Page 116 of Where the Wind Whispers

Violet’s thought process stopped entirely when she heard her husband shout, “Open the fucking gates!”

Despite knowing she should stay put, Violet’s body acted of its own accord, and she bolted from the room, heading for the front of the house. By the time she got to the front doors that had been left flung wide open, she could see Kaz running down the driveway.

Violet’s heart stopped as she saw just what he was running toward.

Could it …

Why?

Carmine walked slowly, limping on his left step, with his face battered and bruised, his eyes blackened, and his nose clearly broken. But guessing by the looks of the marks, whatever attack he had suffered was days old.

Maybe even more.

But it was what was in his arms that made Violet cry out, heading for the stairs herself to follow after Kaz.

A little form, all wrapped up in a shimmering pink blanket.

The blanket Kaz had chosen to send their daughter with the morning she was taken.

What were the chances that wasn’t Anastasya in those blankets?

There was no one behind Violet’s brother. No one following him. No guns behind the gate waiting.

Violet’s foot just hit the step when one of Kaz’s men grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back and refusing to let her go.

“Please,” she begged, “that’s my baby!”

The man didn’t even give her a response, but Violet still fought him, even as she watched the scene unfold in front of her down the driveway.

At the same time, Kaz took the pink bundle from Carmine’s arms, he pulled the gun from his back. The barrel of the weapon met Carmine’s forehead hard enough to send him back a step.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t put you down like a fucking dog!” Kaz roared.

Carmine’s response was loud and clear. “Because I know where he is—you know where he is. He’s going to be there alone; he wants you to think he has the baby.”

“Keep going.”

“I’m going to make some calls when I leave here—calls that will leave him unprotected while he’s there.”

Violet knew what she was hearing perfectly fine.

These were, essentially, the final moments of her father’s life being decided.

She just wanted her baby.

“I mean, you could kill me,” Carmine said, shrugging though it looked painful for him to do so. “And then this will continue. He’s not going to stop, not until you or her”—he nodded over Kaz’s shoulder, toward Violet—“are dead.”

A second passed and then another.

The silence was deafening.

Why wasn’t her baby crying … or something?

“He won’t hurt the baby.” Carmine’s gaze dropped to the tiny bundle that was tight to her father’s chest. “He’d never hurt the baby.”

“Where is he going to be, Gallucci?”

Carmine laughed, shaking his head. “You think I’m fucking stupid? I’m not, Russian. You and the baby come with me. I’ll drop you off where you need to be, and then I’ll make my phone calls, and only then.”