Page 76 of Claimed By the Pakhan

“How the fuck could you let her escape?” I sigh.

Of course, this impossible woman would find a way to escape. Running away is in her blood. My guards can only do so fucking much when it comes to protecting Fia, since they’re forbidden from using violence.

“She knows how to knee a man in the balls and cause damage.”

“Yeah,” adds another. “And kick another in the face.”

I remove my suit jacket, sweating through it. The sun is finally out, shedding light on things I would rather keep buried. Tossing the suit jacket over the porch, I undo the top few buttons of my shirt and retrace my steps back to the car.

“Be careful in the city,pakhan.”

“I’m always careful,” I say, popping the car door. “Luka and the Kuzmins are the one who need to be worried when I rip out their throats and send their bodies on a ship to Vancouver.” I start the car engine, rolling the window down to give my guards one last final order. “If Fia returns, ring me immediately.”

I drive out of the front gates, heading toward the city when I receive an incoming call from the man, I’ll have dead on a spike by the end of today.

“Speak,” I grunt down the receiving end of the phone. “Before I cut out your tongue and shove it down your throat.”

“I’d love to see you attempt that over the phone,” howls Luka. “You have been searching in the wrong places for me,bratan,wasting your time. I know how fond you are of doing that.”

I step on the gas, the car building speed. I brake harshly around the next bend, the tires skidding on the road.

“Drive safe,bratan.I would hate to see you die from reckless driving. Too fucking clean.”

“Hilarious.”

“Anyway, I need you alive so I can see the look on your face when you realize everything is over.”

I grind my jaw, intrusive thoughts telling me to swerve into the tree line and end this now, but Fia is still out there needing to be saved. I have to keep myself alive for her and the twins.

Luka and Alexander can burn in hell with me.

“You might want to turn around,” says Luka. I can feel his smile from the phone. “There is nothing left for you in the city anymore.”

“Cut the fucking bullshit and tell me where Fia is.”

“Right here beside me, waiting to be shipped.”

I grip the steering wheel, the trees closing in. The very world around me feels like it's shrinking.

I step on the brakes, the tires screeching as I make a U-turn in the middle of the road, heading toward Harbor Island instead of downtown Seattle.

“You have a lot of confidence for a man who’s barely able to defend himself,” I say down the phone. “Are you sure you want to tell me your exact location?”

“I’m very sure,” chuckles Luka. “I know how you get around Fia, especially when she’s hurt.”

I end the call and ring my men, telling them to meet me at the dockyard for the second time today.

I already have guards stationed there, and none of them have mentioned Luka. I suppose they still believe he’s innocent in all of this,

“Don’t fucking trust him,” I shout down the phone. “He has Fia in a shipping container. I want you to disable him. Be discreet about it. By the time I arrive, I want him on the floor, pinned down.”

“All due respectpakhan,Luka is your longest friend.”

“Which is why he needs to pay the price with his death when I arrive at the docks. Disarm him and any other men on the premises. And don’t kill him. I’ll do the honors.” I end the call, tossing my phone on the passenger seat.

I grip the steering wheel with both hands and send my foot to the floor.

My tires slip on the gravel as I arrive. I abandon my car at the entrance and jump the fence. Clouds mask the sun, turning the atmosphere gray.