Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(56)

I do, too. There’s nothing wrong with my thinking. For the first time since the incident, my path is completely clear. Claudia is my future.

“Petr!” Katya’s breathless cry comes from just outside the graveyard.

I stand quickly, hearing the alarm in her voice.

“Petr! Todd is having a seizure or something!”

I whisper a catch you later to Mikael and hurry out. Katya’s in Sawyer’s coat and breathing hard from her sprint through the thick snow. She waves for me to hurry and turns away, hurrying back to the house.

Concern flares within me. I beat her back and take the steps up the veranda two at a time then wait for her at the door to the kitchen. “Where is he?” I demand.

“Foyer!”

I picked him up after school today and brought him here before unleashing him to hang out with Riley, the SEAL from my old team, for a bit. I know Riley had plans at five and Todd was supposed to pick out which room upstairs he wanted for his own, since I suspect he and his sister will be here quite often from here on out.

When I reach the foyer, I see Sawyer with the kid. They’re seated on the floor, Sawyer’s hand on Todd’s back and Todd’s head between his knees. His breathing is shaky, his face blanched and his body shaking.

“Is he okay?” I ask. I never thought to ask Claudia if Todd had health issues. I kneel beside him and ruffle his hair. He’s not in danger now. His eyes are closed, and his breathing is ragged if steady. Sawyer’s an expert at calming down someone in the middle of a crisis or meltdown, a skill I suspect comes in handy with my emotional sister.

“He hyperventilated,” Sawyer explains. “Probably because of this.” He hands me Todd’s phone. “He was on his way out the door when he sort of dropped.”

I take the phone.

Todd dont go hoem. Go somewhere else. Don’t go home. He found us he’s here don’t go home. The hasty text is from Claudia.

My breath catches for the second time in the past half hour. I can almost feel her panic and terror. Instinctively, I reach for my phone. I’d put it on silent when I went to talk to Baba and Katya. I’ve got a voicemail from a number I don’t recognize.

Standing grimly, I hit play to listen to it.

“Petr! He’s here … he says he has Todd. I can’t … oh, god I can’t do this again. Please help me find Todd.” Claudia’s hysterical voice cuts off.

My blood runs cold and for a long moment, I don’t register anything except the despair and fear in the voice of the woman I care about. I blink, and automatically, as with any time I’m faced with danger, I flip into mission mode.

“Sawyer, keep Todd here and calm, please,” I say over my shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait,” Todd whispers and shifts. He hands something to Sawyer, who tosses it t me. It’s the key to their apartment.

“Petr …” Katya is gazing at me uncertainly.

“Come help me with Todd, baby,” Sawyer says to her softly. “Petr knows what he’s doing and when to call for backup.”

I give a wry smile, snatch my keys from the coatroom, and trot outside to my truck.

Whether or not she knows it, Claudia is already part of my family, and no one threatens those I love.





Chapter Twenty: Claudia


I’m struggling not to melt into the puddle I usually am when he finds us. The memory of this weekend gives me some strength, the reminder of what happiness feels like, of how much I want to feel that forever.

Whatever happens, the mess with The Monster ends tonight. I don’t care if it costs my life in the process so long as Todd is safe. I know Petr will take care of him if something happens to me. It’s all I can think of as I stand staring at the door to my apartment.

The door is ajar, a welcome mat daring me to enter lain out with The Monster’s twisted sense of humor. I’m trembling already and trying not to fall apart, for Todd’s sake. Hands and face numb from the weather, I’m short of breath from the mad sprint here. My legs are heavy, my lungs burning from sucking in quick breaths of below freezing air, and my hair wet from the snow.

I push the door open. “Jake?” I hate the fear in my voice. “Todd?”

The Monster is seated at the kitchen table on the other side of the kitchen flanking the entrance. One leg is crossed over the other, and he’s relaxed. His eyes are as dark and cold as the snowy night.

Every time I see him, I want to puke. He usually has a plan when he finds me, and this time is no different. Beside his feet are two red, five-gallon jugs of gas.

Oh, god.

“Close the door, Claudia,” he says.

I do but I don’t lock it, just in case I have the chance to leave. “Where’s my brother?” I ask and venture halfway through the kitchen.

“Safe for now.”

“Where?”

“Does it matter, Claudia? He’s not here. You can check.”

The Monster is a pathological liar. I can’t trust anything he says. My eyes go to Todd’s closed door. I know this trick well. If I leave my position near the door, I can no longer run. Jake has me trapped, which is what he wants.

But the apartment is too quiet. If Todd is here, he must be hurt or tied up to be so quiet. If he’s not, then I need to know where he is.