Vanquished (The Encounter #3)(45)

“Benedikt doesn’t know he has a daughter, but he will soon enough. He will start hunting her down, too. I’m thinking you’ll have less than twenty-four hours, because word has it that Romanov works fast, and he never loses.”

Masking my reaction, I didn’t give myself a chance to dwell on the facts. There was no way this fool was lying, because this information was too complicated for his imagination.

“I believe we’re through here. You can go now, Constantin.”

The man Isobel had called and considered a father wasn’t even her real one. The plot thickened as the seconds ticked away. Who was the rival who had placed a bounty on Isobel? With a million Euros on the line, I was sure hit men all across Europe were getting ready to take arms and scour the streets in search of her.

This was war, and Isobel was caught in the crossfire. No wonder nothing was being done with Isobel. The Russian was busy with another feud elsewhere. I could have been thankful that no one knew she was pregnant, but at the rate this catastrophe was going, I wasn’t sure what would come out of the woodwork next.

Dialing Julien’s number, I held my breath until I heard his familiar voice. “Get out of the villa immediately. Leave as soon as you can. It’s too dangerous to stay there. Leave now. I’ll meet you at the chateau. I’ll explain when I get there.” I hung up before Julien could even finish asking what in Hades was going on.

If there was a chance for Isobel to survive this, she had to go in hiding. The chateau was the safest place for her, although I knew Benedikt Romanov would come for her sooner or later.

And when that time came, I would make sure to be there, negotiating my way into Hell or Heaven.





Chapter Twenty-Three


Hugo





“There’s word out that Isobel has a bounty on her. Find out whatever you can, anything.”

Beno?t eyed me with uncertainty. “Is that what Callas was here for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I merely nodded as I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose, hoping to stay focused instead of completely giving in to the turmoil that threatened my grip on sanity.

My past curse could be overlooked. I had to know what I was up against with this man who was after Isobel. Time was of the essence. I had to play this smart, or it would be over soon.

The ever-efficient Beno?t dug up everything he could acquire within two hours. Everything Constantin had stated aligned with what he found. There were a few hacking forums that delivered the mission through secret codes with Isobel’s background and last whereabouts. In this way, they could filter through the amateurs and the professionals. And they stated that they wanted the latter. It also stated that they wanted her alive, but if the first option was not viable, death would be acceptable.

Benedikt Romanov had made a multi-million-dollar deal that had gone awry. He apparently gave his word that the money invested would be worth it, guaranteeing he would personally pay them back if it didn’t work. And it hadn’t.

The research for the weapon had a lot of problems along the way, beginning with their scientists disappearing simultaneously without a trace. There were a lot of complications after that, and the money invested went kaput. The man who had a part of that plan was now demanding he get his money back since Romanov had given his word. However, the oligarch wasn’t budging and had shut down his demand with an iron fist. Hence, the hunt for Romanov’s only offspring. It was the only thing that would surely make him bleed—his last living relative, his unknown daughter.

It was no wonder Constantin Callas could easily sell her as if she were nothing but rubbish. His resentment ran deeper than the normal, callous bastard. He was a warped f*ck who couldn’t forgive his wife for getting herself impregnated with another man’s child, and he kept punishing Isobel because he knew it would hurt his wife more.

Why did innocent children pay for their parents’ mistakes? Isobel had paid the price for her mother’s and I with my uncle’s. It was a blasted cycle that happened everywhere in this world. All it took was one action—one mistake—to spiral into this madness. The future generations always paid the price.

The drive to the chateau was riddled with mind-boggling questions circling around in my head. The very thought of bringing the subject up to Isobel would be crucial, yet I couldn’t bring myself to break it to her. It would probably hurt her, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. She was pregnant and emotionally fragile at this point; I didn’t see the need to add on more stress in her life.

Regardless, a large part of me believed I should be the one to tell her instead of finding out from someone else. It was such a trivial matter, but I decided to gradually tell her this god-awful tidbit, making the impact less severe than if the news were delivered straight away.

Once I got to Provence and finally arrived at the chateau, I was beyond relieved to see she was fine. Though she looked as if she had gone past bedtime, the way she smiled and looked at me with such adoring eyes made everything worthwhile. I loved her; that was all that mattered at this point.

“What’s going on, Hugo?” Isobel murmured before heavily yawning.

Without much ado, I barely threw a glance at Julien before I strode towards Isobel, plucked her off the sofa, and cradled her in my arms as I began to walk towards the stairs.

“I can walk in case that escaped your notice.”