Chapter 35
Nikolai
After a thirteen-hour flight, we land in Congo for the meeting with Tshimaga. There’s no fucking signal, so I can’t call Abigail to hear if she slept well or had nightmares. The last time I spoke to her was when she landed in Switzerland, and it feels like weeks have passed, not just sixteen hours.
Christ, I hate this part of the world.
With Inna at St. Monarch’s and Mom at home, it’s just Dad and me.
And a small army, of course. I trust the diamond smugglers as far as I can throw the fuckers.
I check my bulletproof vest and my weapons, a submachine gun slung over my shoulder.
As we step off the plane, two jeeps are parked at the edge of the field.
Each vehicle has a group of men on the back, all armed to the teeth.
The fucking humidity is something else as drops of rain start to fall.
Just another day at work. At least it’s not pouring buckets.
Tshimaga walks toward us, two of his soldiers following right behind him, carrying a small fold-up table. The soldier sets it down between us, and a worn briefcase is placed on it.
“Mr. Vetrov, welcome to the DRC,” Tshimaga says. Even though there’s a cruel gleam in his eyes, I can see he’s a businessman. It’s all about the money for him.
I nod at him. “Thank you.”
Dad steps closer until I feel him slightly behind me as he guards my back.
“I trust you’ll approve of the quality. You won’t find the same stones anywhere else,” Tshimaga says as he gestures at the worn briefcase.
I gesture for Bryant, one of my best men, to open the briefcase.
When he flips it open, I step closer to inspect the diamonds. I can spot a fake a mile away and have a keen eye for the real deal.
I take my time, checking every stone, and happy with the quality, I say, “You have a deal. One million euros as agreed.”
I gesture for Bryant to take the diamonds, and he quickly places them in a small steel box. Once he seals it, only a Vetrov can open it because no one else knows the code, and the box is impenetrable.
I pull the black card from my pocket with the authorization code for the funds printed in gold on it.
The million euros is safely in an account at St. Monarch’s, and once Tshimaga presents the code, they’ll release it to him.
“Nice doing business with you, Mr. Vetrov. I hope to see you again.” I tip my chin. “I’ll be in touch.”
I don’t move a muscle as Tshimaga and his men fold up their little table and head back to their jeeps. Only when they’re driving into the jungle do I turn around and walk back to the plane.
Dad lets out a tired sigh. “Now for the thirteen-hour flight home. I’m getting too old for this.”
I need to train Bryant to meet with the smugglers in Africa so he can make the runs for me.
Once we’re all seated and the pilot announces we’re ready for take-off, I ask Dad, “Would it be too soon to propose to Abigail?”
A wide smile spreads over his face. “It’s never too soon. I knew your mother two weeks when we were married.”
Right.
“But it all depends on whether Abigail is ready to take that step. You need to talk to her about the matter and see how she feels.”
“You’re right,” I mutter. “But then I won’t be able to surprise her.” “You really love Abigail?”
Without hesitation, I nod. “More than life itself.”
“Well, if she loves you, then go for it. You can be engaged for a while before you get married if she needs time to get used to it.”
I let out a chuckle. “If Abigail says yes, I’m not going to wait a year or even months.”
Dad shakes his head at me, a huge smile on his face. “I’m going to get some shut-eye. You should do the same.”
Abbie
This is insane. I can’t believe my father is going to such lengths.
You knew he would lose his shit if he found out about you and Nikolai.
Instructed to freshen up for dinner, I’ve been locked up in my bedroom for the past hour.
I’m freaking livid and haven’t been able to sit down for a second. I’m too wired and keep stalking up and down.
It will take Nikolai an entire day, if not longer, before he finds out I’m no longer at St. Monarch’s. I try to calculate how long it will take for him to get to Congo, have the meeting, and come back.
That’s like… twenty-eight hours? Thirty? Shit.
Aurora should’ve noticed by now that I’m not at St. Monarch’s. She’ll try to call, and if she can’t reach me, she’ll hopefully ask Director Koslov about me.
Crap, does Director Koslov even know I’m dating his godson? Would he perhaps search for me?
Inna might notice as well. If Nikolai can’t reach me once he’s back, he’ll check with them.
Thirty hours. A lot can happen before he realizes I’m not at St.
Monarch’s.
It’s up to me to get out of here.
I glance around my room, and my eyes lock on the widow.
You’ve snuck out plenty of times. You can do this.
I rush to the doors leading to the balcony but find the key has been removed. Just as I search for something to break the glass with, the door to my room opens, and my mother comes in.
She holds a margarita glass in her hand, and I notice her eyes are glassy. “Your father is calling for you.”
She sees that I’m still wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse, then frowns. “You should’ve changed. He’ll be upset.”
“I don’t care.” I shake my head hard. “You know this is insane. You can’t keep me here.”
She lets out a tired sigh as if her soul has been sucked dry of all its energy. “Don’t make a scene. He’s doing what’s best for you.”
I can hear she doesn’t believe her own words. “This is not what’s best for me, and you know it. Are you going to keep me locked up here forever? Is that the plan?”
Letting out another sigh, she takes a sip of her margarita before walking out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
I rush forward, but the moment I step into the hallway, guards grab my arms, flanking me. I start to struggle against their hold as I’m practically dragged down toward the staircase and manage to kick one bastard against his shin.
I’m taken to the formal lounge, and when I see another man smiling with my father while they’re in deep conversation, ice flows through my veins.
Oh, hell no.
My father and the man turn to look at me as I’m shoved into the room. I glare at the guards before I lift my chin to meet my father’s eyes.
“This is my daughter, Abbie. She has her mother’s temper.”
When she’s not drunk off her ass.
My father looks at the man as if he’s a walking bank vault with unlimited money. “This is Antonio Vittori, the man you’ll marry.”
I’d much rather die, but I have no plans to end my life, so I have to find a way out of this mess.
Antonio smiles at me as he walks closer, and I instantly recoil. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
He’s in his early thirties, and I’d go as far as to say he’s handsome. Before falling in love with Nikolai, I would’ve been accommodating. I always knew an arranged marriage lay in my future.
Antonio takes a ring from his breast pocket, and when he reaches for my left hand, I turn to run, only to be blocked by two overgrown apes.
One of the guards grabs my shoulder and forces me to face Antonio. My father grabs my left hand and holds me forcibly in place as Antonio pushes the ring onto my finger.
“I’ll never marry you,” I spit at Antonio.
My father lets out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. “I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. She’s stubborn.”
Father shakes hands with Antonio. “We’ll celebrate the engagement tomorrow night.”
“I look forward to it,” Antonio mutters. When his eyes flick to me, and I see the smug look in his eyes, I suppress the urge to spit at him.
As soon as Antonio has cleared the room, my father orders, “Let her go.”
The moment the guards take their hands off my arms, I swing around and knee the nearest one. He clutches his crotch as he sinks to his knees with a painful groan.
Winter would be so proud of me.
My father lets out a heavy sigh. “Stop with this attitude! You’re impossible. Antonio Vittori is wealthy. This is an important alliance.”
“I’m not a possession you can pawn off to the highest bidder!”
“Stop complaining!” he barks. “You’ll accept this arrangement and learn to be submissive to your fiancé like your mother did with me.” He looks at me with thinly veiled disappointment. “Hopefully, you’ll give him a son and not a petulant daughter.”
My body trembles with rage as I hiss, “I’ll never submit.”
My father steps closer to me, his features drawn tight because I dare to fight for the life I want. “The engagement party is tomorrow night. You will look like the Sartori princess you are. You will smile and be thankful I’m not giving you to Geseppi. Disobey, and you’ll be married to Geseppi before this week is over.”
Geseppi is a friend of my father’s and a vile man. He’s already been married twice, and both women took their own lives to escape him.
I’ve always known this would be my life, an arranged marriage to a man of my father’s choosing. But Nikolai changed that.
He changed everything.
He showed me what it’s like to be loved. He’s stood by me during the darkest time of my life.
I’ll never settle for anyone but Nikolai. I’ll only marry him. I’ll only bear his children. I’ll only submit to him.
I have time until the engagement party. Nikolai will be back in Europe by then, and I know he’ll come for me. After the week I spent on the island, the Vetrovs accepted me as family.
They will raise hell on this planet to get me back.
The corner of my mouth lifts in a smile, and forcing down the urge to fight, I nod while faking submissiveness. “You win.”
“Of course,” my father sneers. “Now go to your room. I’ve had enough of you for one day.”
Turning around, I give the guards a look of warning. “I can find my room by myself.”
They don’t grab or try to manhandle me but follow right behind me as I walk through the mansion and up the stairs.
Nikolai will come for me, and when he does, I won’t stop him from killing my father.