Stolen by a Sinner (Sinners #3)(67)

“Evet.”

I glance at Emre. “Gather the men.”

My cousin rushes out of the office as I glance at the footage again, then leaning forward, I say, “Rewind.” When she gets to the part I want to see, I mutter, “Pause.” I point at the man dressed in a suit. He looks nothing like a soldier. “Find out who that is.”

“Evet.”

She scans his face into her facial recognition software, and we wait as it searches the database.

“This might take a while,” Elif murmurs.

“Call me the second you know,” I say before I walk out of the office.

My phone starts to ring, and pulling it from my pocket, I see it’s my grandmother.

“Selam, Babaanne.”

“Selam. My wool is finished.”

I let out a chuckle. “What do you want me to do about that?”

“Allow Lara to accompany me to the store. I want to get her, her own knitting needles and basket.”

Fuck.

I want to encourage the bond between her and Lara, but now is not a good time.

“We’ll be quick, and we’ll take the whole army with us,” she mutters. “We can’t live like prisoners for the unforeseeable future. It might take thirty more years for you to kill Mazur, and I don’t have that kind of time.”

Jesus. I almost roll my eyes.

“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” I mutter wryly.

“I promise it will be a quick shopping trip. Twenty minutes at most."

I let out a sigh. “Not a second longer than twenty minutes. I’ll call Daniel.”

“Thank you,” she says sweetly.

Shaking my head, I end the call and quickly dial Daniel’s number.

“Boss?”

“The women want to go shopping,” I sigh into the line. “Twenty minutes is all they get. How many men do you have at the house?”

“Eleven.”

“Take them all. Keep my women safe.”

“Yes, boss.”

Ending the call, I shove the device into my pocket and go look for Emre.





Chapter 41


Lara



I’ve just hung the last blouse in Gabriel’s walk-in closet when Nisa comes into the bedroom, announcing, “We’re going shopping.”

My eyebrows draw together as I glance over my shoulder. “Does Gabriel know?”

“Evet. Alya Hanim phoned him. Come, he only gave us twenty minutes.”

I quickly grab a pair of shoes and pull a brush through my hair. Picking up my handbag, I tuck my phone into it and follow Nisa out of the room.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Alya Hanim needs wool, so we’ll only go to the craft store she likes to visit.”

“Okay.” When we meet Alya Hanim by the front door, I smile with excitement.

Leaving the house, we’re met with twelve guards waiting for us.

Daniel steps forward. “You only have twenty minutes. Under no circumstances are you to leave our sight. Lara, you stay with Murat. Alya Hanim, you’ll be by my side, and Nisa, you stay with Yusuf. If anything happens, just do as your guard instructs.”

“So dramatic,” Nisa mutters, then she bats her eyelashes at the guard I assume is Yusuf. “It’s been a while, Yusuf Bey.”

With a smile, Yusuf shakes his head as he opens the door for her. “Get in, Nisa Hanim.”

“Ooh, I like it when you boss me around,” she teases him.

This time I can’t stop the laughter from bubbling over my lips.

“You’re in this SUV, Lara,” Murat says when I take a step toward Nisa.

“Oh.” I quickly get in and watch as Alya Hanim climbs into the SUV behind ours. “Why are we taking separate vehicles?”

Murat waits for two guards to join us before he starts the engine. “It’s for safety. If we’re attacked, you’re not all together.”

I glance at the guard next to me and offer him a tentative smile before glancing out the window. The store isn’t far from the house. When we reach it, we’re bundled out of the SUVs and escorted to the doors. Only Murat, Daniel, and Yusuf follow us inside while the rest of the guards spread out.

My eyes dart over the shelves, drinking in all the arts and crafts. “Wow, there’s so much to choose from.”

“You take whatever you want, Lara,” Alya Hanim says. “I’m paying, and there’s no limit.”

“Does the same count for me?” Nisa asks, already placing a wooden ring in her basket.

Alya Hanim chuckles. “Of course.”

“What’s that?” I ask Nisa, pointing into her basket.

“It’s a hoop. You use it to keep the fabric in place for embroidery,” she explains patiently. “Get the same one for yourself, then I’ll teach you later.”

I follow Nisa, loading the same supplies into my basket.

“Don’t forget your knitting needles,” Alya Hanim says as she comes to place a couple of sizes in my basket. Then she scowls at Nisa, “You can teach her embroidery once I’m done with the knitting lessons.”

A burst of warmth fills my heart, but it chills when Daniel snaps, “Drop everything and run to the back. Murat, get them out of here!”