Page 119 of Whispers in the Dark
“Will someone please tell us what the fuck is going on?” Madeleine waves her hands in the air with exasperation.
“Apparently…” Alex looks at me, and I nod, dragging my fingers through my hair. They’re going to find out eventually, anyway. “Alina is related to the Vasilievs. She’s their half sister.”
“What?” Scarlett and Madeleine ask in unison, wide-eyed.
He ignores them, staring down at his phone. “I’ve got it,” Alex tells me, handing it to me.
I press play, and both of us stare at the screen as if viewing a horror movie. My eyes focus in on the scene before me, watching with bated breath as Alina appears. I grip the phone harder as she hesitantly steps forward, looking unsure as she peers around. My knee bounces as she approaches a woman in the chair and slowly begins to turn it, seeing the woman’s lifeless eyes. My heart races as she slips in blood, staring at her hands in terror. My insides coil rigidly as she walks through the hall, seeing all of the dead bodies and checking each one for a pulse. And my chest contracts when she enters a room, disappearing from view.
A moment later, Alina is seen unconscious, slung over Kazimir’s shoulder.
My vision blurs with rage.
My body shakes with an unrelenting need to kill.
A second passes, and one of Kazimir’s men appears, dragging along… I pause the video.
“That’s Gregory Fowler,” Alex notes, with not an ounce of surprise in his voice. “When I found out Alina was related to the Vasilievs, I did a thorough background check on everyone in contact with her.” He taps his finger against his thigh. “Apparently, Gregory has been in and out of memory care facilities for the past several years.”
Memory care?
“His medical records indicate that he has early-onset dementia.”
Scarlett gasps, covering her mouth.
“We had no idea,” Madeleine says softly.
Early-onset dementia.
Alina’s been dealing with this for years and never mentioned this to me? To anyone?
My heart feels heavy as I look back at the screen.What the fuck is going on?
“I don’t know. I’m not sure, but…” He adjusts his glasses, taking a moment before saying, “Giving her the benefit of the doubt here… Maybe she didn’t have a choice in all of this.”But if she didn’t have a choice, that would mean…“I think she may have gone into this marriage with the intentions of signing over the land to them because she had no choice, but maybe when she realized what it was for, she told them off and…”
Pissed them off.
“Exactly.” Alex sighs. “They were holding her father over her. Like bait.” He scratches at his jaw. “Probably the whole time.” He points to the screen. “That place is expensive. Anyone in her shoes might have a hard time affording the care and services. Especially if this has been going on for years.” He shrugs. “That would be easy information for the Vasilievs to determine, and when they did, they probably promised her a ludicrous amount for the land. Enough to afford all the care her father would need.Though I suspect they weren’t actually going to give her a dime of it.”
I rock my neck from side to side.
I need answers, and I need them now.
But first, I’m going to kill Kazimir for everything he has put my wife through.
“Let me see!” Madeleine snags the phone from my hands. Her lips part on a gasp as she stares at the screen, rewinding until she sees Alina. “They have her,” she whispers. “Those assholes have her.”
“The two of you are to go back to the estate,” Alex commands, his attention on Scarlett and Madeleine. His eyes dart to Eli. “Get them home safely.”
“We’re leaving now,” Eli responds, already sliding his jacket over his arms.
I pivot and stride toward the door, every cell in my body feeling on the verge of detonating.
“Mauro.” Alex’s fingers dig into my bicep, stopping me. “We need to come up with a plan. We don’t even know where they’ve taken her!”
I shove my phone in his face, displaying Alina’s whereabouts.
“An airport?” he questions. “Why would they—” He stops himself as the pieces connect. “Fuck,” he breathes, adjusting his glasses. “We can’t just storm in there and hope we win this one.”
