Robbie
I am irrationally furious. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. There is nothing. Aiden ripped Dina from my reach and kidnapped her. I heard her cry out, so he must have hurt her. She is fucking mine. I might not be allowed to be with her, but no one touches what is mine.
I start punching the steering wheel when I hear a familiar voice.
“That’s not going to help anything, Robbie.”
I look out the window to see Daniel kneeling beside me. “Let me get something to pry you out with.”
He moves off, and I feel a surge of energy. I’m not hurt, much, just trapped. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I can immediately start looking for Dina and save her.
Daniel comes back with a crowbar, and after what feels like ages, he manages to pry my door open and bend the piece of metal trapping me.
I get out of the car, dust myself off, and start walking. My leg is a little sore, but after a few steps, I don’t feel it anymore.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Daniel shouts after me.
“They took Dinara.” I walk toward the road. “How did you find me anyway?”
Daniel catches up to me. “You didn’t show up at your apartment, and I was worried. The cell tower is back, so I tracked you here.”
I run my hands through my hair. “Aiden is still alive. He ran us off the road and took Dina. Probably for revenge.”
My brother shrugs, and I stare at him. Daniel holds his hands up in defense. “I’m shrugging because it’s okay. I have a pretty good idea where he’s going. There’s a private airstrip not far from here, and a secret unrecorded flight is chartered to land there soon.”
“The Baldocchi family,” I breathe. “Dan, I have to do this. I have to save her. She’s the love of my life, and even if I can’t be with her, I can’t go on if I don’t know she’s okay.”
Daniel puts a hand on my shoulder and leads me to the trunk of his car. He pops it open and lifts a hidden compartment; all I see are guns. He smirks. “I know you do. And I’m going to help.” I smile at him, and he shuts the trunk.
We speed down the road in the direction of the private landing strip, but we park some way away. We pick out sniper rifles to open with, and I take my signature shotgun and two handguns. Daniel takes a rifle and an automatic assault rifle.
We crawl through the brush near the airstrip and sit and wait, watching through our scopes.
“There he is,” I say quietly, frustrated. Aiden comes out of the hangar as a plane taxis toward them and stops. I look at Daniel. “Do you want to wait to see who gets off the plane?”
“Fuck that. We got time to find him later.” Daniel looks through his scope, and so do I.
“Now,” he says.
We open fire, quick and fast, taking down several men in seconds.
The plane starts up again and takes off while Aiden sprints into the hangar.
“I’ll cover you, you get to Dina,” Daniel calls, reloading.
I nod and drop my rifle, picking up my shotgun and cocking it. I keep low as I hurry toward the hangar. As people shoot at me, Daniel shoots
at them, taking them out systematically. In these situations, it is advantageous to have a hitman with perfect aim for a brother.
I feel confident as I make it to the hanger door. I look around, and someone shoots at me. I wait. I know the general direction the shot came from, so I turn and fire at them, catching the guard in the chest and sending him backward.
Men flee out the back, but in the middle of the hangar, I see Katya slumped in a chair, bound to it. Then I see Dina. Aiden has an arm around her neck, she’s on her feet, and he is pressing a gun to her temple.
I walk slowly toward him. “We’ve been friends for over forty years,
Aiden. How can you betray me?”
“You betrayed me. Not only does Ronan sell us out to the Sorvinos, our enemies, but you fuck this Russian like she’s the only thing keeping you alive. Where have you been while our men have been taken out?”
“Looking for you, apparently,” I snap. “You were the one killing them. You betrayed me and the men and took good men from their families.”
“I was your fucking family,” Aiden roars at me. “I was your family, and you chose this whore over me. You think that I should be okay with that?”
I see movement, movement that Aiden doesn’t notice, and when the shadow passes under the light behind Aiden and I realize who it is, I slowly lower my gun.
“Aiden, just tell me why.”
“Because you’ve always acted like you’re better than me because you’re a fucking Quinn. Ask Ronan about how your dad cheated on your mom and had a son out of that affair. Ask him who that is. He knows.” “You,” I say calmly as Alessandro Sorvino raises his gun.
Aiden senses Alessandro and turns to look at him.
“Don’t touch my stuff,” Alessandro growls before shooting Aiden in the head.
Dina pushes Aiden’s arm away from her, and he drops to the floor. I feel nothing. Even if what he said was true, even if he was my half-brother.
The Quinn name is earned through loyalty, not through underhanded tactics.
I step toward Dina, but she turns and rushes to Katya.
“Kat? Kat?” She shakes her friend slightly.
“My head fucking aches,” the Russian queen mumbles.
Alessandro goes to her and nudges Dina toward me. “I have her. I’ll take her home and have her looked at.”
I’m surprised at how easily Alessandro sweeps Katya into his arms like a princess and starts walking out. I see his brothers standing at the hangar door, waiting for him.
I look at Dina, who is watching Alessandro walk away. “I have an idea. I have to go with them. I know how to end the division. I will see you later. Trust me?”
I walk to her and grab her face, kissing her deeply. “Of course I fucking trust you.” I pull her into my arms and kiss her again. “But you better be in my damn fucking arms later Dina, cause I can’t breathe without you.”
She places her hand on my cheek and then kisses me hungrily, pressing her body against mine. She rests her forehead against mine. “Later, you’re going to be a very busy man.” She hurries after Alessandro and lick my lips, still tasting her.
“Where’s she going?” Daniel asks as he walks in behind me.
“She says she can end the infighting,” I say, sighing.
“I hope so. You two are good together. I’d hate to split you up.” Daniel pats me on the shoulder.
***
Dinara
I rush out after Alessandro and watch as he carefully puts Katya in his limousine. He looks at me. “Need a ride?” “We need to talk,” I say.
“Right now?” he asks, looking at Katya.
“While we drive home.” I look at him confidently.
“Let her,” Katya groans, holding her head. “Anything to just get going.”
Once we’re all in, I look at Alessandro. “The infighting. The division. I know how to solve it. I know how to make the families see that our union is good. The problem isn’t necessarily that they hate each other.
It’s that they don’t even know each other. They don’t feel valued.”
Alessandro strokes Katya’s head softly. She’s lying on the seat with her head in his lap. “Okay, I’m willing to listen to your plan. If it’s not too insane.”