't look at her, I hear her scuffling, her boots dragging on the floor. "Please, don't!"

"Sister, we have to go," Stepan says urgently. I hear her long, anguished wail before he pulls her out the door.

"I'm Captain Dimakos." The man who touched my wife introduces himself. "You should know the name of the man who's going to gut you. But not yet." He pulls out a small black box, I've seen them before. The light is green as it runs over my arms until the box's light turns red, hovering over my shoulder. Flipping open a switchblade, he deftly cuts into my skin, finding the tracker quickly. The tip of the blade pops it loose and he drops it on the tile floor, crushing it with his boot.

He looks at his hunters. "He's ready to transport."

Chapter Thirty-Six

In which Oksana does the completely logical thing.

Oksana…

"Stop!" Stepan says, just as my hand cracks across his face.

"No! I won't stop! You left him there," I scream. "They're going to torture him to death. You left him there. Take me back! This is my fault."

"Vadim will kill me if I take you back," he snaps. "Listen to me." He gives me a little shake. "In the Turgenev Bratva, there is always a contingency plan. Do you really think my family would allow this?"

"He could die by the time you get everyone together." I'm sobbing now. Terrified. My knees are shaking, and I lean against the wall to keep standing.

"No. They won't kill him right away." His face is bleak. "They'll want to make an example of him."

We're at Stepan's home, the closest place to reconnect with the Turgenev security force. Men are moving back and forth behind us, placing calls, speaking in hushed whispers.

"This can't be happening," I whisper. My hands fly to my hair, yanking on it. I want to pretend this isn't real, but a painful sting from my scalp tells me that I am very much in the here and now. "Okay," I say, trying to focus. "You're talking to your family. Have some of your men take me over to mine. We're allies. The Vasiliev Bratva is required to stand with you. My father has three hundred men here in Moscow!" I laugh a little wildly.

Stepan nods, gesturing to Gavrill, his Second, giving him orders to take me to my father's house. "Make sure she's safely inside before leaving. Contact the Vasiliev security, tell them she's on the way."

"Before you go, Oksana, take this," he says, pulling a Smith & Wesson from his desk drawer. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes," I nod, checking the safety before slipping it into my bag. Before I leave, I grab his arm. "Please let me know what's happening." I hold up my phone. "Please don't keep me in the dark. He's my husband."

"I know," he says, just before his stern expression crumbles. "He's also my brother."

The drive back to my parents' home is silent. I'm rocking back and forth, arms wrapped around myself, trying to keep all the parts of me from flying away into the atmosphere. My rage and my terror are cycling inside me, and there's nothing I can do to stop them. I rock a little faster, trying to drive the image out of my mind. All those men had looked so excited to kill the legendary Angel of Death.

"Father!" I shout, shoving our butler Grischa aside before he can get the door all the way open. "Father, where are you?" My voice echoes down the chilly marble hallway, I race for his study. "Father!" I scream, pounding on the door until it rattles.

Nikolai rips it open, the fury on his face turns to concern when he sees me. "Oksana?" He wraps his arms around me, but I shove away. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

Our father is at his desk. Oh, he loves his desk. It's huge, stretching halfway across the room, slightly elevated to make sure everyone knew he was the Pakhan. As a child, I would have to stand in front of it and feel even tinier, even more insignificant. Even as an adult, I could never get over that helpless fear when I was called in to face him.

Now, I tear across the room and slam my hands down on his desk, sending papers flying. "Vadim's been taken," I shout, right in his face. "We are allies. You- you need to contact Konstantin this second and offer our assistance. This has to be done now!"

"Take your fucking hands off my desk." Father is unruffled, though the look in his eye is murderous.

"Did you hear me?" I ask incredulously. "Your main concern is fingerprints smudging your desk and not that my husband has been captured and is likely being tortured?"

Nikolai swiftly steps over to me, helping me sit down. "Sestra, explain this."

I stumble through it all, who the monsters are, what they've done. How my husband instantly offered his life for mine.

"You caused this mess yourself," Father says heavily. "You're fortunate that your husband was willing to take your place."

"Are you insane?" I snarl.