Page 55 of The Brigadier
I’d reacted, refusing to allow anyone to invade my life. We’d all been fools.
“Find the fuckers. Get men on it now.”
“I’ll do my best,” Maxim huffed. “I’ll call a cleanup crew too.”
I nodded, placing my hands on my hips for a second time. Hell, I was getting too old to play games. The feel of the cold, hard steel pressing against my bare skin was a hateful reminder of my life, the world in which I lived.
As I walked by my other men, I wasn’t certain if the looks on their faces were ones of pity or anger themselves. They had every right to be angry. I should have had the ability to warn them.
“You can’t stay here, boss. You know that,” Maxim added.
“Yeah, I know that. I’ll be headed to the beach house. I’ll need men to stay out there. Coordinate with Danny.”
“Will do. Just go be with your family. I’ll take care of this.”
The man was exhausted but loyal to a fault. I took one last look before heading inside, immediately taking long strides to my office. The chances the noise had been heard was far too significant. “Vadim. I was attacked, two men down.”
“Ah, fuck,” he hissed. “We go into Defcon four.”
He hadn’t used the term created by his father for as long as I’d worked with him. He hadn’t needed to. If there was a situation for the use it was today. “Okay. I’ll be headed out to the beach in an hour. However, we need to talk to Raphaella’s father. The man must know something. Anything. If he doesn’t, I swear to God I’ll kill him myself.”
“I’ll set up a meeting even if he doesn’t want or isn’t ready for it.”
We were now both shaken. The ridiculous part was that I knew in my gut this shit was just beginning. “We’ll talk further strategy when I get to the beach.” I tossed the phone on my desk, completely infuriated. First, I smashed my fists on the surface. But that wasn’t enough for me. I needed to air out my anger, to try not to internalize it. I raked my arm across half my desk, at least avoiding my laptop and other crucial items. But I managed to get the lamp, smashing it to bits and pieces. What the fuck did I care? I could afford millions more.
I laughed almost hysterically at the thought. Perhaps those who weren’t tied down by a dangerous profession or money that others wanted felt like less of a prisoner. It was ridiculous. All the money in the world and no ability to enjoy it freely.
“What the hell did that lamp ever do to you?”
Hearing Chantel’s voice, one that held a slight tone of accusation made me laugh bitterly. I lifted my head, my chest straining from the heavy breathing I was doing. She looked even more beautiful than the night before, the blushing pink robe perfect on her. Even her skin was shimmering more than I’d seen. Her eyes were lit with fire, which meant she knew instinctively something was wrong.
“We’re leaving in less than an hour. I need you to keep Damien calm and try and grab some of his favorite toys and books. Where we’re going, he has a room full of them, but without his favorite ones including books, he won’t be happy.” Shit. My breathing was labored and I was lightheaded given the amount of rage.
“What is going on? Talk to me. I thought I heard gunshots.”
Exhaling, I even had a bitter taste in my mouth. What I wanted was to taste blood. I glanced over her shoulder into the hallway. “Damien isn’t awake?”
“No, he slept through it. What happened?” She practically lunged forward, narrowly avoiding the broken glass from the lamp.
There was no sense in keeping the truth from her.
“Vadim was attacked last night, hired assassins no doubt who knew what they were doing. They weren’t successful in hurting anyone or getting in so they came here. Two of my men were killed. I tried to stop the attack, but it was too late.” I could hear such guilt in my voice, such sadness and it was unusual. Then again, this kind of shit never occurred. Not to this degree.
“Oh, God,” she half whispered, her wheels spinning as if making plans of her own. “Where can we go that we’ll be safe?”
“I have a beach house in Sagaponack that almost no one knows about. It’s on no records, there’s no way to check it in the county, and only my most trusted men are aware of its existence. You’ll be safe there.”
“Hold the fuck on. You are coming or I’m not going.”
I was around the desk in a flash, grabbing both her arms.
“You’re hurting me.” Her eyes were open wide.
I eased back, raking one hand through my hair. “I’m not trying to. But you and my boy need to stay safe. You’re all I have.”
She managed to free her arm, placing her frigid hand on my jaw. “You have a lot of people around you who care. Don’t unravel. Don’t fall into despair. You need to find out who is doing this. That’s your goal.”
“My goal is to protect my family!” Even that was far too vehement. I looked away, furious with myself for losing my cool. Taking her hand, I kissed her palm. “How did you get so damn smart?”