“Circumvent them. Go out for ice cream or something, and lose them from there.”
“Um, I know you’re already excited by the idea, but these men aren’t Mr. Hensen look-a-likes,” I said referring to our lanky high school math teacher. “One of them could quite easily snap both of our necks at the same time.”
“Uhh, that’s murder.”
“Exactly. It seems like something they could be quite easily provoked into doing.”
She sighed heavily. “Get yourself and the little girl out of the house tonight. I’ll meet you both at the place where we bought my red shoes,” she said mysteriously. She was so into this spy shit. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry,” she added.
“All right,” I agreed, and the call came to an end.
Chapter 20
Yuri
“How’s Yulia?”
Two words. A simple question, but Brain hesitated, just a fraction of a second, but that was enough.
I stopped in my tracks, and turned around to glance at the thick-headed brute. His eyes darted nervously away, so I turned fully to face him. My heart felt like lead.
He cleared his throat. “We’re sure she’s all right, boss. The Nanny took her away last night, but they should be returning soon.
“What?” I bellowed.
He swallowed hard. “There is no reason why they shouldn’t be returning soon,” he repeated fearfully.
“Where did she take my niece to?” I asked refusing to believe my ears as I turned to watch Alex disembark from the plane.
Brain began to stutter out a response as I unbuttoned my sleeves, and roll them up my forearms while my mind raced with possibilities.
Instinctively, he took a step back, but before he could take another, his heavy hunk of muscle and flesh body was on the tarmac.
My wrist throbbed painfully at the slam into his face, but before I could go after him again, Alex was on me.
The man stood to his feet unsteadily and with his hands held up as if to appease me, and stumbled off. The four others who had acted as our escorts made no move.
I jerked my arm free of Alex’s hold, and while flexing my throbbing hand, I made for the waiting black Mercedes.
My chauffeur jumped out of the driver’s seat on my approach, and opened the passenger door for me.
I slammed the door shut and slid into the driver’s seat he’d vacated instead. The engine was running. I put the car into motion and screeched away from the tarmac.
I dialed April’s number on my way, but just as I had expected, it was turned off so I set my GPS system with the address she had included in her resume.
It was an apartment in a rundown neighborhood in Hammersmith, and it didn’t take me long to arrive. By the time I did, my temper was close to exploding. Yulia wasn’t meant to leave the house without security! That was the one unbreakable law I’d given to the entire staff and they had broken it. And certainly not to a place like this where no reconnaissance had been carried in beforehand.
I banged on the chipped painted white door, and began to count to twenty before I damn well broke it down.
At count sixteen, it was pulled open and standing before me was a blonde with laughing cornflower blue eyes. She was a bit taller than April but looked no older. Her eyes widened when she saw me. “You’re Yuri,” she said, then shook her head. “I mean April’s employer. Yulia’s Uncle.”
“Where’s Yulia?” I barked.
“Down the hall,” she said and jerked her head to indicate the location. “April’s giving her a bath.”
She stepped out of my way hurriedly at the same time that I barged in and barreled down the direction she had signaled.
“Hey, hang on a minute!” she called.
Ignoring her, I burst open the door at the end of the hallway to a picture that should have warmed my heart, but I was too angry to be reasonable. Yulia was squealing as April tousled her wet hair in a towel while laughing.
At my sudden arrival, both jumped in shock. “Yuri?” April gasped. Her eyes immediately filled with dismay.
This made me even more furious.
I turned to gaze down at Yulia.
She stepped behind April’s legs, her eyes showed the usual terror that appeared in them whenever I was near. Her hair was bright red.
“What the fuck have you done with her hair?” I yelled.
“It’s not hair dye. It’s just Kool-Aid. It’s perfectly safe,” April rushed to explain.
“Get her dressed and in my car in five minutes,” I said and walked away.
Chapter 21
April
“He fired everyone!” Zelda exclaimed.
The strength left my legs as I lowered myself onto the couch and shut my eyes, my phone cradled against my ears. “How is that possible?”
“All sixteen of us,” she said. “He’s given us twenty-four hours to get out. I’m packing my things now. I’m so confused.”
“He can’t do that. I’ll be right there,” I said.