My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and I swallow hard on the fear before I ask, “Why did you take me?”

“I already told you,” he mutters. “There’s a hit out on you. You’re here for your own safety. Once we’ve made contact with your father, we’ll do what he wants.”

The last time I spoke to my dad, he sounded really weak, and the call only lasted two minutes before he was breathless. “What if he can’t take the call? My dad’s sick.”

“An associate is on his way to meet with your father. You just need to sit tight.”

I lick my lips again, my hand still clutching the railing. “So, if my dad tells you to let me go, you will?”

Demitri only nods.

Yeah, right.

I cautiously move toward the front door, my eyes darting between Demitri and my escape.

“You’re free to move around the property, but if you give me any shit, I’ll lock you in the bedroom,” he warns me.

I expect him to lunge at me at any moment, but instead, he just watches me. As I get close to the front door, it starts to swing open. Instead of feeling hopeful that I’ll manage to escape, I begin to feel claustrophobic.

I’m on an island?

Surrounded by water?

My breathing begins to speed up as I step outside, and when I only see more water beyond the rocky shore, it feels like I’m a second away from losing my mind.

Spotting a boat, I dart forward and run as fast as I can. My bare feet slap against the rocks, and I ignore the discomfort of the uneven surface digging into my soles. I scramble onto the boat but quickly realize there are no keys.

Of course. Like Demitri would leave them in the boat.

Glancing around me, it starts to sink in, hopelessly and terrifyingly – I’ve been taken, and there’s nowhere for me to go.

A gasp explodes from my dry lips as I wrap my arms around myself. Trembles begin to wrack my body, and panic claws at my heart.

Dad will tell them to let me go.

Yuri will find me if they don’t.

People will notice I’m missing.

But not for a while.

God.

My breaths speed up as my panic grows.

I’ve been kidnapped by Demitri Vetrov.

I overheard Dad talk about him and Alexei Koslov. They wiped out half of the Albanian Mafia, killing close to a hundred men in one day. It was a bloodbath.

‘The devil and his hellhound will pave the way for the Bratva to take over new territories.’

Dad’s words shudder through me, and my eyes snap back to the house.

What do they want?

A ransom?

To use me as collateral, so my dad will do what they want?

Maybe they’re planning some kind of coop to overthrow my dad and brother so Alexei and Demitri can take over the Bratva?

Probably the latter, which means I’ll also be killed. That’s how it works in their world, right? Take out the whole family?