Chapter Fourteen

Kyle was nervous about the meeting tonight. She didn’t know what to expect, and everyone she loved was involved.

“You take care of her, Varina. If anything goes wrong, you call us after you get to safety with Evie.”

“I know. Everything will be fine with us. You guys just be careful.” Varina kissed Ryan before he left with Kyle, Max, and Dimitri.

“Anatoli will be meeting us there and will be hidden along with Ellis. We have no idea what is going to happen, so Kyle, you are to stay by Max and me.”

“We have the DNA results, right?” Kyle asked.

“We do, but it’s not going to stop him. You shot him, so he’ll probably want to have revenge for that, and his goal is likely to walk away with you and Evie after killing us.”

***

When they arrived at the agreed-upon place, Ryan handed Kyle a knife. “Hide it on you, just in case something happens.”

Kyle took the knife and put it in her jacket pocket, hoping that it would be an easy grab if she needed it.

“When we walk in, keep your eyes and ears open—we don’t know what we are walking into.

Anatoli and Ellis were nowhere to be seen. Their goal was to enter from another location and be used as backup if needed. Max, Dimitri, Kyle, and Ryan proceeded into the building.

It was pitch-black when they entered the warehouse, and Max turned on the flashlight to look around. Just as they made their way to the middle of the room, the lights came on.

“It’s about time you guys showed up,” Cannin said as he walked from the other side of the room. “I’m glad you brought Kyle, so I’m assuming you’ve left my child behind.”

“She doesn’t belong to you, Cannin, and we have DNA proof. Max is the father, not you.”

“You see, I don’t care about who is biologically her father. I was set on having a child when I found out you were pregnant.

“A child I could raise and mold to take over; a child who would be known as mine.

“So, Kyle, you can either come with me and we’ll get the little girl, or you can stay and we take the little girl without you.”

“She isn’t going with you, and neither is my niece.”

“You don’t have a say so.”

Cannin nodded at that, and the guy next to him pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ryan.

“What is it going to be?”

“Don’t fall for it, Ky,” Ryan said.

Max, Dimitri, and Ryan pulled their guns out and pointed back at them. Cannin snapped his fingers, and three more men came forward. They were outnumbered, and Kyle was starting to panic.

“Don’t do this.”

“But I have to. If I don’t, they’ll just come after me, but before we kill you all, I have a surprise for you and your brother, Kyle.”

“Let go of me; you don’t have to treat me like a prisoner.”

“Mom?” Ryan and Kyle said at the same time.

“What are you doing with Cannin?” Kyle asked.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised. I know you knew I was still alive, or at least Ryan did.”

“But that doesn’t answer the question,” Ryan bit back.

Max was trying to figure out how to use this as a distraction. He knew Anatoli and Ellis were near; he just needed to find a way to allow them to take people out quickly.

“Mommy dearest here made a deal with me. I take care of Viktor and hand her the money from his organization; in return she would help me get the child, but she messed up and tried to renegotiate.

“She wanted me to leave you alone.”

“Why would you work with him to kidnap our daughter?” Dimitri asked.

Her mother rolled her eyes. “It was about the money. Her father did me wrong. He knocked me up and left me but wouldn’t let me be with anyone else.

“He killed her stepdad, and that was when I knew I needed to get away.”

“You left us to fend for ourselves,” Ryan yelled at her. “You left us nothing but the house. You didn’t even care!”

Ryan couldn’t control his anger anymore and went to approach his mother, but as soon as he took a step, a gun went off, and a bullet hit him in the leg.

The gunshot set off a chain reaction, and people started dodging for cover and shooting back.

Kyle tried to take cover but was shot in the shoulder, and before she could register what was going on, she was grabbed by Cannin.

Cannin started dragging her toward the exit.

“Let go of me, Max, Dimitri!” she yelled while trying to fight back. She dug her heels into the ground and tried to look around.

She saw Anatoli trying to take a shot, but she knew he couldn’t get a clear chance. He risked shooting her.

Cannin grabbed Kyle by the neck, holding her close to him, making it harder for her to fight back.

Cannin made it to the exit with Kyle, but once he stepped outside, he was greeted with the barrel of a gun pointing at him.