42

We all arrived together in the open kitchen and, completely overwhelmed by the situation, I watched Rian and Keeva run up the stairs to the children's room despite the guard's words.

Odran seemed even more exhausted than me and put his hand to his heart to sit down breathlessly at the table.

Chiara, like Mandy, just stood there and stared in disbelief into nothing.

"I'll call Papa", I broke the silence and after Odran nodded, I gave Mandy a kiss on her cheek to walk back onto the terrace alone.

The sun was shining brightly, but the purest storm was raging inside me. As if I wasn't quite there anymore, I grabbed my cell phone in a daze and dialed Cathan's number, who answered it immediately and listened to me very carefully. I told him everything I knew about Fiore, even though he thought it could have been anyone.

"Give me the phone," Rian suddenly interrupted and snatched the phone out of my hand with a stunned look to take a few steps away from me. "I need every man you have! Now! And you too!"

He spoke the words so coldly that a shiver ran down my spine and when I looked back into the living room, I saw Keeva crying in Odran's arms while Chiara tried to calm her down.

Only Mandy stood alone and seemed even more lost than everyone else. After my glance fell on Rian, who was still upset on the phone, I ran to her and took her hand in mine to walk to the couch with her.

"Everything will be fine," I reassured her, but she suddenly held her hands in front of her face, crying.

"It's all my fault. I should have... We should have... Oh God," she sobbed softly and I immediately pulled her protectively into my arms and stroked her back, which was shaking slightly from the excitement.

"My brother once said that no one is to blame except for the bad people who do bad things," I remembered Rian's words and immediately Mandy looked up at me with her glassy eyes. "We'll find her," I added, but I suddenly realized what had actually happened.

Esme... our little always beaming Esme was gone...

And Nero!

"Shit," I suddenly cursed loudly and broke away from Mandy to stand up hastily so that all eyes were on me. "We have to do something! Let's call Padraig!"

"He's at a wedding and will probably only be back in a few days," Rian said when he entered the house again and then handed me my cell phone to examine me for a moment with his expressionless face.

"Then you think the end of the Russians, here come the Spaniards," came Odran, who was still standing there, holding Keeva tightly in his arms.

"I drive."

Rian glanced at me, then turned to Odran. "We drive!"

"Where to?", Keeva turned from Odran's arms and looked questioningly at Rian, who ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I don't know! Just drive around!"

"So you're going to leave me alone?!" Keeva raised her voice and took a step towards him.

"No! But I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"Then take me with you!"

"It's too dangerous. You're safe here!" Rian blocked her request, but Keeva laughed hysterically at his words.

"Brandon was watching me while I was in that house! Yuri threatened me while I was in that house! The Russians knocked out Senan and took me away while I was in that house! I don't think that's a place on this one now world is more dangerous than this cursed mansion! So let's drive!"

Keeva stormed past Rian outside, crying and after Odran and Chiara followed her, Rian came up to me again.

"You stay here. Cathan will surely come soon. If you notice something or anything else, call me immediately!"

I nodded in agreement and before he could leave, I held his arm back and briefly hugged him.

"You take care."

He broke away from me, nodded imperceptibly and then also left the house, leaving only Mandy and I behind.

"We've got to do something, too," she said, getting up to stare at me with her hopeless eyes.

"There's nothing we can do but wait."

She closed her eyes and the tears that ran down her slightly red cheeks broke my heart. The thought of Esme now somewhere all alone, feeling scared and crying for her mama, suddenly made my throat tight and I clutched my trembling chest to try to calm my breathing...

"Senan?" Mandy spoke to me with a trembling voice and when our eyes met I saw the sheer panic in her eyes and I hated that I couldn't be there for her because it was bothering me so much.

"It's fine," I said, leaning on the kitchen island to take a deep breath, each breath aching to my heart.

Only when there was a sudden knock at the door did I break away from the island and look briefly at Mandy, who was staring at the front door in fear.

"Do you think that's your father?" she asked helplessly, but I didn't know myself and didn't intend to take any chances. I quickly ran to a cupboard in the back of the living room, opened it and looked at Odran's safe to enter Esme's date of birth, hoping it was still that pin.

"Oh god," I heard Mandy behind me, who then watched me pull out an old revolver and reload it.

"I will never let anything happen to you again," I said to her and stood up to pull her into a tight hug again. "No matter what happens. I will protect you!"