Page 84 of Caged

I stand up and fight the urge to throw his computer across the room.

“That man was in my home? With my little girl?” I’ll kill Melissa. Mila. Whatever the hell her name is.

“I do have good news.” Enzo pulls the device away from me and flips it back to face him. “We’ve tracked her. I know where she is. Her partner has a signature, and I found it. I can tell you everywhere he is by it.”

“Mikhail. I have to go.” I’ll call Lara to watch Elena. “I’ll get the diamonds back.”

Mikhail sits in his leather chair and fixes me with a cold stare. “Revenge is a sour prize, brother.”

I don’t care.

That woman wanted to get a rise out of me. Well, she’s woken the bear.

“We can’t let those diamonds get back to Ivan. Killing her will be icing on the cake.”

Mikhail tilts back and scratches his jaw through his mask. “It would be a solid blow and a sign of force if we can get the diamonds back from beneath his nose.” His thick fingers knot on his desk. “But, you know why I can’t go with you.”

“I do.” Russia doesn’t need any more of his blood spilled on it.

“Take Alexei. I don’t think Jax will do well that far from home for that long.” Mikhail rocks in his chair. “I can’t say I blame him. With having another child on the way, it would mess him up.”

Sometimes my brother surprises me. I don’t think he sees some of those things, but I think he knows much more than he lets on.

Maybe that’s why he was pushing me to guard myself with Melissa from the beginning?

It doesn’t matter now. The damage is done, and I need to fix it.

Tossing my luggage next to the front door, I can hear Lara speaking in hushed tones in Russian on the phone.

“Yes. Alexei. I will call you if I need anything. I’m fine.”

The way she pauses before she says the last two words causes me to doubt her. I need to speak to Mikhail about her when I get home if she hasn’t improved.

“Daddy!” Elena calls out and rushes toward me, stopping in her tracks when she sees the suitcase.

Fuck. There are tears in her eyes.

I clench my fists, this is Mila’s fault. She’s making me leave my daughter.

“Are you going to get Melissa?”

I’m taken aback.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you love her.”

Running a hand over my jaw, I’m lost for words. It’s like another stab through the heart. My daughter is right, I did love her.

I’m not going to bring her here though, quite the opposite.

“She won’t be coming back here, baby,” I say softly, trying to lessen the blow. I know she loved having her around.

“Why? She was happy here, with us, wasn’t she?” She pouts and looks to the ground.

I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, resting my face in her curls.

It makes me hate Mila more than I already do.