The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 184 - One Hundred and Eighty-Four

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Four

Malachi’s POV

"Not if it means protecting her."

"So you’re going to what? Storm the estate? Take on Zhao’s people yourself?"

"If that’s what it takes."

"That’s insane."

"Probably."

Maurice sighed. Ran his hand over his face. "You know what? Fine. We’ll do it your way. But we need backup. We need weapons. We need—"

His phone rang. He answered. Listened. His face went pale.

"What?" I demanded.

He hung up. Looked at me. "Zhao’s men aren’t just watching anymore. They’re moving. Now."

I grabbed the binoculars again. Scanned the area.

There. Three vehicles approaching from the east. Black. Moving fast.

"How many?"

"At least twelve. Maybe more in the follow cars."

Twelve armed men. Against the Moretti security and whoever else was inside.

And Alicia was in there. Pregnant. Vulnerable.

I was moving before I consciously decided to. Out of the car. Heading toward the estate.

"Malachi, wait—"

"Call the Morettis. Warn them. Tell them armed men are coming."

"What are you going to do?"

"Stop them."

"You can’t take on twelve men alone—"

"Then you better call for backup."

I ran toward the estate. Toward Alicia. Toward our child.

The vehicles were getting closer. I could hear them now. Engines roaring.

The Moretti guards at the gate had noticed too. They were scrambling. Getting into position. Drawing weapons.

But they weren’t ready. Couldn’t be ready for what was coming.

I reached the wall. Scaled it. Dropped down on the other side just as the first vehicle crashed through the gate.

Metal screamed. The gate held for a second, then gave way.

Zhao’s men poured out. Armed. Moving with military precision.

The Moretti guards opened fire.

Chaos erupted.

I moved through it like a ghost. Found cover. Drew my weapon. Started taking out targets.

One. Two. Three.

Zhao’s men scattered. Regrouped. They were good. Professional.

But I was better.

I’d spent fifteen years becoming the monster the Blackwood family needed. Had trained with the best. Killed the worst.

And now I was using every skill I’d ever learned to protect the woman I loved.

Four. Five. Six.

The numbers were dropping. But more vehicles were arriving. Reinforcements.

This wasn’t just a kidnapping attempt. This was an assault.

Zhao wanted Alicia. And he was willing to kill anyone who got in his way.

The front door of the estate opened. Alessandro came out with more guards. They joined the fight.

I saw Marco directing people. Saw Francesca running back inside. Probably to secure the family.

To secure Alicia.

I fought my way toward the house. Toward her.

A bullet whizzed past my head. I turned. Returned fire. Watched one of Zhao’s men drop.

Then I saw him.

Zhao Wei. Standing by one of the vehicles. Watching the chaos with cold calculation.

Our eyes met across the battlefield. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He smiled.

Raised a phone to his ear. Said something I couldn’t hear.

Then he got back in the vehicle and drove away.

Not retreating. Not running.

He’d gotten what he came for.

But what—

The realization hit me like a physical blow.

This was a distraction.

The main assault was at the front. Drawing all the security. All the attention.

While someone else came in from the back.

I ran. Abandoned the fight. Sprinted toward the house.

"Malachi!" Maurice’s voice behind me. "What are you doing?"

"It’s a diversion! They’re inside!"

I burst through a side entrance. Followed my instincts through corridors I’d never seen before.

Where would she be? Where would they keep her?

Upstairs. Away from the fighting. In a bedroom or—

I heard a scream.

Sophie.

I ran toward it. Found the stairs. Took them three at a time.

Another scream. Cut off abruptly.

No. No no no.

I reached the second floor. Followed the sound of struggling.

Found a bedroom. Door hanging open.

Inside, three men. One holding Sophie. One standing guard.

And one had Alicia.

She was fighting. Kicking. Screaming. Her silver hair wild around her face.

The man holding her was twice her size. He had a cloth pressed to her face. She was getting weaker.

Chloroform.

I raised my gun. Fired. The guard dropped.

The man holding Sophie turned. I shot him too.

The one with Alicia shoved her toward the window. There was a ladder. A rope. An escape route.

I fired. Missed. He was using her as a shield.

"Let her go," I said. My voice was dead calm. The voice I used before I killed someone.

The man looked at me. Looked at the bodies of his companions. Made a calculation.

Then he threw Alicia toward me and jumped out the window.

I caught her. She was limp. Unconscious. The chloroform had worked.

Sophie was sobbing in the corner. Unharmed but terrified.

I heard footsteps. Alessandro and Marco burst into the room. Weapons drawn.

They saw me. Holding Alicia. Bodies on the floor.

"Who the hell are you?" Marco demanded.

I looked at him. At this man who’d been protecting her. Who was her family in ways I’d only just learned.

"I’m Malachi Blackwood," I said. "And this is my child’s mother."

Alessandro’s eyes widened. "You’re the one she’s running from."

"Yes."

"Then you need to leave. Now. Before—"

"I’m not leaving without her."

"You don’t have a choice—"

Alicia stirred in my arms. Her eyes fluttered open. Unfocused. Confused.

Then she saw my face.

And everything in her expression told me exactly what she felt.

Terror.

"No," she whispered. "No, you can’t be here. You can’t—"

"Shh. You’re safe. I’ve got you."

"Let me go." She tried to push away. Too weak to do more than shove feebly at my chest. "Let me go."

"Alicia—"

"I said let me GO!"

The desperation in her voice broke something in me.

I loosened my grip. She stumbled back. Alessandro caught her.

She looked at me. At the man she’d run from. The monster who’d found her anyway.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"I always find what’s mine."

Wrong thing to say. I saw it immediately. Her face hardened.

"I’m not yours. I’m not anyone’s."